April 27- Great Fishing on Foot

First Tar River Bass since 1985

All my Shad were Bucks. Emma got this one. The rest were released.

Upstream

Downstream

The Bank behind my position. 

Finding a truly great Fishing Spot that you can walk into and Fish on Foot is pretty hard nowadays.... Especially harder as I get older. There must be millions of great spots on Salt Water, as well as Rivers, Lakes, and Ponds. Unfortunately, most of these great fishing opportunities are off limits due to Private Property Restrictions or they might just be "too hard to get to"..... A few years ago, my pal Tuggwell Jones took me to Battle Park in Rocky Mount. It is quite a drive from Beaufort.... i always meant to go back, but for whatever reason, I never did..... Until yesterday. I grabbed a couple of rods and that damn dog, Emma... Can't go without her! She is asleep in the bed of my truck right now.... Afraid she'll miss a trip...... When we got to Battle Park, the first things I noticed was how low the water was. And how clear. The conditions were a treat. I remembered and angry, rock strewn River that was suited for White Water Rafting the last time I was there.... The catch was: The River was full of White Shad. Or, American Line Burners as me and Columbo affectionately called them back then. Now, with conditions perfect to "get in the River and cast" if the White Shad were present, I was going to have a good day..... Four hours later, I must say, it was a GOOD DAY. Not Epic. Strikes were too few. But, there was enough action to keep me excited..... All 5 of the White Shad that I landed were smallish Bucks, or male fish. I lost a couple of Females, or Roe Shad. Those two that I lost were 3-5 pounders. One in particular I will never forget. This fish hit at the end of my cast and jumped way out there. Somersalt. Then I rapidly gained line as she swam upstream towards me. 50b feet out, she stopped and bore down hard and steady.... I must say after a minute, I thought I was hung..... Then she would make a subtle twitch that was too direct feeling to be a snag. hard to describe, all I can say was 40+ years of fishing told me she wasn't hung up. After about 2-3 incredible minutes of stalemate, she made forward progress up stream.... That is, where my line entered the water progressed forward.... Remember, all this time I am lifting upward and pulling inward in an attempt to "Catch" this fish.... Still she bore downward. Another 2-3 minutes passed with absolutely no progress.... People I have LEANED on a 350+ Pound Blue Marlin, 300+ Pound Bluefin Tunas, 90+ Pound Wahoos, and 500+ Pound Hammerhead Sharks. You PULL as MUCH AS the tackle you have WILL ALLOW.... They ALL BUDGED in my direction.... This Female White Shad DID NOT BUDGE..... I feel like a damn LIAR. After app 10 long minutes, this app 5 lb White Shad finally and begrudgingly allowed itself to be lifted high enough in the current, that was GIN CLEAR and less than 6 feet deep, for me to see her..... There she stood her ground, head down, kicking furiously left to compensate my pulling to the right..... I was sweaty and fustrated, now she was 15 feet from my rod tip. I started back pedaling towards shore and Emma.. At this point, after all that, I tried to pull her over the edge of a drop contour where she would glide over the bottom would rise from 5 feet of water to 2 feet. She sensed the change and the threat and she peeled away towards deep water. The hook pulled and my grub shot at me like a sling shot. She was GONE. Ten Minutes wasted? I dont think so. Maybe at this point in my fish career, it is finally about the experience and not the end of the day Kill Sheet..... I was honestly glad she got away. All I didn't get was a picture! So..... I also caught a beautiful little Bass. The first Bass I've caught in the Tar River since 1985. All in all, it was a great day and I wish I didn't live so far from Rocky Mount. I could see myself fishing there every single day in the Spring.... Total Catch for the Day: 5 White Shad 1-2 lbs each and 1 Largemouth Bass