'You get a line; I'll get a pole'
By John Joyce
Published in News on March 22, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/JOHN JOYCE
Jeff Massey, right, of Goldsboro fishes for American White and Hickory Shad along the Neuse River Saturday with. Steve Gregory, left, and his son, Lucas Gregory, 13
Some put in as early as 3 a.m.
Others tempted fate, waiting until 4 -- the brave, 4:30 -- to ease their slip into the Neuse or Little River to find their honey whole.
By 10 a.m., crafts littered the water and lines stretched in all directions.
The 2015 Shad Tournament cast off at 7 a.m. Saturday, a week late due to rains and high water.
Tommy Dean, an employee at tournament co-sponsor EZ Bait and Tackle, said the fish had already been running awhile.
"Everybody looks forward to when the shad start running. It's a salt water fish in fresh water," he said.
Dean said the fish swim in from the ocean and head up rivers to spawn.
"They are heading up river this time of year. They will spawn and then head back out," he said.
The annual tournament, put on by EZ Bait and the Goldsboro Department of Parks and Recreation, draws more than 100 contestants to the water each year. This year, Dean said, there were at least 90 to 95 people registered.
There are 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-place prizes for categories including heaviest creel and largest American White Shad, and another tier for the largest Hickory Shad.
Contestants under 12 competed for the smallest shad -- the winner taking home $50 and a rod and reel combo.
Cash prizes, door prizes and bragging rights aside, many just came out to enjoy a day on the water doing what they love -- fishing.
"I've been fishing all my life," Goldsboro resident Jeff Massey said.
Massey, now retired, also fishes with the Wayne County Bass Masters. This is his first year in the shad tournament, but his friend, Steve Gregory, and Gregory's son, Lucas, 12, have tried their luck the last three years.
"We won two years ago," Gregory said, adding that the cash prize that year was $225, but with more entries this year he thinks the prize will be a little bit larger.
The fish won't be any bigger though. The experts at EZ Bait and Tackle said that American White Shad only grow to about four pounds and Hickory Shad typically grow no heavier than one pound.
Scott Hobbs, another EZ Bait employee, was busy selling handmade shad flies Saturday made with weights for their eyes and designed to attract the picky fish whose taste in colors changes daily.
"Some days, they'll go for pink or silver lures. Other days, the chartreuse is hit a lot. These are so bright and flashy, but you never know what color it's going to be on which day," he said.
He told one customer orange had been a hot color for shad lately. A second customer agreed.
Don Tull, a grandfather who enjoys teaching his grandchildren the sport, said he had to skip this year's tournament due to health concerns, but added that he doesn't generally fish tournament's anyway.
"I was going to go down to Wilmington today and get my pier license but my wife said no," he said.
Tull is currently wearing a heart monitor so doctors can determine whether he might need a pacemaker.
Once that is all decided, he intends to get back out on the banks fishing as soon as possible.
"Well, if I'm able to I will," he said.
WINNERS:
Heaviest creel:
* 1st Place, Buzz Jones, 14.3 pounds
* 2nd Place, Kendall Wertz, 12.3 pounds
* 3rd Place, Jeremy Williams, 11 pounds
Largest American White Shad:
* 1st Place, Doug Foster, 3.7 pounds
* 2nd Place, Johnny Hill, 2.7 pounds
Largest Hickory Shad
* 1st Place, Brady Braswell, 1.6 pounds
* 2nd Place, Michael McCarthy, 1.6 pounds
* 3rd Place, Phillip French, 1.5 pounds
Smallest Shad
* 1st Place, Michael Williams, 0.6 pounds