Catching the fish that fed our founding fathers

With the cold winter weather causing all sorts of cabin fever among even our heartiest anglers, the shad have begun their trek up the Neuse River to spawn. Native to the Atlantic coast, shad are anadromous, fresh fish, spending the majority of their life at sea and entering freshwater only in the spring to spawn.

The Fishing Club’s speaker of the month was Ben Ricks, from the Wildlife Resources Commission. Ben, an avid shad fisherman, spoke about the rules, regulations, and habitat of these fun-to-catch fish. He pointed out the differences between herring, hickory, and American shad and reminded us that in North Carolina no herring shad can be kept by recreational anglers. Ten shad can be kept to eat, as long as only one of them is an American shad. The American shad has been described as "the fish that fed the (American) nation's founders". According to “An Angler’s Dictionary”, shad is the only fish that is actually more difficult and time-consuming to eat than to catch.

Upcoming Events: Striper tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, March 27, with a rain date of March 29.