A long weekend means a bit of time for discretionary computer activities…this is a report from a trip I took to the Roanoke River on March 27th to fish for Hickory Shad…

In spite of the promise (guarantee!?) of rain and the high water levels, my fishing buddy Sam and I headed to Weldon, NC to try our luck, as I had this day off from work with no promise of another day anytime soon. We arrived in Weldon at 10AM, and launched the boat. So nice to start these 4-cycle engines, just turn the key, and it starts just like a car.

The big rapids right across from the ramp were completely washed out, with the flow ~15,000cfs. Headed downstream to see if we could find a spot. At high water like this, your best bet will be tight up next to the banks, or especially where one of the small creeks comes into the river, creating slack water. Spotted a number of boats at the water treatment plant downstream of the ramp. We grabbed a spot, but weren’t in a good position, and decided to head downstream a bit further…went a ways, not quite to Big Rock; didn’t see any place we liked but tried a couple. Tough even to anchor at this flow level. The river is about 20 feet deep bank to bank with the current really ripping through. Nothing doing with the fish, though the fish finder showed fish (if you believe those things 😉 ). We headed back upriver, and found that the folks who had been in the mouth of a little creek on the north side of the river had left. We anchored there and started catching fish. Not a huge number, but reasonably steady action. Sam and I each caught 15-20. Several were nice, heavy fish. The rain held off until about 2:30PM or so. We fished in the rain a while (gave the bilge pump a workout) and headed back to the ramp about 3:30PM to head back to Chapel Hill. A nice day!

Pictures here…