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INSIDE THIS SECTION:
Calendar ; Page 8
TV Listings , 10-11
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is the only way to
describe this catch
by proud angler
Gurney Billiard of
Maxton.
"NOT BAD for a
78-year-old
grandma , " says
Mildred Hester of
Elizabethtown ,
pictured at left.
Pier Anglers Know What Hits The Spot
BY DOUG RUTTER
It's an early fall day. and the spots arc biting like
crazy. Word has spread quickly because there arc
close to a hundred anglers standing elbow-to-elbow
on the west side of Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Pier.
There's a cool breeze blowing in off the ocean, not a
cloud in the sky It's a good day to call in sick.
A group of excited fishermen has gathered for one
thing and one thing only ? leiostomus xanthurus
It's a tasty little panfish with an unmistakable black
dot behind the shoulders Spots arc small, averaging less
than a pound apiece, but in terms of popularity they arc
without equal.
It's the spots that bring waves of anglers to local fish
ing piers every October Huge schools migrate south
cach fall Many arc hooked along the way and end up on
the dinner table.
At any given moment, this contented crowd at Ocean
Lsle Pier is pulling up three or four or five fish
I .ate -season sunbathcrs hardy enough to withstand the
chills arc seeing a show. From their vantage point, it
looks like the silvery fish arc jumping onto the pier.
Up on the wooden planks, anglers work feverishly to
untangle fishing lines. I he v occasionally reach into
plastic baggies filled with bloodworms to freshen up
their hooks.
Spots splash in 5-gallon buckets that are filling up by
the minute. Others are carefully covered with ice in 48
gallon coolers.
Gurney Bullard reels in his line and finds not one, not
two. but three spots flipping on the end of his jagged
hooks.
This Maxton man's been at it all day. While everyone
around him pulls in one fish every couple minutes,
Bullard is filling up his white bucket at a furious pace.
Me is unstoppable.
His fishing buddies smile and shake their heads in
amazement every time he hooks another.
It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
Mildred Hester and Norwood Butler, visiting from
Bladen County, have already caught over 100 spots be
tween them and show no signs of slowing up.
"Not bad for a 78-year-old grandma," Mildred laughs
as she hoists another keeper onto the pier.
Norwood has a lot of catching up to do, he grumbles
from under a Seattle Mariners baseball cap. He suggests
Mildred take a break, but she'll hear none of that. Her
line returns to the water, and she waits for another tug.
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SPOT FISHERMAN Norwood Butler (above) totes his third buck
etful of the day off Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Pier. Behind him, the
action remains hot and heavy. Below, buckets and coolers fill up
quickly in the fall.
ELBOW ROOM and folks who know how to untangle fishing lines
are at a premium when the spots are running strong.
In Memory Of The Scot Settlers
BY BILL FAVER
In May 1965, the North Carolina General
Assembly named a
state seashell "in mem
ory of the early Scotch
settlers in this state."
This action made North
Carolina the first state
to designate an official
state seashell, and the
Scotch Bonnet was the
shell chosen for the
honor.
Scotch Bonnets are
fairly large, ovate, strong shells with a se
ries of uniformly arranged brown, squarish
markings on their cream to white color.
They belong to the family Cassidae, which
claims some 70 living species of Bonnet
PAVER
and Helmet shells. Usually they are found
in shallow tropical waters. All members of
this family have a broad, heavy shield ad
joining the opening.
On the specimens we find along the
beaches, the spots have often faded and
they appear to be only a solid color. The
dark grays and blacks of some shells are
believed to be caused by the mineral con
tent of the water and the age of the shells.
Scotch Bonnets range from North
Carolina to Brazil and prefer to live on
sandy bottoms in shallow water. They feed
on sea urchins and sand dollars. Shells of
the females are larger than the males, and
the egg capsules are laid in the shape of a
tower or in clumps and are homy in appear
ance.
Pieces of these shells are often found
along the beaches, but complete specimens
are found only occasionally, usually follow
ing a storm. Bonnets are more abundant
along the Outer Banks. Even the broken
pieces are unusual and unique and such
pieces are carved into cameos in some ar
eas of the world. Abandoned shells are
quickly taken by the striped hermit crab
and this may help account for their scarcity.
Some wonder why such a scarce shell is
our state seashell. Some think it was more
abundant at one time and the designation
has caused it to be overcollected for sou
venirs.
Whether that is true or not, I am pleased
this special shell was chosen "in memory of
the Scot settlers" and that those who find
them along our beaches have found a trea
sure worth keeping!
m
HUTCH
Walkers Raise $6,400
For Heart Association
More than 48 walkers in the Shal
lotte area raised $6,400 for the
Brunswick County Division of the
American Heart Association in the
American HeartWalk held Oct. 1 at
Shallotte Middle School.
Judy Seaboldt, local American
HeartWalk chairman, called this
year's event "a tremendous suc
cess." It was one of hundreds of
walks nationwide in which partici
pants collected donations from
friends and co-workers to fund
AHA's research and programs.
"Not only did we raise $6,400 for
cardiovascular research, we also
demonstrated the benefits of walk
ing as exercise," she said. "We were
able to show how regular exercise
helps promote cardiovascular fit
ness."
The top four money-raisers were
Judy Seaboldt, Mike Logiovino,
Irene Caudle and Robin Caudle. Top
-money team was United Carolina
Bank in Shallotte.
Money raised goes to support
AHA's cardiovascular research, pub
lic and professional education and
community service programs.
Cardiovascular diseases and stroke
are North Carolina's number-one
killer.
Nostalgia On The Agenda
For Those With Pre-Hazel
Memories To Show, Tell
Nostalgia will be the main agenda
item Friday, Oct. 14, when the
Seafood Barn hosts a reunion for
"those who enjoyed Holden Beach
before Hurricane Hazel," according
to organizer Franda Pedlow of
Richmond, Va., and Holden Beach.
Pedlow is author of Sand and Sea
Fever, a collection of accounts of
life on Holden Beach and in
Brunswick County prior to October
1954, when the devastating hurri
cane came ashore.
The event will lake place from 3
6 p.m. There will be no charge for
admittance. Refreshments will be
served, and there will be a cash bar.
Participants are being asked to
bring old photographs and memen
tos to share with one another. "We'll
also enjoy music from the J&K
jukebox," Pedlow said.
For information, call Pedlow at
842-6023.
PHOTO BY MIL FAVt*
SCOTCH BONNET shells are found only occasionally along the Brunswick
County beaches.