The TAC Casting Teams – Men and Women – at Assateague Beach following the award of the Ocean City Casting trophy, circa 1976. Carl was President of TAC at the time, and is shown laying in front of the casting teams celebrating the trophy win.
This audio file was created by John Powers (a Tidewater Anglers Club member) at the home of Carl Herring in Suffolk Virginia on April 9, 2024. Carl is one of the most well-known and well-regarded anglers in the Tidewater area - he is the holder of numerous Club records, winner of many area tournaments, as well as Virginia state records, and at least one World record. The subject of the interview was Carl's recollection about the origins of the casting tournaments that the Tidewater Anglers Club was involved in starting in the 1940s. As there are not a lot of records about these events, Carl is the best source to explain something of the history of these casting tournaments, the role he played in them, and how they were conducted.
The questions that Carl answered in the interview are as follows:
• Can you tell us about those tournaments and how they came about?
• Why did you want to get into this sport of casting? Didn't it take away from your fishing time?
• Was there a national organization like ACA that set rules and procedures for the tournaments?
• Do you recall any of the other anglers clubs that were involved in these tournaments?
• Who were the main people that you remember who were instrumental in carrying on these casting competitions?
• I've heard that Tidewater Anglers Club was involved in these competitions for many years. Can you tell us something about how the club did in the competitions? And how did you fare with your casting skills going up against other very skilled anglers?
• Did you have to buy or make specialized rods for these casting tournaments?
• Do you have any advice for younger or less experienced anglers about casting accuracy?
TAC Casting Tournament Team, 1968
Click here for the Carl Herring Interview