Features from December 2018
As he pushed away from the boat ramp at the Dram Tree Park in Wilmington, N.C., Rennie Clark's plan for a chilly, slightly cloudy fall day, was first to target stripers in the Northeast Cape Fear River, then head to the Cape Fear River for trout and red drum.- Cool weather and dropping water temperatures are a very good combination for December crappie on South Carolina's Lake Marion. Anglers with a good game plan find that crappies begin to congregate into tighter areas around deep-water cover and score outstanding catches.
- For 60 days, waterfowl hunters in the Carolinas invest time and money into leases, impoundments, decoys and calls to pop a limit of winged migrants on a day-off from work.
- The temperature hovered around 25 degrees. As the light began to fade, crystals of frost started to form, and my breath rose into the cold morning air as I surveyed the edge of a field for any movement.
- All cylinders fire in the Carolinas when offshore and inshore fisheries take off at the end of fall. Offshore waters are dominated by massive grouper, line-stretching tuna and reel-screaming wahoo; the inshore grounds teem with redfish and the Carolinas' most-coveted species, the speckled trout.
- Gone are the days when catfish were delegated to warm weather and water for consistent fishing. With the introduction of blue catfish into many lakes and rivers in the Carolinas, the cold-weather catfishing game has changed significantly.
Columns - December 2018
Fall is a special time for sportsmen in the Carolinas, and it has managed to shine through all the weather we’ve had this year, including two hurricanes. Fish are biting, and most hunting seasons are open. There were repairs this year that had to be placed in front of the honey-do list, but occasionally sportsmen need a break — even in the worst of times — and the fish and game cooperated.
- The key to successful winter trout fishing is to use more nymphs and fewer dry flies.
- What do anglers want for Christmas? Fishing gear, of course!
- Give Texas angler William Flournoy a spinnerbait with a red head and he'll catch bass.
- As water temperatures dip in December, with frequent cold fronts blasting through South Carolina, the fishing on the Santee Cooper lakes, Marion and Moultrie, seem to defy logic and actually improves instead of slowing.
- The advent of the compound bow changed archery for the better. The addition of wheels allows more people to participate in our sport by making it easier to draw and hold heavier draw weights.
- David Fritts has had some of his best days ever fishing in December, when stripers and largemouth can be caught in the same places and on the same lures.
- Deer and other wildlife demand rich nutrient sources throughout the year to fuel their daily requirements. For most of the Carolinas, Mother Nature provides adequate groceries in areas where wildlife populations are balanced.
- One of the biggest problems with public duck hunting in the Carolinas is an overabundance of people who want to hunt and a limited amount of public water. Tales of getting to the best spots at 2 a.m. and sleeping in the boat until legal shooting light make the prospect of public duck hunting even less palatable.
Outdoor Updates - December 2018
- When Kristin Montgomery of Greensboro, N.C., spied a buck she’d never before seen in a round of trail-camera photos in late October, she laid claim to it.
Jeff Kay of Travelers Rest, SC killed his first bear last Wednesday, Oct. 17 in Greenville County, and it was a whopper. The bear weighed 504 pounds. With cool and clear weather, it was a nice opening day for Upstate bear hunters.
Hot Spots - December 2018
- Cooler December weather drives crappie to deep brush piles and stumps in Shearon Harris Lake.
- Striper fishing on Lake Murray is very good this month, and catching fish is pretty simple, according to guide Brad Taylor.
- Hunting Island State Park’s beach and a big sandbar that runs just offshore offer December fishing options.
- Zakk Royce has perfected techniques for catching huge blue catfish from Lake Gaston along the Virginia-North Carolina border.
- How to catch gag, black, scamp and red grouper off North Carolina’s southeastern coast in December.
- The ICW around Little River, South Carolina, fills up with stripers as the water cools.
- How to catch great December speckled trout at Murrells Inlet.
- How to catch fish around the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty in December.
- Bass pro Dearal Rodgers said water around rocky points and banks is warm enough to draw bass shallow in Lake Wateree.
- Lower water level sends bass into feeding mode at Kerr Lake in December.