Features from July 2018
Rennie Clark piloted his boat out of North Carolina’s Masonboro Inlet, nosing the bow through the rolling waves. Clouds in the overcast sky threatened rain, but the wind was calmly whispering out of the southwest, which made the seas nearly flat.- A soft-plastic swimbait may not be the artificial lure that a lot of bass fishermen point to as their “go-to” bait during the summer, but they’ve never been in the shoes of young bass pro Dylan Fulk of Concord, N.C.
- It's hard to say for every species of fish that when a particular pattern is really working, that it's the way those fish have to be fished for.
- Don't let the summer heat keep you off of Lake Norman. The largemouth bass has slowed, but the spots are just as aggressive as ever.
- The Carolinas are blessed with numerous lakes, rivers and a spectacular coast packed with seemingly endless opportunities to wet a hook, but as far as fishing opportunities, it's usually the big red drum, doormat flounder, chunky largemouth bass and hefty striped bass that bring anglers out of hiding.
- While the late summer heat pushes many species of fish offshore, Spanish mackerel love the hot water temperatures closer to the Grand Strand beaches, and they are feeding voraciously.
Columns - July 2018
- Deer hunting and habitat-management activities can go hand in hand, but not every hunter gets the opportunity to own land or lease land and practice land-manipulation techniques.
- Summer can be a frustrating time for trout fishers, no matter their skill level or level of dedication. High temperatures, low water and an absence of major insect hatches do not make for ideal trout fishing conditions.
- Each year at the Archery Trade Association’s trade show, there is ordinarily one new product that has the most “buzz” going around the show.
- Fishing can be tough in July, but if you find a good mayfly hatch, you'll see some of the most aggressive feeding by bream and bass of the year.
- Nothing boosts an angler's morale like an ice cold sip of water during a long, hot day of fishing. And nothing keeps water colder for longer than the GSI Outdoors MicroLite line of water bottlers.
- A veteran saltwater fishing guide out of Sarasota, Florida, has an artificial bait that looks so much like the real thing, it’s irresistible to speckled trout, redfish and snook in the shallow waters he fishes along the coast.
- If you haven’t been outside for a while, let me warn you, the temperature is leaning heavily toward the hot side. Cool days are in the mid-80s, and hot days steam into the 90s, with humidity numbers almost as high. Still, it’s comfortable most evenings to cook on your deck or patio.
- The new striped bass regulations approved by the South Carolina legislature and signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster on May 3, 2018, became effective immediately, much to the delight of many Santee Cooper striper fishermen.
- For anglers who love to fish when the mercury starts to rise in earnest, there’s no better place to be than on the water in a kayak.
Outdoor Updates - July 2018
- Six-year-old Lindsey Edge of Laurel Hill, N.C. caught a 71-pound blue catfish on May 10 at the base of the Blewett Falls Dam in the Pee Dee River at Norwood, N.C. Few anglers ever catch or even see a fish this big in person. But, it happened for Edge, who spends many hours with her father, Ira Edge on the water every year.
- Jim Lasher of Isle of Palms was enjoying a good day of dolphin fishing out of IOP Marina with some coworkers and friend Capt. Ben Floyd of Charleston Fish Finder on May 1, the opening day of grouper season, when Lasher asked Floyd if he thought they’d get a chance to try for the bottom fish. Not long after, Lasher landed the new state record gag grouper, a 54+ pound beast that put up quite a tussle.
- The recreational black sea bass fishing season will open May 15 in federal and North Carolina waters north of Cape Hatteras.
- Sandy Brady of Reidsville, N.C., has been bitten by an incurable bug over the past couple of years: the sling-bow bug.
Hot Spots - July 2018
- Guide Brad Fowler of Pendleton, S.C., said there is one major rule to follow when fishing for bass on Lake Keowee in the heat of summer: don't even think about going on weekends.
- While many fish species lay low when summer temperatures skyrocket, blue catfish will be turning up the heat themselves.
- Maynard Edwards, a retired fishing guide from Lexington, N.C, was known for “strolling” — aka slow-trolling — for channel catfish on High Rock Lake. He said most fishermen can enhance their catches by taking a piscatorial stroll.
- Guide Joel Munday said largemouth bass can be caught shallow and deep this month on Falls of the Neuse Lake, a 12,410-acre fishing playground north of Raleigh and Durham, N.C.
- As the temperature rises, so does the number of flounder around nearshore ocean artificial reefs, hardbottom/livebottom areas and shipwrecks off North Carolina’s southern coast.
- There is one way to just about guarantee putting catfish in the boat during July and August on South Carolina’s Lake Monticello, according to guide William Attaway of Pomaria, S.C.
- Maybe it's the difficulties in safely navigating inshore waters that push some flounder fanatics to the ocean when summer arrives in the Atlantic Beach, N.C., area.
- The middle of another Carolina summer is upon us, and while plenty of offshore and inshore options exist, it's prime time to catch sheepshead around the rock jetties scattered up and down the coast.
- While South Carolina's tarpon fishery may not compare to the Florida Keys, its popularity is increasing every year.
- The weather is hot this time of year, and so is fishing or Spanish mackerel in South Carolina's Lowcountry, especially in the Port Royal Sound and Hilton Head areas. Rick Percy of Reel Chance Charters said he catches them consistently in July using two different tactics that can be equally effective.