Features from June 2018
Just because the spring crappie spawn is over doesn't mean you can't catch plenty of slabs. They are congregating around deep brush piles, and more predictable now than at any other time of year.- The dolphin bite is great off the coast of the Carolinas in June. Finding temperature breaks and having plenty of baits pre-rigged are keys to catching them this time of year.
- Like Shearon Harris Lake and its magnum-size largemouth bass, the New River in Onslow County continues to hold the top rating as North Carolina’s mecca for “gator” spotted seatrout.
- Nightstalking for crappie is a popular pasttime for many anglers across the Carolinas.
- Bass love to hide under docks, making them hard to reach for many anglers. But this casting technique will help you land your bait right on their noses.
- Like baseball and apple pie, lipless crankbaits like Rat-L-Traps are part of a fishing tradition spanning decades. Originally pigeon-holed as bass lures, the rattle and vibration that makes them irresistible to largemouths also draws attention from saltwater predators like redfish.
Columns - June 2018
- Beginning May 15 in South Carolina and June 2 in North Carolina, anglers will be able to keep their catches in delayed-harvest trout waters, up to five trout per day in South Carolina and seven in North Carolina, with no bait or lure restrictions.
- It happens to almost every angler. You hook a trophy fish that has your drag screaming and your rod doubled over. The battle lasts several minutes, and you finally get a few looks at the fish, which you estimate to be one of your biggest ever.
- Welcome to Summer 2018. It isn’t officially summer until June 21, but after a winter that wouldn’t go away and a spring that couldn’t quite get here, summer will be welcome. The days have already gotten longer, and it makes it a perfect time to get out of the house and enjoy a meal on your patio or deck.
- People who know me well understand that June is probably my favorite month to be on the water, trying to put big bass in my boat. I think it’s just about everybody’s favorite time, because it’s a month when you can catch fish many different ways. They’re really chewing, and you can catch a lot of fish.
The beauty of late May and June is that no matter what flavor of water into which you dump your Tupperware boat, there’s plenty of action to be found.
- Before Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits’ Cowboy soft plastic creature bait was unveiled at the 2018 Bassmaster Classic in South Carolina, a few bass anglers were fortunate to have Ron Colby’s latest creation.
Catfish are typically on a strong bite year-round at Santee Cooper, but June offers opportunities to be highly productive in a number of different ways. With the warming water, it’s an excellent time to pursue all of the “big three”catfish species: blue, flathead and channel.
- As the majority of our hunting population ages, crossbows have steadily moved to the forefront of today's archery market.
- The summer heat often fails to deliver warm, fuzzy feelings about this fall’s deer season. Yet few people get ready for a dream fishing trip to the Seychelles or start buying Christmas presents on Dec. 25, either.
Outdoor Updates - June 2018
- Billy Lewis of Liberty, S.C. knew the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee would be good during the latter part of April. On previous trips the weeks before, he started dialing in on a good pattern trolling flutter spoons from downrigger balls behind his pontoon boat and had already caught a couple of limits.
- North Carolina officials set migratory bird seasons for 2018-19 in late April, with a few changes in store for waterfowl hunters.
- Stanley Farmer of Stoneville, N.C. was expecting to see a gobbler and probably get a shot when he headed to a series of connected food plots on a Rockingham County, N.C. farm shortly after lunch on April 17, but the long-time turkey hunter wasn't prepared for either the show he was treated to, or the trophy turkey with seven beards he bagged around 1:30 p.m.
Hot Spots - June 2018
- Nothing says summer is coming like pitching a live menhaden to a 50-pound cobia 20 feet from the boat.
- Through the colder months, bluewater anglers painfully await the spring run of dolphin into South Carolina’s waters.
- Think about freshwater gamefish that try to eat topwaters, soft-plastic lures and live baits: largemouth and smallmouth bass, trout, bream and stripers, to name a few.
- June may not be the best month for bass fishing on South Carolina’s Lake Russell — the water is heating up, and fish are in transition after the spawn — but none of that matters to an angler; when he wants to pit his skills against America’s most-popular gamefish, he goes fishing.
- Bass pro Brad Staley of Pleasant Garden, N.C., said June is one of his favorite months to fish for bass at Randleman Lake, the 3,007-acre reservoir governed by the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, one of his home waters.
- Matt Outlaw of St. Matthews, S.C., doesn’t agree with one thing that many crappie fishermen believe — that crappie scatter and disappear in deep water during the summer.
- Shearon Harris is a nationally known lake famous for its plentiful, potbellied bass. But when is the best time to fish here?
- Trolling for Spanish mackerel off North Carolina’s southern beaches is one of the highlights of June fishing.
- Fishing for striped bass and hybrids in June on Clarks Hill Lake is usually an early morning thing, a quick bite and over, according to guide Billy Murphy.
- Fishermen and fish have successfully adjusted to dramatic habitat changes at North Carolina’s Tuckertown Lake.