Features from May 2018

Columns - May 2018

  • A life well lived: Remembering a hunter and friend
    This month, I am stepping a bit outside of this column’s normal subject matter, but I feel strongly about this message. 
  • Everything is biting at Santee right now
    May is one of my favorite months to fish the Santee Cooper reservoirs, and while it's mostly because of the great fishing, it's also because of the typically great weather. 
  • Four-of-a-kind basic trout flies for fly fishermen
    Fly fishers need to know the four basic types of flies, including how to tie them and present them, before heading out in search of trout.
  • How effective are warm season food plots?
    Lots of natural food sources are available for wildlife this time of year, but food plots will still bring them in by the herd.
  • Kayak fishing for bream
    Walk into a restaurant across most of the Carolinas, ask for a Coke, and you might be asked “What kind of Coke?”
  • Leftover turkey has life with this recipe
    Regular readers of this column know there is always one turkey recipe each spring to go with the turkey season. Only once before have I added a second turkey recipe, but I’m going to do it again. It’s a turkey pie, cooked in a cast-iron pan, that can be cooked in the oven or taken outside to the grill in the warming May weather. It makes a lot, too, so there will be plenty for lunches for a few days.
  • Rapala’s Scatter Rap Glass Shad
    Some anglers refer to the plastic lip recently added to the Rapala Glass Shad crankbait as a “potato chip lip,” which is what it closely resembles.
  • Slip-bobber rigs do the job
    Slip corks aren't just for bream fishing. They're good for saltwater fishing too, even for big fish.
  • Three great baits for bass in May
    I am a Taurus bull, so I really love to get on the water in May and chase bass. It is a great fishing month, because there are a lot of fish on the bank that are easy to catch. We’ve finally got stable weather across the Carolinas, and even though some of the months earlier in the year might  be better for catching your personal biggest fish, May is probably the most fun for me to go fishing.

Outdoor Updates - May 2018

  • Hanahan angler shatters SC flathead catfish state record
    Paul Daniels and his wife Janet, of Hanahan, S.C. decided to catch a few blue catfish for dinner after church on Feb. 11 in the Cooper River. But 30 minutes into the fishing trip, Daniels’ task for the day quickly changed into searching for a certified scale after his wife helped him lift a big flathead catfish — the new South Carolina state record — into his boat.
  • North Carolna’s deer harvest up 8 percent in 2017-18 over previous season
    North Carolina deer hunters had a slightly better year across the board during this past fall’s hunting season, with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reporting an 8-percent increase in the statewide harvest to 161,854 whitetails in 2017-18.

Hot Spots - May 2018

  • Cape Lookout cobia set for a May arrival in nearshore waters
    For anglers who want to catch potentially huge, tenacious, great-tasting saltwater fish in nearshore waters along North Carolina’s central coast, cobias fill the bill, especially in May.
  • Edisto River swamps are full of nice redbreasts
    A variety of methods will help anglers catch plenty of redbreast on the Edisto River in the springtime.
  • Follow Lake Wylie’s blue catfish
    Guide Rodger Taylor of Rock Hill, S.C., said that catching blue catfish on Lake Wylie this month can be great. But you need to be flexible.
  • Georgetown’s rivers can be redfish havens
    By May, spring fishing is going full bore inshore and offshore, and that includes fishermen who barely think about anything except redfish.
  • Grouper season welcomed back
    Grouper are popular throughout the world, usually occupying a big niche in seafood restaurants. While they are highly recognized on the dinner menu, few anglers ever make it onto an offshore boat to see one of these fish face to face. If they did, they would surely remember how much energy it took to winch them out of deep water.
  • Lake Hartwell bass fishing is hot
    “Fishing really gets cranked up on Hartwell in May,” said Harden, who runs Bucktail Guide Service from his Commerce, Ga., home. “I might be partial, but I think it is the best striper/hybrid fishing lake there is. We are just getting hot with schools of fish everywhere now — and Hartwell has some really big stripers.”
  • Lake Hickory stripers moving
    Guide Colt Bass of Collettesville, N.C., said May is a productive month for quality stripers at Lake Hickory on the Catawba River system.
  • Shoot Kerr Lake’s on-the-move crappie under docks
    Although most crappie fishermen regard early spring and the prespawn period to be the best fishing of the year, guide Chris Bullock of Fountain, N.C., holds May in high esteem for sheer numbers of fish and the pleasure of using a unique approach.  
  • Spring king mackerel run thrills N.C. fishermen
    In the springtime, North Carolina anglers get the treat of having king mackerel show up within casting distance of anglers in boats, on piers, and even from the beach.
  • The timin’s right for Lake Tillery’s shellcrackers
    The song Good Timin’ by Jimmy Jones didn’t have shellcracker fishing in mind, but the lyrics certainly apply. “A timin’ is the thing, it’s true. Good timin’ brought me to you.”