October 2018

The debate over the best rifle calibers for deer has been going on as long as hunters have sat around campfires.

Before 2018, anglers had become so accustomed to mild winters along the South Carolina coast and the huge bonanza of speckled trout the good weather allowed, it was almost taken for granted.

Deer hunters, including those in the Carolinas, understand that the peak of the mating season, aka rut, rut can be an important factor in putting venison on the table or impressive antlers on the wall. 

Autumn is largely the favorite season for many die-hard saltwater anglers. Summer crowds have mostly vacated the coast, and baitfish begin making their seasonal migrations out of estuaries and into more open water.

Hunting season arrives annually, just when cooler weather begins to make its mark, but it’s during the peak of hurricane season in the Carolinas.

Although many anglers may think of wade-fishing as something you do to cut your teeth before getting your “big boy boat,” those leaving it behind are missing out on some great opportunities, especially for speckled trout and redfish.

Anglers from throughout the Carolinas make an annual trek to the Santee Cooper lakes in search of trophy catfish, and these enormous cats make it worth the trouble with explosive bites and drag-screaming surges.

I have never been shy about how much I love bass fishing in October. For a guy who loves to tie a crankbait on the end of his line, I can’t imagine a better time to be on a lake than the weeks leading up to Halloween.

This is the best time of year to catch the “inshore slam,” and with a little luck, anglers can make it a “grand slam” by adding a black drum to their day’s catch.

The new striper regulations implemented on the Santee Cooper lakes this past June have received rave reviews from fishermen, guides and landing operators around Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie. This has created a lot of optimism for the striper fishing season that reopens Oct. 1.

October is the season that inshore paddlers dream of. The same fish you’ve been chasing all summer — redfish, flounder and trout — suddenly seem to materialize and cooperate. 

North Carolina's state park system stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to mile-high Mount Mitchell, offering a variety of activities, including camping and fishing in most of the parks. 

It's that time again: for cooler weather, changing colors and the approach of the whitetail rut. While some hunters get an early start in August and September to fulfill their food-plot dreams, the majority start tilling up the dirt in early October. It's a busy season for hunters looking to quickly establish a field of greens, because their prime hunting days are eminently approaching.

Never underestimate the importance of timing your draw when bowhunting.

Here's a great fall recipe that will have everyone coming back for seconds.