Paddling Palmetto Archives - Page 5 of 7

April 25, 2026

Winter weather shouldn’t keep kayaking anglers from enjoying a day of paddling. With the wide variety of paddle-friendly clothing, it’s easy to dress for success on the water.

Dress the part this month

Last December, the mercury hovered right around the 40-degree mark for several days. […]

Small, working boats like bateaus, paddle boats and waterfowling kayaks can bridge the gap between a so-so day and a great day of duck hunting.

November is typically the month that kicks off the official waterfowl season. Even though the season doesn’t come in until the Saturday before Thanksgiving, it’s the month when all the planning and plotting is done — as well as getting your feet wet with the new season. […]

An encounter with a school of bluefish got Tommy Samuels of Summerville hooked on fishing from paddle boats.

Guide makes Web strides

Phillip Gentry

It all started when a school of bluefish erupted a half-mile off of Carolina Beach, N.C., Tommy Samuels, 14, stood and stared longingly at the activity when the idea struck him to grab a spinning rod and a surfboard and paddle out to the action. […]

Guide Mike Eads said marsh hens are a perfect match for a kayak-bound hunter.

Paddle up a marsh hen

Phillip Gentry

In general, hunting marsh hens during the September season seems to be a lost art. […]

Brad Knight of Belton landed the fish of a lifetime when he caught this 6 ½-foot tarpon while fishing from his kayak near Trenchard’s Inlet last summer.

Silver king in a kayak?

Phillip Gentry

For every sportfish that swims, there is a size threshold that, when breached, grants the particular species trophy status. […]

Kevin Davis wouldn’t join the author on a paddling trip for catfish on the Santee Cooper lakes, but he showed him exactly where to go to get one.

‘Kayak-catting’ around

Phillip Gentry

Kevin Davis’ resume is long and varied. At the top of the list, he’s a fishing guide. […]

When “Dolphin” Dave Hamilton isn’t behind the counter at Time Out Sport & Ski in Mt. Pleasant, he’s somewhere in the Charleston area sitting in his kayak fishing for redfish.

Dolphin Dave’s favorites

Phillip Gentry

It doesn’t take a leap of faith to believe that a man with a name like “Dolphin” would have a keen interest in the water and in redfish. In the case of Dolphin Dave Hamilton, you’d be correct on both accounts. […]

The clear waters of the Congaree offer some phenomenal “city limits fishing” for striped and smallmouth bass in Columbia.

‘City Limits’ paddling

Phillip Gentry

The spring run of striped bass that makes its way up river from the Santee-Cooper lakes into the Congaree River offers a chance at some prime “city limits fishing” in Columbia that would make even Mike Iaconelli envious. […]

Button-popping proud? The author shows off his 2011 gobbler, killed during a paddle through the Sumter National Forest.

Paddle up an old tom

Phillip Gentry

According to the regulations posted in the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ Rules and Regulations handbook for 2011-12, it is unlawful to take a wild turkey from a watercraft. […]

A kayak-bound fishermen can paddle from spot to spot on the upper end of Lake Marion, taking a crappie from every cypress tree or visible brushpile.

Paddle up some slabs

Phillip Gentry

Styles of fishing change over time. Seldom does the way Grandpa did it still prevail. […]