As summer arrives, South Carolinians begin to make their vacation plans. It’s a time when beachgoers start venturing into the warming waters, and many begin seeing jellyfish while they’re tossing their Frisbees. But for anglers, the arrival of the cannonball jellies, aka jelly balls, can only mean one thing — it’s time to target spadefish.
The bluegill and shad spawns add up to a big bonanza for bass fishermen on Lake Wateree this month, according to tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden.
Sitting in a johnboat along a rock wall in Fripp Inlet, Billy Downer of Manning looked at John Long of Lady’s Island and explained, “I think it’s my rod. Maybe I can’t catch them because of my rod.”
Guide Steve Roff of Georgetown concentrates on tide lines this month, because the baitfish will be thick and the king mackerel will be there, feasting away. Anywhere Roff can pick up a net full of large menhaden can easily bring a hot king bite for his clients.
Summer is just around the corner, but fishing for stripers and hybrids is already heating up on Lake Hartwell, according to guide Chip Hamilton of Piedmont.
Fishermen won’t be allowed to keep any red snapper in the Atlantic Ocean this year, after a May 20 announcement from NOAA Fisheries explaining that the total number of fish removed from the population in 2015 exceeded the allowable catch and discard level — somewhat surprising since there was no open season last year.
The body of a 17-year-old boater who went missing Monday evening was found just before noon on Tuesday, May 24 on the Waccamaw River. It is currently unknown as to whether the avid outdoorsman, Jacob Causey, drowned or died of injuries sustained when the boat he was piloting crashed into a channel marker.
When you bring a really big fish close to the boat, chances are it’s not excited about coming onboard. This is often when they put up their biggest fight, and is also a common time when many anglers lose their biggest fish. One simple tip will help you land more big fish at the boat.
Rep. Billy Richardson, (D-Cumberland) said all winter that he planned to introduce a bill to place a net ban referendum on the 2016 fall ballot, and last week, he remained true to his word.
This month, anglers will have no problem locating largemouth bass on lakes as long as they’ll look in shallow coves. It’s not uncommon to see areas that stretch for hundreds of yards just full of bass beds cleared out in weedy coves. It will look like craters on the surface of the moon.
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