A Youth Fishing Rodeo will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 14 at Cohen Campbell Fish Hatchery at 2726 Fish Hatchery Road in West Columbia. This free event is for all youth 15 and younger.
Anglers eager to feel the pull of some good fish can find just what they’re looking for on Lake Hartwell, where the striper bite is heating up with the weather. Smaller pockets of schools are scattered throughout the lake, and Capt. Seth Owens said that means anglers can catch them in a variety of ways, and in a variety of spots on the lake.
“Watch my cork this time,” Josh Devlin said as he threaded a fresh cricket onto a small hook while fishing on the Little Pee Dee River.
Devlin, who hails from Florence, lobbed out an easy catch with his ultralight spinning outfit, smiling from ear to ear with anticipation. The cork hit the water, and without so much as a hesitation on the surface, it went straight under as though it was a weight instead of a float. The bream bite was hot.
Hidden in North Carolina’s coastal plain, Contentnea Creek is unknown to most fishermen, but locals know it well and consider it a treasure. After all, the name Contentnea is derived from a Native American phrase meaning “fish passing by.”
Panfish of various species are among the most-common fish found throughout South Carolina’s rivers, and for many anglers, one is held in the highest regard. The redbreast sunfish is a hearty fighter and so brightly colored that its name leaves no one wondering where it came from.
The Lumber River forms the boundary between Robeson and Columbus counties and cuts across the North Carolina-South Carolina border. While geographically important, the true value of the river is that it is the lifeblood of local anglers because its floodplain creates habitats that support many fish species.
Shellcracker spawning time in Lake Marion depends on water temperature and other physical factors, but anglers can gauge the peak bedding season by the myriad of boat trailers lining roads leading to launching ramps. Long walks are expected, even welcomed by many, because it means shellcrackers are bedding.
Each May, Lake Waccamaw is the site of a special event that’s especially special to fishermen. A mayfly hatch that has been described as “incredible’” acts as an internal alarm that wakes up the 8,936-acre natural lake’s bream population.
For striped bass ranging from 12 to 30 pounds this month, guide Joe Jobin of Xtreme Striper Fishing (704-240-0165) spends his time on Lake Rhodhiss, playing in the sand and trees from the NC 18 bridge upstream to the mouth of the St. John’s River.
It’s tough to beat May for catfish on the Santee Cooper lakes, and fishing for them this time of year is a bit different than it has been for several months. Anglers can still expect to catch a trophy, but they’ll do it with a different technique.
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