Sidebars Archives - Page 24 of 194

June 18, 2026

Some preseason archery practice should be done from an elevated platform to mimic an actual hunting situation from a tree stand well off the ground.

Make sure it shoots straight!

Archery season opens in the Carolinas between mid-August and mid-September, and in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, hunters can take bucks with a gun on Aug. 15. Regardless, it’s time for all hunters to pull out the bows and rifles to make sure the eight months of downtime hasn’t dampened perfect accuracy. […]

Catfish won’t spend much time deeper than the thermocline, which narrows down places where guides like Chris Nichols target them.

Use thermocline to your advantage

Terry Madewell

By midsummer, many lakes in the Carolinas stratify according to oxygen content, and that sets up conditions that give fisherman an edge if they understand the process, namely, a thermocline. […]

Tyler Schultze said North Carolina’s Neuse River is a flathead catfish paradise, with plenty of trophy class fish available.

How to set up on a river bend

Terry Madewell

Tyler Schultz said all situations are unique but this basic setup enables him to effectively fish a prime summertime river catfish hot spot, an outside bend with deep water and woody cover available. […]

Beds of freshwater mussels will attract plenty of catfish, especially during summer months after the spawn.

Mussel up for better catfish trips

Dusty Wilson

It’s safe to say that any species of fish won’t be far from what it’s eating. While many anglers will look for summer catfish around schools of gizzard shad or white perch, guide Wes Jordan of Creedmoor, N.C., concentrates on a staple of postspawn blues that’s prevalent in many Carolina lakes — freshwater mussels. […]

Topwater bass action at Harris is hot this month

Craig Holt

Anglers are catching plenty of bass on topwater lures in the August heat at Shearon Harris. […]

Bass pro Martha Goodfellow said that heading well up into Lake Hartwell’s two tributary rivers, the Seneca and Tugaloo, will greatly inhance your chances of catching more and better August bass.

Head to the rivers for Lake Hartwell summer bass

Phillip Gentry

Pro bass angler Martha Goodfellow of Greenville, S.C., said that August isn’t her favorite month to head for the lake, but when she does, she usually heads to Lake Hartwell. […]

A Double Uni is a great line-to-line knot. Overlap the ends of line and leader, tie a loose Uni at both ends (pictured), tighten each knot and cinch both knots and trim.

Maintain a strong, line-to-line connection when tarpon fishing

Jeff Burleson

Tarpon are the strongest fish that live inshore, so an angler’s terminal tackle must be constructed to endure the initial shock of the bite and the potentially long-lasting battle. […]

In North Carolina, think like a crabber to find tarpon

Jeff Burleson

In North Carolina waters, the No. 1 commercial seafood crop is the blue crab, and the greater Pamlico Sound produces the majority of the state’s 30 million-pound harvest. […]

Be sure to pay attention to the lunar feeding periods.

With tarpon around, never miss a lunar feed

Jeff Burleson

Diehard deer hunters know that lunar feeding periods are keys to bringing home venison. For consistently successful tarpon anglers, these feeding periods are nothing to ignore. […]

Rock jetties harness the current coming through an inlet on an incoming tide and often create great places to target gamefish in spots they’re set up to ambush bait.

Fish current seams, inlet eddies on an incoming tide

Jeff Burleson

The armaments that prevent many of the nation’s inlets from closing in always provide great fishing opportunities due to the very nature of how jetties are built and where they are located, and anglers in the Carolinas are lucky to have plenty of those structures: Oregon Inlet, Masonboro Inlet, Little River Inlet, Murrells Inlet and Winyah Bay, to name a few. […]