Newsletter - Page 992 of 2139 - Carolina Sportsman

Darryl Fox killed this "high-elevation buck" and won the December Bag-A-Buck contest.

Weaverville hunter kills trophy buck, wins December Bag-A-Buck

Darryl Fox of Weaverville, N.C., had no idea he was going to kill the biggest buck of his life last fall. A teacher and baseball coach at North Buncombe High School, he didn’t get to do everything he usually does leading up to deer season, or even get in the woods during archery season, because of the sickness and death of his father last year. […]

The extremely cold weather has taken a toll on some of South Carolina's trout population, and the SCDNR is asking anglers to voluntarily release all they catch.

SCDNR asking anglers to release all speckled sea trout

Brian Cope

A week after North Carolina closed down the harvest for sea trout along the Tarheel State’s coast, South Carolina’s DNR is urging anglers to voluntarily release all sea trout caught along the coast of the Palmetto State. […]

Guide Bob Winters doesn’t need all the latest gadgets to catch plenty of Lake Moultrie catfish like this nice blue.

Old school isn’t bad to study on

Terry Madewell

When guide Bob Winters stowed his gear after a day of fishing on Lake Moultrie, I caught myself wandering around his old Glassmaster boat, checking out the ancient flasher sonar unit. I recognized it because I’d used one myself long ago. […]

Flag ’em down

Dusty Wilson

When ducks won’t come into shotgun range, a good guide will do just about anything for his decoy spread to be seen — including waving his arms in the air. […]

South Carolina has cut down on hunters’ opportunities to take sea ducks like these scoters due to drops in the birds’ numbers.

SC’s sea duck zone and special regulation changes

Jeff Burleson

Because of different season dates, a small percentage of waterfowl hunters have used sea ducks to extend their shooting, but this season, regulation changes ended that practice. […]

Sea ducks can be difficult to retrieve unless hunters can get their boat limbered up quickly and get to them before the dive or float away.

Sea duck retrieval is critical

Jeff Burleson

From shooting wood ducks in timber-filled swamps to mallards in grass-covered marshes, retrieving can be one of the most-challenging aspects of duck hunting. […]

The subtle presentation of a light rig like this split-shot rig helps fool winter reds.

Cold equals slow, subtle presentations, retrieves

Jerry Dilsaver

Guides Mike Eady and Mark Stacy believe the primary thing fishermen must remember for successful cold-water fishing is that when the water is cold, the fish move very slowly and deliberately. […]

A crappie rig for winter fishing

Terry Madewell

Guide Maynard Edwards has a unique rig he’s developed for wintertime crappie fishing, enabling him to fish near the bottom and suspended fish at the same time. […]

Don’t put away crankbaits that work in deeper water when the first big wave of spawning bass move in early, because they often stay in relatively deep water.

Catch giants spawning first

Jeff Burleson

When P.H. Flanagan of Manning, S.C., caught the state record largemouth bass out of Lake Marion in 1949, he might never have dreamed that his 16-pound; 2-ounce beast would still reign as the biggest bass ever caught in the Palmetto State. But Santee Cooper is known for its big stringers of healthy bass, as are many other reservoirs scattered around the Carolinas. […]

The pilings that support the two US 64 bridges that link the mainland with Roanoke Island, N.C., attract plenty of stripers in the winter.

January’s best bets

Phillip Gentry

WHAT — Saltwater striped bass

WHERE — In North Carolina, fish the two US 64 bridges between the mainland and Roanoke Island across Croatan Sound. In South Carolina, the upper end of the Wando River holds stripers thanks to some supplemental stocking of native strains of river stripers. […]