December 2013 Archives - Carolina Sportsman

Topwater baits are a great late-fall choice for Murrells Inlet trout, especially at dawn and dusk.

It pays off big to be on top

During the fall, trout fishermen around Murrells Inlet get a chance for redemption after a long hot summer on the water. […]

Ducks

Know your limits, regs, times

Jeff Burleson

Every year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts aerial surveys to estimate the breeding population of waterfowl across Canada and the northern United States. […]

Juvenile redfish won’t migrate very far from the backs of coastal creeks during the winter, because they’re attracted to warm water.

Puppy drum are homebodies

Mike Marsh

Most of the red drum that David and Tammy Baxley and their charter clients catch during the winter are too short or too long to keep. […]

Anchor Worms

Mike Marsh

Infestations by parasites that anglers call “anchor worms” become more prevalent in red drum during the winter. […]

Keeping a school of redfish in sight once it’s been located can provide a long period of excellent action.

Most anglers agree that the low end of the tide is best for finding schools of winter reds; it’s hard for them to hide on a shallow flat, but once the little creeks start to fill with water and the grass starts to flood, finding reds becomes much more difficult. […]

The South Edisto River is full of redfish, but it is often more stained than the water in other coastal rivers, creeks and bays.

Dealing with dirty water

Bryan Bowers

If there is one downside to fishing the South Edisto River, it’s the fact that it isn’t the cleanest water along South Carolina’s coast. […]

Because winter fishing success is always related to the presence of baitfish, it’s not uncommon for guide Joel Richardson to catch striped bass and largemouth bass mixed together.

Kerr slowly recovers from bass virus

Tony Garitta

Anglers searching for winter bass at Kerr Reservoir not only have to contend with cold weather but also with the aftermath of the Largemouth Bass Virus, which devastated the lake’s bass population. […]

Shearon Harris Lake south of Raleigh is a great cold-water fishery, in addition to being one of the state’s top largemouth lakes.

Other winter bass wonderlands: Shearon Harris, Norman

Tony Garitta

Bass fishermen can’t go wrong including 4,100-acre Shearon Harris Lake and 32,500-acre Lake Norman in their search for winter action. […]

Trail cameras aren’t just preseason tools. Set them up in areas you think post-rut deer will use or after you’ve located a buck.

Important late-season combo: corn and trail cameras

Terry Madewell

Mike Johnson, manager at The Clinton House, is a proponent of planting food plots to attract deer and keep them well-fed throughout the season, but he said the ability of hunters in his neck of the wood to bait with corn for the first time this season has given him another weapon for keeping up with his deer herd. […]

Food plots surrounded by thick cover are prime areas to hunt late in the season.

Think thick and gnarly cover late in season

Terry Madewell

Bill Cline of Ridgeway said it’s difficult for most hunters to stop thinking in terms of the rut because of the success rate and seeing lots of deer during that time. […]