February 2018 Archives - Carolina Sportsman

A built-in 1/4-ounce leadhead and painted on glow eyes are just two features of Egret’s new Vudu Vixen.

The Vudu Vixen

Speckled trout and other saltwater species feed on shrimp and baitfish, shad, mullet, cocahoes and more. […]

A former bank building in Bryson City is the new home of the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians.

Fly-fishing museum gets a new life

After losing its lease in a building in downtown Cherokee, N.C., and not being offered an alternative site by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians has re-established itself in nearby Bryson City. […]

Angler Wyn Mullins believes that February might be the best time to catch a huge, prespawn bass on the Santee Cooper lakes, Marion or Moultrie.

February is big-bass time

Terry Madewell

While many anglers wait until March to begin bass fishing at the Santee Cooper lakes, they are missing out on some hot prespawn activity by these fish. […]

Packs of beagles have to work faster and cover more ground to flush rabbits living in cutovers and give hunters the chance for a shot.

As cutovers grow, slow packs fade

Craig Holt

Hunting with slow packs of beagles used to be the way to go for rabbit hunters, but thanks to changes in habitat, quicker packs of dogs are now preferred for chasing bunnies. […]

Rabbit numbers in the Carolinas rise and fall in cycles; predators aren’t a big factor; it’s habitat.

Rabbits by the numbers

Craig Holt

The most-recent small-game survey conducted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (2015-16) revealed that the best rabbit hunting occurs in the Midlands (2.19 rabbits jumped per hour). […]

Stewart Venable’s best fishing day on a river came during the winter of 2016, after he pulled into the mouth of a tributary creek on the Catawba River to eat lunch and saw bait flipping.

February’s Best Bets

Phillip Gentry

What: Largemouth bass, striped bass

Where: Catawba River, upper end of Lake Norman. […]

New gear reviews

Phillip Gentry

The men’s GORE-TEX Meridian Drysuit from Kokatat is built to stand the test of any paddling adventure. Exclusive “full immersion” GORE-TEX Pro Shell fabric is tough as nails, yet quiet and comfortable. Latex neck and wrist gaskets, along with integrated GORE-TEX socks, keep you dry. The Competition Cut underarm maximizes range of motion. […]

Hunting released quail on a preserve can offer hunters a chance to relive a time 50 years ago when bobwhite was king in the Southeast.

A guide’s recommendations

Phillip Gentry

A guide at Contentnea Creek Shooting Preserve in Snow Hill, N.C., Walter Claybrook has some advice for hunters visiting a shooting preserve for the first time. […]

Pay special attention to your depth finder when fishing for crappie in February. Don’t spend much time in areas where you don’t mark slabs or bait, and notice the depth fish are holding and place your baits just above that level.

It’s the little things that matter

Phillip Gentry

Paying attention to details is never more important than when fishing for crappie in cold water, especially in February. If everything is done right, an angler is rewarded with a box full of fish, but missing the mark often means coming up blank. Here are some common tips that often mean the difference between catching a limit and going home empty-handed. […]