May 2015 Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Carolina Sportsman

Careful treatment of a cobia that’s been landed can lead to a successful, live release.

Catch-and-release or hook-and-cook?

There is no getting around it, cobia are a tasty fish. A 30-pound fish contains enough thick, pork chop-sized fillets to feed a small crowd, and the flesh is hardy enough to go straight on the grill without added reinforcement. […]

Rigging a soft-plastic bait weedless on a tiny jighead will allow anglers to fish flooded shoreline cover around Kerr Lake.

A weedless jig for flooded shorelines

Dusty Wilson

While the impoundment of Kerr Lake may have solved many problems in the flood-prone area downstream, fishing the high water resulting from early spring rains requires another solution. […]

Remove a crab’s claws and skirt, cut it into four pieces and hook one of them up for a redfish.

Don’t forget cut, live baits

Glenn Corley

Guide Kevin Blair may love fishing artificials for redfish, especially topwaters, but he doesn’t discount live or cut bait. […]

BYOB — Bring your own brush

Dusty Wilson

Thanks to enhanced sonar capabilities like side-imaging and down-imaging, finding brush piles on Kerr Lake is easier than ever. […]

Topwater schooling action does happen in May, but it’s not the most-productive way to catch stripers on Lake Moultrie.

Topwater school action is possible

Terry Madewell

Guide Truman Lyon said that live bait is the most-consistent method for taking stripers, but there will be some topwater schooling action in May. […]

A backcountry fishing trip requires a good bit more safety gear than a half-day stroll alongside a stream that’s closer to civilization.

Be prepared for anything in backcountry

Jeff Burleson

The mountains contain mile after mile of trout streams tumbling from the steep slopes of the Appalachians, with thriving populations of wild trout, beckoning anglers to try the backcountry. […]

Make sure to measure stripers, as Santee Cooper fish are managed with a 26-inch size minimum that could change later this year.

Will limits, size minimums change?

Terry Madewell

Scott Lamprecht with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources said that 2015 is the year when the state legislature reviews the 26-inch size minimum limit and SCDNR reports, along with recommendations from the Santee Cooper Stakeholder Committee. […]

Diamond-shaped signs designate how mountain trout streams are managed in North Carolina.

Stay legal: know your diamonds

Jeff Burleson

Trout-fishing regulations in North Carolina can change from stream to stream and even from one part of a stream to another. […]

Truman Lyon, 83, and Megan Daugherty, 13, are hooked up at the same time with Lake Marion stripers.

Fast action can be the rule

Terry Madewell

Guide Truman Lyons said that live-bait fishing for stripers this month is not necessarily wait-and-hope fishing, it’s usually fast- paced, and often, multiple fish are hooked at the same time. […]

A clean, well-aerated bait tank with plenty of water and a good filtration system is a key to keeping blueback herring alive and in good shape to draw strikes from hybrid bass.

Tanks a bunch

Phillip Gentry

For fishermen planning on using live bait to catch hybrids and striped bass, a bait tank is a piece of equipment that’s high on the list of importance. […]