May 2018 Archives - Carolina Sportsman

Rapala’s Scatter Rap Glass Shad

Some anglers refer to the plastic lip recently added to the Rapala Glass Shad crankbait as a “potato chip lip,” which is what it closely resembles. […]

The late Gene Sutherland loved the woods and whitetails in a life that spanned almost 70 years.

A life well lived: Remembering a hunter and friend

Sammy Romano

This month, I am stepping a bit outside of this column’s normal subject matter, but I feel strongly about this message. […]

Rainbow trout have a varied diet and will eat anything they can capture. They routinely eat the larval, pupal and adult forms of aquatic insects, plus terrestrials that fall into the water. They will eat fish eggs, shrimp, crawfish and small fish up to one-third of their length.

Four-of-a-kind basic trout flies for fly fishermen

Robert Satterwhite

Fly fishers need to know the four basic types of flies, including how to tie them and present them, before heading out in search of trout. […]

Striper fishermen on the Santee Cooper lakes catch plenty of nice fish in May using live shad or herring, but drifting cut baits can also put some nice blue catfish in your cooler at the end of the day.

Everything is biting at Santee right now

Terry Madewell

May is one of my favorite months to fish the Santee Cooper reservoirs, and while it’s mostly because of the great fishing, it’s also because of the typically great weather. […]

A MirrOlure Top Dog is a walk-the-dog topwater bait that imitates an injured baitfish and draws plenty of attention from red drum.

Imitating an injured baitfish

Mike Marsh

While inshore gamefish in the Surf City area will strike natural baits such as shrimp and mullet, they also take kindly to rattling lures. […]

The combination of tides and wind in the Cooper River can leave great shallow bass cover high and dry or push fish into the same cover.

Learn to play the tides and wind for bass

Jeff Burleson

Bass fishermen typically keep a tight watch on the water temperature and clarity and the direction and intensity of the wind. […]

Slip-bobber rigs consist of a piece of thread tied into a knot on the fishing line, a glass or plastic bead, then the cork. The knot slides up and down to adjust the depth you’re fishing, the bead keeps the bobber from slipping over the knot and the cork slides freely up and down the line, stopping when it reaches the knot. When using slip bobbers in strong current, you must use enough weight to keep the bait down, otherwise the current will push the slip bobber through the line all the way back to the hook. It may take as much as an ounce when the current is really ripping, so make sure your slip cork is big enough to handle it. […]

A hard-earned longbeard is a great way to end the season, but you have to be mentally strong to fool a tom that’s been pressured for weeks.

Late season turkey hunting requires mental toughness

Terry Madewell

Joey Murphy, a call-maker from Lexington, N.C., said that late-season turkey hunting often requires a commitment to change and diversity in hunting and calling strategies, but mental toughness is crucial. […]

Call-maker John Tanner likes to hunt food plots as the season wanes.

Mayday! Mayday! There’s still time for turkey hunting!

Terry Madewell

Spring turkey season in both North Carolina and South Carolina extends into May.
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A decoy set up with a strutting jake and a hen is almost too much for any gobbler to resist.

Hen/jake decoy combo works on wary toms

Jerry Dilsaver

Gil Cutchin of Occoneechee Hunting Lodge in Northhampton County, near Jackson N.C., has seen changes in turkey hunting tactics over the years, especially when it comes to using decoys. […]