2025 Edisto Billfish - DayMaker Wins; Claytime Wins Series

Daymaker Wins 2025 Edisto Billfish

A charter boat based out of Charleston named Daymaker wins the 2025 Marina at Edisto Billfish Invitational. A 58-foot B & B owned and Captained by Bobby Krivohlavik, they managed to release three blue marlin and seven sailfish, just ahead of second place finisher Showtime with eleven sailfish releases. 

Crowds at 2025 Edisto Billfish

Third Place at Edisto went to Claytime, which also propelled them to the title of Best Billfish Boat for the 2025 S.C. Governor's Cup Series, finishing just ahead of Bull Pen. The Claytime is a 60-foot B & D Sportfisher and overall they released seven blue marlin and 23 sailfish during the 2025 Series.

To view past blog entries from Edisto Billfish click on 2024 - 2023-  2022-  2021- 2019- 2018- 2017- 2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 

2025 Deveaux Bank Excursion

A sandy spit just off of Seabrook Island and at the mouth of the North Edisto River has been in existence for decades and is now protected as a seabird sanctuary.

July 9 photo of Deveaux bank by Alan Fink

The Seabrook Island Birders have supported shorebird research by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) on their beaches, and they partnered with the Coastal Expeditions Foundation for an educational sunset boat ride to Deveaux Bank on July 9. This trip was scheduled by Capt. Chris Crolley to coincide during a full moon flood tide when the seabirds would be concentrated on high ground.

To view the feature article in the Post and Courier click on Tideline. 

2025 Hooked On Miracles - Team Pole Dancer Wins

2025 Top Ten King Mackerel

The Hooked On Miracles (HOM) King Mackerel Tournament is turning five years old, and the all-volunteer board continues to build a charitable relationship with MUSC's Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. They are building relations with the fishing community too, and gearing up to host their big event from July 17-19, 2025.

Sarah Jones is a board member for Hooked on Miracles. "We started this tournament in 2019, and between the captain’s meeting, sponsor party, fishing day and cleanup, the tournament weekend is a labor of love for all of us,” said Jones. “New for 2025 Hooked On Miracles is funding a coordinator for the new STAR program, or School Transition And Re-entry. STAR helps kids keep up with school work, since cancer patients could be in the hospital for weeks or even months. The STAR program will help procure school supplies as well, and the new coordinator starts on July 14 and she will attend the fishing tournament too.”

Team Benchmark Mortgage Places 
Two Kings in the Top Ten

To read the feature article in The Post and Courier click on Tideline. 

To view past blog entries from Hooked On Miracles click on 2024 - 2023

To view past blog entries from Fishing For Miracles click 2016 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

2025 N.C. Trout Waters Assessment Underway

Green River at damaged pump house

While residents of Western North Carolina continue to recover after the devastation from Hurricane Helene in September 2024, state officials are looking at how the catastrophic storm impacted local fish and wildlife.

Of specific interest is how the mountain trout fisheries are recovering from the torrential amount of rain that fell. It turns out that some of the trout survived the flooding, and their dispersion is fairly good, although overall trout numbers remain down.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) began assessing all trout waters in January 2025 and while most streams were able to be stocked this year, a few public mountain trout waters were not stocked due to a variety of conditions, from changes in the terrain to the accessibility for anglers.

Pacolet River reconstruction July 2025

To view the entire feature story in the Post and Courier click on Tideline. 

To view a past blog entry about the N.C. Fly Fishing click Jackson County or Hazel Creek, Smokies or Rivercourse.

To view past blog entries from Tideline click on SC7 Expedition -  July Saltwater Fishing Report -  Summer Sailstice -  Huk Charleston Cobia Cup - Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - SC Coastal Fishing Guides / Release Over 20 - June Saltwater Forecast - SC Blue Marlin Invitational - Veterans Catfishing - Mother's Day Gift Guide - SCDNR Director - May '25 Outdoors Calendar -  Shorebird Stewards   April Saltwater Fishing -  Turkey Season Gear - Spring Conservation Calendar -  Edisto Flora and Fauna -  Horseshoe Crab Research -  Bird Banding Conference - ACE Basin Refuge -  2025 SE Wildlife Expo - S.C. Master Naturalist

2025 Coon Dog Day - Saluda, N.C.

Souvenir T-Shirt

The 2025 Coon Dog Day took place on July 12, making it the latest the annual canine love fest has ever occurred. It usually coincides with the July 4th holiday week, but was pushed back in 2025 by the City of Saluda. The Coon Dog Day 5K got things off to a running start on 8 AM and the Coon Dog Day parade followed at 11 AM. A good crowd of onlookers saw a nice parade, but it may have lacked about half as much of the normal number of entries. Some afternoon rain showers delayed the Bench Show and Treeing Contest in the school yard around 4 PM, but the music and square dance was on time from 7 - 9 PM.

Coon Dog Day 5K on July 12

Coon Dog Day is also about long held social traditions and the Saluda Sittin' and Sippin' Society convened  once again, and so did the Saluda Summer Club. Porch parties for guests is just another part of the hospitality to be found in Polk County, and that 10-degree temperature variation from the coastal summer heat never hurts either. The local recreational economy is still
affected by the aftermath from Hurricane Helene in 2024, specifically since the Green River no longer has regular water intervals provided by Lake Summit Dam water releases in the past, which greatly affects both kayaking and tubing endeavors now.

To view past blog entries from Coon Dog Day click on 2023 - 2022 -  2018 -  2016 - 2013 - 2012 

2025 SC 7 Expedition - July Activities Calendar

2024 SC 7 Expedition attendees enjoy the outdoors

Although this is the fifth year of the South Carolina 7 movement to encourage people to explore the SC outdoors, many have not heard their footsteps until now. A marketing blitz on social media outlines something to do each day in July, from paddling rivers to planting native grasses, and it’s also a tour de force in outdoors know how. The SC 7 mission is healthy people, healthy places and healthy economy and their entire effort is in partnership with and takes place within the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor.

Michelle McCollum is the President and CEO of the S.C. Nat’l Heritage Corridor (SCNHC), a non-profit organization, but for the month of July she is the Chief Logistics Officer of the SC 7. “We are glad to team up with Global Eco Adventures (GEA) which is another non-profit to get people in the outdoors,” said McCollum. “Either myself, or someone from my SCNHC team, as well as members from the GEA team will be present for each day’s activity. Each day we will celebrate the companies and the communities across the state that are doing conservation work such as the City of Florence and the S.C. Forestry Commission.”

To view the entire feature article in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries from Tideline click on July Saltwater Fishing Report -  Summer Sailstice -  Huk Charleston Cobia Cup - Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - SC Coastal Fishing Guides / Release Over 20 - June Saltwater Forecast - SC Blue Marlin Invitational - Veterans Catfishing - Mother's Day Gift Guide - SCDNR Director - May '25 Outdoors Calendar -  Shorebird Stewards   April Saltwater Fishing -  Turkey Season Gear - Spring Conservation Calendar -  Edisto Flora and Fauna -  Horseshoe Crab Research -  Bird Banding Conference - ACE Basin Refuge -  2025 SE Wildlife Expo - S.C. Master Naturalist

2025 July Saltwater Fishing Forecast for Charleston

Ethan Young and Capt. Ryan Howard on June 21

The summer solstice has come and gone, but not the best inshore fishing of the summer, with many species of fish out there for anglers to target. Hot weather generally means calm waters in the early morning which is always a great time to fish in July, and those 9 PM sunsets can also add bonus on the water time after work too, especially when it coincides with redfish pushing into the marsh during a flood tide. The menu for fishing bait expands in July too with finger mullet, menhaden and cut bait options all in abundance. 

Captain Ryan Howard is a senior guide with Redfin Charters in Charleston and he weighed in the winning fish at the Charleston Cobia Cup on June 21. “I like to use a chum bag to create a scent trail that filters down to a live bottom area,” said Howard. “The cobia are curious and will follow the scent up to the boat. Be sure to keep even more cut up menhaden at the ready to keep any cobia on the surface so you can cast to them. Cobia can be notoriously finicky eaters.”

To view the entire report in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries in Tideline click on Summer Sailstice -  Huk Charleston Cobia Cup - Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - SC Coastal Fishing Guides / Release Over 20 - June Saltwater Forecast - SC Blue Marlin Invitational - Veterans Catfishing - Mother's Day Gift Guide - SCDNR Director - May '25 Outdoors Calendar -  Shorebird Stewards   April Saltwater Fishing -  Turkey Season Gear - Spring Conservation Calendar -  Edisto Flora and Fauna -  Horseshoe Crab Research -  Bird Banding Conference - ACE Basin Refuge -  2025 SE Wildlife Expo - S.C. Master Naturalist

2025 Summer Sailstice - Summer Solstice

An International Celebration of Sailing will take place on June 21 in both local waters, and in far away seas. Sailors with the Charleston Ocean Racing Association (CORA) are already on the water weekly during their summer series races, but Sailstice gives them another reason to hoist their sails. Founded in 2001 on the West Coast, the summer sailstice vision to unite sailors continues to evolve, providing free sailing events and encourage others to sign up and join in.

No matter where you are located, anyone can visit the summer Sailstice online and view a myriad of registered events around North America using their Events tab. New for 2025 is the Montago Bay Yacht Club sailstice cruise and BBQ in Jamaica – Yeah Mon! An event a little closer to home is the Chatham Sailing Club annual summer sailstice raft up down in Savannah. And here in Charleston, CORA is providing both a sailboat race and an after-party too.

To view the entire feature article in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries in Tideline click Huk Charleston Cobia Cup - Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - SC Coastal Fishing Guides / Release Over 20 - June Saltwater Forecast - SC Blue Marlin Invitational - Veterans Catfishing - Mother's Day Gift Guide - SCDNR Director - May '25 Outdoors Calendar -  Shorebird Stewards   April Saltwater Fishing -  Turkey Season Gear - Spring Conservation Calendar -  Edisto Flora and Fauna -  Horseshoe Crab Research -  Bird Banding Conference - ACE Basin Refuge -  2025 SE Wildlife Expo - S.C. Master Naturalist

2025 Birding Journal Observations - May / June

Black-necked Stilt on June 28

May weather was mild but dry, and June brought a good bit of rain and an early heat wave. For the second year in a row, some of my ruby-throated hummingbirds seem to have migrated further North due to the balmy conditions. Yes, I still have one or two hummers, but they are no longer numerous, and some flowers that used to draw them routinely are now hardly ever visited. Could it be the nectar is not right when extreme heat is in the area? Perhaps only time will tell.

The biggest surprise of May / June has to be that a pair of bobwhite quail began to visit the yard and decided to stay and join the flock of normal yard birds. The male whistles all the time and is a delight to have around. Unfortunately the female has gone missing and I fear that she started to nest and was killed by a predator. This will always go down as the year I had quail in the yard!

Mr. and Mrs. Bobwhite on May 20

Wading birds galore is another theme as warm weather invades for the long Lowcountry summer. Roseate spoonbills, night herons, egrets, ibis, black0necked stilts and more are all in abundance. Swallow-tailed kites and Mississippi kites abound every time one drives a rural highway and keeps an eye out for raptors. 

To view past Birding Journal Observations from May / June click on 2024 - 2023 - 2021 - 2018- 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009