2009 Chas. Harbor Tarpon Release Tourney - Winner!

The 15th Tarpon release tourney was fished out of Toler's Cove on August 15th. Organizer Cantey Smith had a field of fifty anglers fishing for the silver king. He reported ten hook-ups with one fish coming to the boat. Congrats go to Captain Chris Wilson and angler Lance Hightower for releasing an 80-pound tarpon at 10:30 a.m. on tournament day to win bragging rights for one year.

Photo by David Ingle: Organizer Champ Smith awards the tarpon trophy and release flag to the winners

Photo By Jeff Dennis: A fine tarpon mount honors past releases

2009 Fishing For Miracles King Mackerel - Day Two

Day two conditions were again overcast and calm. Dirty Work weighed in a 41.78-pound king caught by Amelia Wirth finishing in 2nd place behind Black Cat's king from Friday. They also had a 40.78-pound king but tournament rules stipulate only one heaviest fish per boat may be entered in the tournament. Dirty Work is a 34-foot Venture out of Mount Pleasant and they caught both their BIG kings by 8:30 a.m. Rob Donlin was back on the docks today to help direct this CCA-run tournament. All tourney results can be viewed at www.fishingformiracles.org.

For Day One blog coverage from the 2009 FFM click here.

Photos By Jeff Dennis: Team Dirty Work caught two 40-pound kings on Day Two, Matt Winter caught this 34.22-pound king while fishing with his brother on the Done Wishin'

2009 Fishing For Miracles King Mackerel - Day One

The 16th annual Fishing For Miracles (FFM) Tournament began on Thursday night with a Captain's Meeting at Ripley Light Marina. Day One of fishing will see the 200-boat fleet fish from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. - with the weigh-in to follow from 2 to 5 p.m. Overcast conditions and calm seas greeted the king mackerel anglers on Day One. CCA South Carolina Executive Director Scott Whittaker told me "We'll give $1000 to the largest fish that is weighed-in by an ALL-CCA crew." OK, a NICE fish came in to be weighed right at 2 p.m. - The 35-foot Triton Black Cat out of Georgetown weighed in a 42.90-pound king. They caught this fish at 9:30 a.m. about ten miles South of Charleston. Captain Jamey Stuart said that crewman Clay Peurifoy thought the fish was small at first, but it only took 10 minutes to boat the big king. Youth angler Kateland Todd was fishing with Black Cat when she reeled in her 26.76-pound king. Second place on Day One went to Mark Mitchell for a 37.22-pound kingfish that was caught aboard Trophy Hunter out of Georgetown.

Photo By Jeff Dennis: The Black Cat's big king was caught by lady angler Carlett Stuart, Mark Mitchell poses with his fish at the FFM tourney which benefits MUSC Children's Hospital

Plantation Managers Meet at Poco Sabo

Green Pond was the nearest 'urban area' when the South Carolina Plantation Managers Association (SCPMA) gathered at Poco Sabo Plantation on the Ashepoo River for their annual meeting. SCPMA President Jim McCormick (from Mount Holly Plantation) welcomed the land manager's and laid out the agenda for the day. Joe Hamilton, founder of the Quality Deer Management Association spoke about the effect that coyotes are having on the fawn survival rate, then Jerald Sholar spoke about the newly formed S.C. Quail Project based out of Mount Pleasant Plantation, and SCDNR's Charles Ruth spoke about current events within both the deer and turkey programs. Further discussion touched on how the current recession impacts plantation management due to budget cutbacks, and what individuals are doing to make the best of things. Lowcountryoutdoors.com  would like to thank the owner of Poco Sabo Plantation for hosting the SCPMA meeting.

Photos By Jeff Dennis: Poco Sabo manager Tom Bowen points to the 75-acre impoundment where he plants no-till corn, Shorty the horse was out to pasture during the SCPMA meeting but the stall bearing his name caught my eye

Spirit of South Carolina - Title One Schools

Meagahn Van Liew of the South Carolina Maritime Foundation tells me that 37 "at risk" teens from Title One schools in Charleston County have completed a six-week summer program that used the Tall Ship Spirit of South Carolina as a teaching tool. The majority of the students were minorities and most qualified for free lunch during the school year. The program is called the 21st Century Spirit Ocean Adventure summer program and consisted of day classes  that stressed reading, navigation, coastal ecological processes, marine life and swimming lessons. Following these classes the students flew to New York City (where the Spirit was) to sail around Long Island Sound and Block Island Sound. Lowcountryoutdoors.com asks you to raise your hand if you have ever sailed on the Spirit around Long Island Sound?! Besides the aforementioned perk, the core goals of this course are to improve literacy and prevent drop-outs while increasing their leadership skills and self-confidence. On August 6th the students made presentations about their studies, and shared photos from their sailing trip, for friends and family at the Charleston Maritime Center - demonstrating how sailing is a great connection to the outdoors and offers a different kind of education experience.

Chester Turns One Year Old Today

My English Setter named Chester has reached his first birthday today. He is a quail dog in training and was purchased from Moree's Sportsman Preserve in Chesterfield County. He chewed his way through some documents and shoes along the way, but he has 'hunted' the birds in the dog park with diligence and will be a 'working dog' come quail season.

He is a hard-headed male dog at times, but his nose seems to be acute to the scent of birds and his vision does not miss a winged critter (near or far) that flutters by. He is getting a dog house at Snipe Hill for his birthday - not for use in the heat of August, but rather as a secure outpost in the country in between hunting adventures.

Chester loves to run, as most English Setter's do, and I look forward to trying to keep up with him when it is cool enough for us to hit the quail woods again. Chester is a loving dog with big eyes that are 'masked' by his facial markings when in low light or at night. Chester's ears perk up when the master says Moo, Meow, Quack quack or Honk honk but his strongest reaction is always simply to the word - "bird."

To view past blog entries about Chester click here.

Photos By Jeff Dennis: Chester at 4 months of age, and Chester on his First Birthday

HUGE blue marlin caught by G'town boat

A grander blue marlin was caught off of Ocean City, Maryland last week during the White Marlin Open. The 1062-pound Blue Marlin was caught by angler Bob Ferris on August 5, 2009 while fishing aboard No Problem, a sportfisher based in Georgetown. The 63-year-old angler is a CPA living in Charlotte and while he fought the fish for three hours, he still had no idea just how big this grand fish was. The blue marlin bests the old Maryland state record of 942-pounds - and would have topped the S.C. record too (if it had been caught here). It is truly RARE to catch a grander marlin off the East Coast and this was more than memorable - it is exciting to know that these fish are still growing to large sizes and leaving years of successful reproduction activities in their wake - for future anglers to pursue.