Fly fishing at Hobcaw Barony

Captain Steve Thomas is an Orvis-Pro guide who specializes in fly fishing and runs the release-only fishing program for Hobcaw Barony plantation in Georgetown. He took his fishing buddy Joe Bibbo of Florence into the flooded marsh at dawn and Lowcountryoutdoors.com was right there for every heart-pounding encounter with the thirteen redfish that were located. Captain Thomas has exclusive rights to guide anglers on the pristine tidal flats on the plantation, which is just south of DeBordeau. Wade fishing is the most popular trip but Thomas also offers kayak fishing with fly or spinning tackle for the backcountry slam species of trout, flounder and spot-tailed bass. Thomas can be reached at 843-997-6981 and said, "The redfish will gorge on fiddler crabs between now and the end of October." 

Photos By Jeff Dennis: Joe Bibbo shows off his slot limit redfish caught on fly rod, The Lippa tool system allows the angler to release the redfish without handling it, Capt. Steve Thomas ties into a Big red drum

SAFMC meeting in Charleston

The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council is meeting all this week in Charleston. The federal government is moving towards ecosystem management for the oceans, and some hotly debated topics include catch-shares and ocean closures to fisherman. The Wednesday afternoon Public Comment hearing was conducted in a courteous manner although many fisherman spoke passionately about why they did not want to se ocean closures enacted. SAFMC is under strict orders via the Magnusen Act to 'stop overfishing' and they have a limited timeframe to do so. The future health of the oceans may well be on the line, so this matter is rightly scheduled for more debate and research over the coming months.

Photo By Jeff Dennis: An avid angler listens carefully during the SAFMC public comment meeting

2009 Teal season and Doe deer season - Opening Day

September 15 is the traditional start date for doe harvest season, and it just so happens that this year there is a double-header start date with teal season. Lowcountryoutdoors.com salutes those who shoot teal in the morning and climb into a treestand in the evening! The Quality Deer Management Association stresses the earliest possible harvest of does in order to reduce the number of does to be bred by bucks during the rut - thus leaving the bucks in better shape for the remainder of the season and for winter. Conservation minded hunters harvest does early and often!

T view past blog entries about opening day for shrimp and alligators click here.

Colleton Leads S.C. in 2007 Timber Dollars

The timber harvested in Colleton County in 2007 had a value of just over $41 million dollars according to the Timber Products Output (TPO) report, which is produced jointly by the S.C. Forestry Commission and the U.S. Forest Service. Colleton County has 502,887 acres of forestland or roughly 74% of the county, with only Berkeley County listed as having more forestland with 529,484-acres. Georgetown County was second on the TPO list with 419,907 acres generating $40 million in timber revenue. Rounding out the top ten category were Fairfield County, Newberry County, Hampton County, Horry County, Williamsburg County, Jasper County, Orangeburg County and Edgefield County. With so many of our Lowcountry counties making a prominent showing in the timber dollars category, I am wondering if this is a derivative from the conservation movement that preserves our natural resources. Certainly Colleton County has a chance to remain atop the TPO standings in the future given the thousands of acres preserved in the ACE Basin. Agribusiness is the combination of forestry and agriculture, and together they generate $30 billion in yearly revenue for the state and provide over 200,000 jobs.  S.C. Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers is developing a strategic plan designed to grow the industry to $50 billion by 2020

Surf Fishing South Island

Andy Eaddy of Hartsville and fishing buddy Bob Geiger enjoyed a productive two days in the surf zone at South Island in Georgetown County. Over 20 large red drum were landed and a very NICE mixed bag of fish came when Bob landed a 48-inch tarpon, and some trout and whiting were also caught. The wind was up but the bite was on and Andy reports an ample supply of live bait in the area. You may recall that Andy caught a monster tarpon in the surf during September of 2008!

Photos by Andy Eaddy: Bob Geiger with his South Island tarpon from 9/10/09, Andy poses with a nice red drum caught in the surf

Edisto King Mackerel Tournament

The first ever Edisto King Mackerel Tournament was fished on 9/12 and was sponsored by Buck's Pizza. A fleet of 40 boats braved rough seas in search of smoker kings. Finishing in first place was Whip Lash and Captain Raymond Stivender with a king weighing 35.6-pounds. Finishing in second place was Cool Cat with Captain Chris Prince with a king weighing 30.2-pounds. Rounding out the top money fish was seventh-place Eren's Addiction Too with Captain Jack Bracewell and their 17.8-pound king.

Photos by www.lowcountryfishscales.com : The largest king came from Whiplash, and the largest Spanish was reeled in on Owe's Me Money

2009 Shrimp season and Gator season - Opening Day

Those who bait our Lowcountry waters for shrimp may do so legally again at noon today (9/11) and they enjoy a shrimp-baiting season that is two months long. Boat ramps will be jammed today with shrimpers going out to enjoy one of the tasty shellfish that is found in our Lowcountry estuary. Deer season is already in, shrimp season too - so what's next? Gator season begins on 9/12/09 and Lowcountry hunters will sharpen their harpoons and detonate their bang sticks in hopes of slaying a large gator. This is the second year for gator hunting in S.C. and it's a great example of how our natural resources provide a stimulus for the local economy - taxidermy and processors get a real shot in the arm from gator season. Excitement abounds - but please remember to send reports of LARGE gators harvested to share with Lowcountryoutdoors.com

Photo By Jeff Dennis: a 10-foot alligator that may be on someone's short list