2012 James Island King Mackerel Tourney

John Barnwell, Teddy Gilbreth and Parks Smith : 2012 champs

Patriotic Tourney T-shirt

Jessica Britt from Yard Boy 

 JIYC member Bobby Watkins and son Robbie

Something in the neighborhood of 30 boats fished for king mackerel on Saturday June 23 out of the James Island Yacht Club, which debuted their brand new dock/pier! It should be noted that lots of the 'heavy-hitters' of competition king fishing were out of town fishing the Little River tourney. That being said, first place went to the crew of the Storm Along, a 20-foot Sea Hunt, when angler Parks Smith reeled in a nice 31.8-pound king. Their smoker king was first to the scales at 3 p.m. and held up to win the competition that pays out for the first five places. Lady angler Jessica Britt weighed in a fine 26.95-pound king while fishing from Yard Boy, and she reports that was the only bite they had all day. Other boats reported a slow kingfish bite as well, but Sheldon Peeples aboard Local Talent managed to reel in a respectable 22.8-pounder. With a new inshore division added in 2011 consisting of trout, flounder and sheepshead, a few anglers brought those fish to the scales, with lots of James island yacht club members participating in smaller boats, which always adds to the fun.

To view a photo of the winning king from 2011 JIYC tourney click here.

Wahoo, Mahi and Tilefish aboard Lil' Bit

Glen Allen, angler Griffie Loy and first mate Coy Myers

Sand Tilefish jigged up from the Edisto Banks

Coy with a 'Cuda

Griffie Loy and angler Glen Allen

The weather for the week for June 18 - 23 can only be described as perfect, since it provided a window for offshore anglers to prepare and execute a blue water excursion. Captain Pete Loy and his regular crew took a few family and friends on the Lil' Bit to try for marlin and more. A blue marlin was spotted in the back of the bait spread at 10:20 but the fish did not eat, and a sailfish was spotted a short time later with the same cruise-through mentality. The wahoo responded well in the afternoon over the ledge and several fish were lost due to cut-offs while two nice wahoo came to the gaff! A barracuda, a mahi mahi and a sand tilefish rounded out the saltwater species that were reeled in by the crew that slipped offshore on a Friday to start the weekend off right!

To view past fishing reports with Lil' Bit click here.

Guy Harvey World Headquarters visit

Beautiful redfish license plate

Guy Harvey golf bag

Guy Harvey beach bag

Guy Harvey HAWG!!

If you are passing through Davie (in South Florida), then plan to stop by the flagship store for the World Headquarters of Guy Harvey Inc., and be prepared to see a full array of marine-related artwork. From Guy Harvey t-shirts, to beach towels and even iron patio furniture, it's all here. Memorabilia from Dr. Guy Harvey's achievements are framed and on the wall for visitors to view. Some interesting facts about Dr. Harvey include that he is originally from Jamaica, but currently resides in Grand Cayman. Guy's parents were both accomplished anglers and they introduced him to fishing at a young age. His wife's name is Gillian and they have two kids, Jessica and Alex. Guy's favorite fish is the blue marlin, and favorite sports include water polo, scuba diving and fishing. Back on land Guy likes the shooting sports and birdwatching. Guy's favorite medium is watercolor but he is well versed in sketching and photography. Guy is a marine biologist with a PhD in fish biology, and he founded the Guy Harvey Research Institute in 1999 and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation in 2008. Dr. Harvey has said that it takes cash to care about about the oceans, that's why a percentage of customer purchases goes to benefit conservation work. While in the store pick up the Responsible Seafood Guide that is available, to promote the sustainable seafood initiative. There is lots of merchandise to see inside the World Headquarters store including Guy Harvey coffee, tervis tumblers, women's clothing, prints, pillows, technical shirts , books and so much more. If you can't get there but wish to order some of these items, you can call Maria in the store at 954-581-0073. She is very helpful, and she especially likes the sound of a southern accent! Many thanks to the staff at the HQ for giving me a tour of their offices while providing a deeper understanding of their mission.

To see a past blog entry about Guy Harvey in Charleston click here.
To view blog entries about Guy Harvey Magazine click here.

Inaugural Savannah Tall Ships Challenge

Indonesian Naval vessel Dewaruci arrives in Savannah

Indonesian cadets entertain the Tall Ships Challenge crowd

It's been a while since the Tall Ships have been on display in the Holy City of Charleston, but our sister city to the South held their Inaugural event to celebrate Tall Ships in May. To view my article on the Savannah Tall Ships Challenge during May in Savannah, click on All At Sea.

To view past blog entries from Harbor Fest click here.

International Game Fish Association - HQ visit

Billfish statue outside IGFA Headquarters

IGFA Hall of Fish in the museum

While in South Florida for snook fishing, a first-ever visit to IGFA headquarters seemed like a worthy endeavor. The IGFA building is three stories tall, with the bottom two floors consisting of a large museum dedicated to the history of fishing. Many thanks to to the IGFA media team for giving me a tour of their extensive offices, and explaining the IGFA's latest outreach campaigns. The IGFA has a vast reach around the globe, monitoring fisheries and recording world records for game fish. A huge collection of fishing artwork graces the walls of the IGFA, and I can report Charleston's John Carroll Doyle has notched a spot in that display! The IGFA museum is quite impressive with it's Hall Of Fish (mounts) and the corresponding exhibits explaining tackle, tactics and the history of angling. Fast forward to modern technology, and the IGFA has put out a call for assistance in developing their latest IGFA App to recognize fish species. They ask for IGFA members to submit photos of their fish, because it takes a lot of photos to perfect the recognition app. Cheers to the IGFA for the parternship work they do with other organizations such as Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.

To view past blog entries about record fish in S.C. click here.

Marlin mount outside IGFA HQ

Example of fish pics that IGFA requests

2012 Big Rock Tourney - Flybuoy Wins

Owner Gary Davis, Captain Hollingsworth,
Angler Todd Baxley and Kathy with the 
winning blue marlin at the 54th Big Rock

Once again, a sportfisher based out of Charleston, S.C. has won The Big Rock blue marlin tournament.  A fleet of 120-boats fishing out of Morehead City, N.C. elect to fish four out of six days to determine the winner for heaviest blue marlin. With great weather on Day One, Monday June 11 the Flybuoy found a good fish, one that would exceed the tournament minimums of 400-pounds or 110-inches in length. Angler Todd Baxley was able to bring the blue marlin to the boat where his crew could successfully land it. After arriving back in port, the blue marlin weighed 499.3-pounds, and despite five more days of fishing, the Day One marlin held up to make Flybuoy the winners of the 54th edition of The Big Rock. Flybuoy is owned by Gary Davis, and the captain is Robert Hollingsworth. Angler Todd Baxley was the designated angler and wife Kathy was a part of the crew on Monday, and the Baxley's are a regular fixture at the S.C. Governor's Cup Billfishing Series. Other Charleston-based boats to win the Big Rock include Artemis (2008), Bak Bar (2007), Pipe Layer (1997), Diamond Girl (1989) and Summertime Blues (2000) which still holds the all-time heaviest blue marlin record at Big Rock with their 831-pound blue marlin! Over 50 billfish were caught and released by the Big Rock fleet and Benchmark out of Charleston recorded a Grand Slam by releasing a blue marlin, white marlin and a sailfish all on Day One, which is a rare feat.

2012 World Sea Turtle Day

Guy Harvey's artwork of a Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Saturday June 16 is celebrated as World Sea Turtle Day, and it is fitting since this species has a global appeal. Locally, it's the loggerhead sea turtle that is the most common and the 'Lights Out' at night campaign has been ingrained on Lowcountry residents for decades now. Summertime means sea turtle nesting season and beachcombers are likely to find turtle tracks and turtle nests on the area's barrier islands. Anglers report sea turtle sightings with regularity, and this can include other species as well. I remember one day in the nearshore waters fishing for king mackerel when four or five Leatherback sea turtles came up for a bit of air on their way northward, showing me just how LARGE they are! Back on land, Charleston is blessed to be home to the Sea Turtle Hospital at the S.C. Aquarium, a program that is quietly doing great things not only to help sick turtles recover and return to the ocean, but also to raise awareness about the plight of sea turtles. Did you know that plastic grocery bags (which become pollution in the ocean) are often eaten by sea turtles thinking they are jellyfish - which can cause their death. South Carolina's DNR is conducting summer 'turtle cruises' to perform research on sea turtle's along the coastal waters. Of course, no one locally or worldwide wants anything to happen to these leisurely-oriented creatures which are a vital part of the oceanic ecosystem. Sea turtles are an evolutionary success story, and stand a great chance to continue to populate the world's oceans far into the future.

Two loggerhead sea turtles on Kiawah Island

Guy Harvey Insider and Kelly Thorvalson, turtle biologist

Based in Charleston, South Carolina

To view past blog entires about S.C. sea turtles click here.