Lowcountry Fishing Report - 3/6/2012

Fishing Report for the Coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina:

Catching them two at a time with Grey Ghost Charters!

Charleston Inshore Report: Scott Hammond at Haddrell's Point West remarks about the 80-degree weather right at the first of March as being a hallmark for redfish to break out of schools and into 'pods' of 4 to 10-fish. Some pods of reds are already being found on the flats, under docks and along structure. Cast Z-man Paddlerz, Yo-Zuri HD shrimp and Gulp jerkshads for your best chances of success. Natural baits work too such as cut mullet, live minnows and shrimp. The trout bite continues to be spotty with the most consistent catches coming near shell rakes in 4 to 8-feet of water using live shrimp or DOA shrimp. Sheepshead are still biting well inshore around bridges or rock piles fishing with fiddlers, oysters and mussels. For all the latest seminar information visit the Internet at Haddrell's Point.

Water temperatures are attempting to reach the magic number of 60-degrees already says Bart Manly at the Market Street location of the Charleston Angler. Bait should begin to reappear in the creeks and this will trigger the redfish to break out of their schools and feed heavily. The middle of March offers some suitable tides over 6-feet in height that should offer the first tailing redfish opportunities of 2012. Fly fishermen should target them with with natural color patterns like tan and copper. Until the flood tides, fish for the reds with a mud minnow under a popping cork or throw a Z-Man scented Paddlerz in Redbone coloration rigged on an Owner jighead that is weighted. The trout bite has improved for those wanting to troll curly tails along the march going against the current. Sheepshead are also being caught inshore and oysters are the bait of choice this time of year, but a live shrimp can work well too. For all the latest seminar information visit the Internet at The Charleston Angler.

Captain Tucker Blythe tells me that the mild winter has baitfish schools prolific in the salt marsh. Expect March to be windy as weather patterns change. Blooming flowers and tailing redfish go hand in hand, and Blythe says we will have both delights in March. Redfish will begin to hunt small shrimp fry, glass minnows and finger mullet in shallow waters that approach 70-degrees. Try MirroLure glass minnows, 1/8-ounce jigs with dark colored paddletails or jerkshads on an 1/8-Owner TwistLock 3-ought hook. When the redfish move onto the flats to target fiddlers, wade towards them with light or fly tackle for sight-fishing on calm days. On windy days, try cut bait like fresh mullet, blue crab or menhaden. Very soon cobia will arrive along with Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and amberjack and Blythe knows how to keep them in range for his customers to get multiple shots. Lowcountry spring fishing doesn't get much better than when the inshore and nearshore options both turn on. To read more about Capt. Tucker Blythe check out his website at Grey Ghost Charters. (Editor's Note - you get to listen to cool tunes while surfing his site) To view a fishing tips video from Blythe, and buddy Capt. John Irwin, just click here.

Charleston Offshore Report:  Bart had few reports from offshore due to unfavorable weather conditions, and with the winds of March now blowing, the immediate bluewater forecast is weak. Later in the month however, the action should really pick up with warmer water temperatures arriving. Wahoo are biting Ilander lures and ballyhoo now but they are well past the ledge in depths 180-feet or deeper. Some scattered blackfin tuna reports are surfacing, when anglers are trolling the Black Bart El Squid Sr. Dolphin lure. Buen Suerte!!

Scott reports solid blackfin tuna action from around the triple ledge and deli areas just south of Charleston. Soon these same areas will represent a 'triple threat' for tuna, mahi and billfish! Scattered reports of wahoo are coming from up around the southwest banks and the Georgetown hole.

To view past Lowcountry fishing reports click here.

2012 Winyah Bay Heritage Festival in G'town

Carolina Dock Dogs were flying high in Georgetown

Fred Rourk of Sweet Tea Charters is raisin' him right

The 5th annual Winyah Bay Heritage Festival (WBHF) on March 3 and 4 in Georgetown survived a 4-inch deluge of rain on Saturday, to see the sun shine brightly on Sunday. All vendors set up at the Bobby Alford Rec Center at the waterfront park, while the Carolina dock dogs and the state duck calling contest took place outside. Georgetown has a rich heritage of hunting and fishing, with a particular emphasis on migratory waterfowl hunting. The WBHF has a large number of outstanding decoy carvers and vendors that come each year, like Frank Middleton's decoys, drawing in a high quality crowd of patrons. Fair Chase antiques and rare books are fun to browse, Big Lake duck calls are easy to blow and for sale, and the children's decoy painting activity is very popular - which are just a few examples of how to spend your day. Dan Ray served as the 2012 chairman and hosted a sponsors dinner on Friday night with all ticket proceeds going to benefit the Georgetown County Historical Society.

To view past blog entries from the Winyah Bay Heritage Festival click here.

Stephen Schabel with a peregrine falcon friend

Hugh McLaurin of Big Lake Duck and Turkey Calls

Lots to look at and enjoy at the WBHF

SoLo / SRP easement donor recognition

Host Wise Batten speaks before the gathered conservationists 

DU's Kenny Williams and Brett Baker, join Lane and Lucille Morrison

Co-hosts Mr. and Mrs. Art Fields of Longfield Plantaion

Comer Morrison talks turkey with Betsy and Wise Batten Jr.

A spring luncheon was held in Robertville to honor the landowners who placed conservation easements on their properties within the South Lowcountry (SoLo) Focus Area. A protected property in the Savannah River Preserve, called Black Swamp, hosted the gathering under gray and rainy skies - but the conservation crowd travels well in any weather and a strong turnout was recorded. A buffet lunch was served under the portico at the Gathering Shed facility, before a lecture on the unique botanical treasures found in the area was presented by Charleston's Dr. Richard Porcher. Don Dyches presided over the recognition of landowners, who were presented certificates to mark the easements they have granted in the South Lowcountry Focus Area. Representatives were on hand from Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and Lowcountry Open Land Trust to make things official. A steady downpour of rain this day recharged the bottomlands of the Lowcountry, and concerned private landowners are organizing to preserve habitat for all time, whether it be a drought, or one of the wet periods in the Savannah River floodplain. The SRP's motto reads: Land, Wildlife, Tradition - and educating others about the benefits of conservation is an ongoing mission of their leadership.

For past hunt reports from the SRP area click here
For past blog entries about SoLo / SRP meetings click here.
To view the Nature Conservancy newsletter featuring Billy and Karen Exley click here.

Bats are nature's mosquito control

Bat at rest on barbed wire - #1

During my usual ramblings I came across this most unusual circumstance - a bat at rest on a barbed wire fence. The bats hunt with great frequency in the pasture and are a welcome component of our Lowcountry ecosystem. With a healthy respect for nature, I observed the small, hairy creature and then let it be. Sometimes in nature you can't explain why you are witness to something until it becomes clear after the fact. The next day was very warm and windy and I came across the same bat, but this time hanging distended from the barbed wire, as its leathery wingtip had become impaled on one point of wire. Why its keen radar missed that barbed wire is unknown, but it was a fatal mistake. Using pliers to unhook the bat's wing, it fell to the ground and expired. While I am sorry to report this bat's demise, I am glad to share the benevolence bats provide us in the form or mosquito control. With our early spring in 2012, the bats are obviously out on patrol already, and we should appreciate the role they play in nature.

Bat in distress on barbed wire - #2

SCDNR Press Release:

Bats are nature’s pest patrol and the major predator of night-flying insects, according to Mary Bunch, biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). All of South Carolina’s bats are insect-eaters, and since bats forage for several hours a night, a single colony can provide significant local control for flying insects, including mosquitoes.

Since bats are such an important natural form of insect pest control, feasting on agricultural pests such as corn borers, June bugs, gypsy moths, grain moths, cutworm moths, potato beetles and even grasshoppers, it is in our own best interests to protect them, Bunch said.


What can people do to help? Avoid disturbing maternity colonies and hibernating bats—even slight disturbance is harmful‑and never shoot, poison or otherwise harm bats. Nuisance bats can be encouraged to move elsewhere without killing them. “Bat exclusion is the only effective way to evict unwanted bats,” Bunch said, “and it doesn’t require the use of any chemicals. In fact, there are no effective bat repellents. Exclusion uses one-way exits; bats leave to forage in warm weather, and when they return, they can’t get back in.”


Bat houses provide shelter for bats and are becoming increasingly popular as the public becomes more aware of the beneficial nature of bats. Bat boxes are available in many lawn and garden stores, and do-it-yourselfers can build a good one relatively cheaply.

Bat on ground beneath Barbed wire - #3

Bats have more in common with humans than most people realize. Like humans, bats are mammals; they have hair, give birth to living young and feed them on milk from mammary glands. The bones in a bat’s wing are like those of the human arm and hand, although bat finger bones are elongated and connected by a double membrane of skin to form the wing.

Birding Journal Observations / Jan. - Feb. 2012

Fox Sparrow observed on February 20

The eagerly anticipated January duck season was meager in most places, with dry and hot weather combining to keep migratory waterfowl in North Carolina or even further north. Smaller songbirds such as robins, cedar waxwings and goldfinches did hang up in the Lowcountry though, and my observation is that they were perhaps a bit confused about why they did not feel the need to fly further south. I observed my first goldfinch on January 15, first robin on January 27 and first cedar waxwing on January 29. A solid first ever observation came on February 20 when a Fox Sparrow visited the ground underneath my bird feeder, scratching furiously into the ground. The grey cheek markings and the undeniably rusty tail sent me to three different birding books to confirm the sighting! Other sightings at the bird feeder include a red-shouldered hawk, chipping sparrow, tufted titmouse, carolina chickadee, hairy woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, cardinal, mockingbird, red-bellied woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker, and a blue bird. A male towhee was observed on February 25 for the first time this spring, and he is surely the ambassador for the cavalcade of neotropical migratory songbirds that make spring birding the Super Bowl of birding in the Lowcountry Outdoors!! With all the early signs of spring, I am fairly surprised that the first hummingbird observation has not been recorded, but rest assured it is time to put out the nectar feeders that the hummers love to visit.

Red-bellied woodpecker at suet station

To view past Birding Journal Observations click here.

Ducks Unlimited magazine - Mixed Bag story

The latest edition of Ducks Unlimited magazine recognizes the efforts by the Georgetown chapter of  DU and local plantations to honor our wounded warrior veterans. The article I wrote and this photo appears on page 13 of the Mixed Bag section of the March / April 2012 Ducks Unlimited magazine, and is titled "DU Hosts Special Forces in South Carolina's Santee Delta."

For past blog entries about the Wounded Warrior / Patriot Hunts event click here.

Veterans and volunteers gather at the duck barn at Annandale - photo appears in DU magazine

Edisto Quail Club hunt

Mark Steedley and I after the quail hunt on Edisto

Bobwhite Quail are making a comeback in the SouthEast

Joe, Mark and Scott meet under the shade of an Edisto live oak

Twenty quail harvested for the dinner table

WIth quail season winding down there was time for just one last hunt, so I traveled to the southernmost point of Colleton County for a meeting of the Edisto Quail Club. Riding down the National Scenic Highway and crossing the Dawhoo River leads you to a beautiful barrier island well known for its pristine beach. But Edisto is actually a large acreage rural island that has much to offer for those who enjoy the scenic vistas associated with saltwater environs. Edisto realtor Mark Steedley is outspoken of his love for all of Edisto and he has an affinity for going afield in search of wingshooting opportunities. He brought us to an ag field full of hedgerows that offer perfect cover for the bobwhites that we would search for using his two English Pointers. Hunting guide Joe Fragier and Steedley ran the dogs while guest Scott Crosby watched the left side of the pointers, while I guarded against any birds flushing to the right. It was another warm day of the 'too warm' winter of 2012 but we managed to collect our 20 quail and enjoy the vistas of the ACE Basin along the way. Quail hunting on a barrier island is certainly a successful formula throughout the Lowcountry and Edisto Island's Quail Club should have many more 'meetings' in the future!

To view past end of season quail hunt blog entries click here.