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Keeping A Fishing Log
Anglers are always looking for ways to spend more time catching and less time fishing. Many of us have used the phrase, "that’s why they call it fishing" far too many times. A fishing log can be a great tool to remind you of past successes and failures. I say successes and failures because it is important to log the successful trips, as well as, the unsuccessful ones. By the way, when I say successful trip, I don’t mean coming back to the dock with the same number of people you left with. I’m talking about catching some fish. If you are worried about your buddies seeing your log and noticing how many failures you have, keep two logs. An unsuccessful fishing trip can teach you as much, if not more, than a good one. After tracking your trips for a while, you will notice patterns that lead to catching fish and patterns that don’t.
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“A Saltwater Soiree,” the 2007 Harry Hampton Marine Conservation Banquet and Auction Saturday, August 18th,
from 6 – 11 p.m. at the Omar Shrine Temple in Mt. Pleasant.
     The annual banquet is sponsored by The Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund Inc., a private, non-profit eleemosynary organization which partners with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources to promote education, research, management and the administration of game and fish laws, that directly benefit the conservation of wildlife, marine and other natural resources in South Carolina.
     We had great attendance at last year’s event, and participants enjoyed the live and silent auctions, entertainment and food, and were very supportive of the overarching cause: to promote and conserve invaluable natural resources in South Carolina.
     The 2006 event raised record funds for the corporation’s efforts, which include scholarships and S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ projects and events such as Habitat Enhancement and Land Protection programs, Marine Resources education programs, statewide youth fishing events, educational materials and publications, Becoming an OutdoorsWoman program, and Operation Game Thief. The Hampton Fund also sponsors the Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic, held annually in Columbia, and other benefit events in Spartanburg and Rock Hill.
     Ticket holders will enjoy a night of fun and entertainment at the Harry Hampton Marine Conservation Banquet, which will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres and live and silent auctions. Tickets are $25 each or $40 per couple. For more information about the event, or to purchase tickets, contact the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ information line at, (843) 953-9103, or visit the Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund Web site, www.hamptonwildlifefund.org .

Anna E. Martin
S.C. Department of Natural Resources
Marine Resources Division
Media Relations Coordinator
(843) 953-3367 tel
(843) 953-9353 fax
MartinA@dnr.sc.gov

Annual Beach Sweep/River Sweep Litter Cleanup Will Be Held Sept. 15
    A Star Wars light saber, an apartment door, a fax machine, and yes, even the kitchen sink are among just some of the unusual items found during Beach Sweep/River Sweep, the largest one-day cleanup of the state's waterways scheduled to take place Saturday, September 15 from 9 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.
     The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) work together to coordinate the statewide event. This year, 36 out of 46 counties, in the Upstate, through the Midlands and to the Lowcountry, have Beach Sweep/River Sweep volunteers cleaning waterways in their communities. "Our local coordinators, called site captains, have volunteered to lead both land-based and water-based cleanups in a variety of areas from boat landings and other recreational areas, to lakes, rivers, creeks, marshes and beaches," said Alison Krepp, previous years inland coordinator.
     Over the past 18 years, South Carolinians and visitors to the state helped remove an average of 50 tons of litter and aquatic debris from our waterways each year. If you would like to take part in this worthwhile effort, please contact Inland Coordinator David Lansbury at
(843) 953-9335 or LansburyD@dnr.sc.gov , or Coastal Coordinator Susan Ferris at (843) 727-2078 or susan.ferris@scseagrant.org . Find out more at the DNR website Here
     Beach Sweep/River Sweep is held in conjunction with The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, an annual event that takes place on the third Saturday each September. Eighty-eight countries, including all 50 U.S. states and several territories were involved last year. Anyone can participate- individuals, families, schools, youth groups, civic and conservation clubs or businesses. All necessary supplies are provided. "While we have a lot of areas covered, we still need volunteers, especially for needy locations like marshes, creeks and rivers," said Susan Ferris, coastal coordinator.

The heat this week has been almost unbearable, but some folks still made it out to do some fishing. The inshore fishing is really getting good. I spoke with one angler that found some really nice reds on an early morning top-water bite and also had a tarpon take a swipe at his bait. The tarpon are in the inlets and can be targeted with live mullet, menhaden, or fresh cut bait. The sheepshead fishing is really good using live fiddlers and there are some really nice flounder being taken on mudminnow and finger mullet. The bonnethead sharks are in the rivers and along the beaches. Offshore the king mackerel bits is still going strong and the sailfish bite is getting better each day. There are still scattered reports of dolphin, a few blackfin tuna and a pretty steady wahoo bite. The weather for the weekend is a little up in the air right now with a decent chance of rain for Saturday and a predicted drop in temperatures. Have a safe weekend on the water.

Tight lines…
Andy Pickett
CharlestonFishing.Com