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As fall is right around the corner here in the lowcountry several friends of mine are already making plans for some winter fishing trips down south. Some will run their boats down, others will trailer, and still others will books trips with guides. Talking with these lowcountry “snowbirds” heading to Florida, Mexico, Bahamas etc. I am reminded of an experience that I had about 2-years ago with a guide in Keys. I pulled this article out of the archives and thought you may want to read it before booking a trip. Remember to have realistic expectations and share them with your guide, convey your experience level and interest, and check references prior to stepping foot on their boat!
Click here to read this article

Variety Of Factors Are Suspected In Lake Murray Striped Bass Fish Kill
     Boaters on Lake Murray may notice numbers of dead or dying striped bass in the water over the next several weeks. This is a result of what S.C. Department of Natural Resources biologists suspect is a combination of low dissolved oxygen levels, stratified water
temperatures in the area and hydro operations.
     As of Sept. 4, about 1,200 striped bass, with the majority of these fish ranging from 18 to 22 inches in length, have been found from< the fore bay area of the dam to just past Spence Island.
     "This is a water-quality phenomenon documented in a number of reservoirs in the Southeast where striped bass are stocked," said Hal Beard, fisheries biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) based in Columbia. "At Lake Murray, this type of fish kill generally occurs during the latter part of the summer and may vary in magnitude from year to year."
     Summer die-offs like this one have occurred regularly at Lake Murray since 1973, and a condition referred to as a "temperature-oxygen squeeze" is usually to blame. During hot weather the water in Lake Murray becomes stratified, or divided into several layers, with the upper layer being the warmest and highest in oxygen. Deeper levels are< cooler but contain less dissolved oxygen.
     During the early summer months, striped bass concentrate at depths containing the best balance between cool temperatures and high levels of oxygen. As summer progresses, the upper layer becomes too warm for stripers, which generally prefer water less than 78 degrees, and the fish move to deeper and cooler waters. As the oxygen levels in the lower layers are depleted to around two parts per million, the suitable
habitat for the striped bass is reduced, they become stressed and< eventually die. Biologists call this condition the "temperature-oxygen squeeze."
     "The duration of the seasonal Lake Murray fish kill will depend
largely on weather conditions and the period of time it takes for the lake to begin to de-stratify," Beard said. "We will continue to monitor the situation over the next several weeks."

SHRIMP BAITING SEASON OPENS SEPT. 14 IN STATE WATERS
     The 2007 shrimp-baiting season will open at noon Friday, Sept. 14 in South Carolina waters. Recreational shrimpers who purchase a shrimp-baiting license can legally cast their nets for shrimp over bait during this season. Shrimp baiting season will remain open until noon Monday, Nov. 12. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) opens the shrimp-baiting season annually on the last Friday on or before the 15th of September each year.
     The practice of shrimp baiting has remained basically the same since the current laws were passed in 1988. The season lasts 60 days, resident licenses cost $25 and non-residents licenses cost $500. The catch limit is 48 quarts of shrimp measured heads-on (29 quarts heads-off) per boat or set of poles per day, and each boat is limited to a set of 10 poles.
     DNR biologist Larry DeLancey, whose research group has been sampling along the coast, says the 2007 season outlook should be "fair, depending on the weather." There are relatively good numbers of shrimp in some areas, and size distribution looks better than last year," DeLancey said. "As in past years, at least early in the season, shrimpers should avoid the upper rivers and creeks and look down in areas closer to the ocean, as above normal rainfall can flush very small shrimp down into the estuaries."
     Dean Cain, also a DNR biologist, says that although white shrimp numbers may be adequate for a good season from Bulls Bay north, anything can happen due to rainfall. Since the area is affected so much by river discharges, a tropical storm or hurricane dumping several inches of rain could move shrimp out to sea. Numerous tropical storm systems moved shrimp prematurely into the ocean in recent years.
     Results from a mail survey conducted after the 2006 shrimp
baiting season, determined that the average catch per trip was 20.6 quarts (heads-on), which was lower than the 2005 catch rate but above the long term average. The total number of licenses sold increased approximately 12% from 2005. However, license sales were still one of the five lowest recorded since the permit was established in 1988. The total estimated number of trips in 2006 also declined to 29,268 trips, which was the lowest recorded effort during a baiting season. According to Assistant Marine Resources Division Director, David Whitaker, "The decline in license sales and effort may be linked to the decrease in shrimp prices over the last few years, with recreational fishermen preferring to buy shrimp rather than catch their own." Total harvest was also one of the lowest recorded in the last decade at 0.91 million pounds (heads-on). This low harvest was likely influenced by the decline in effort.
     Shrimpers should be aware of laws regulating mesh size when choosing a cast net for the fall baiting season. The law went into effect in 2002 requiring that no cast net may be used for shrimp baiting that has mesh smaller than one-half inch on each side, or one inch in length when stretched. The legislative change in mesh size only refers to shrimp baiting and does not affect recreational shrimpers who are not casting over bait.
     Major Glenn Ward with DNR Law Enforcement Division in Charleston advises baiters not to have bait or poles in a boat that is in the water before noon on Friday, Sept. 14.

Wind and rain dominated this past weekends weather and the wind has continued for the week. Despite the low pressure system and cold front Charleston Harbor water temperatures have remained around 86 degrees. Tarpon are being spotted and occasionally hooked and caught from the north end of Bulls Bay south to Botany on a regular basis. Fish are hitting anything fresh weather it is live or dead. The creeks and deep holes are producing Reds on live finger mullet and bait shrimp under equalizers in the creeks and on bottom rigs in the holes. Flounder are being caught on live finger mullet and mud minnows fished on the bottom. Schools of Spanish are working in the harbor and just off the beach and hitting Clarke spoons. Sheepshead action has been good inside the harbor over structure.
Offshore action has been pretty much non existent this week due to the seas. Here recently there has been a strong focus on bottom fishing with the slow down of trolling due to the hot water. Some nice grouper and snapper are being caught in 100-feet and beyond.

Tight lines…
Captain Tim Pickett
CharlestonFishing.Com