CharlestonFishing.Com's FREE Weekly Newsletter

Shrimping Season is Here
Friday marks the first day of shrimping season and everyone I talk to sounds much like the fans that follow our states college football teams. They are all really optimistic about the upcoming season and hope no fights break out in the process. The first few days of the season are always a zoo and the hot areas always get crowded quickly. People have poles running every which way and you are in close proximity to other people and sometimes closer than you wish. One problem that happens on a regular basis is that someone sets up at the end of another boat’s poles and begins placing their poles right in line. During the night one boat ends up on the others poles not realizing they have reached the end of their run and someone ends up angry.
Last year we began marking our 1st and 10th poles with a cyalume stick, or glow stick as they are commonly called. This allowed us to know exactly when we reached the end of our run and also let the other guy know he was coming to the end of his run. It has worked out well and we have not had any problems with people overrunning their poles and continuing onto ours. If you take a few steps like this that season may just turn out at you hope, successfully with no fights.

National Hunting And Fishing Day To Be Held Sept. 22 In Columbia, Seneca
     Want to learn more about fly tying, bass fishing, archery, or hunting safety? Wouldn't it be great if you could learn about all these things in the same day, and in the same place-for free? All of this, and much more, is possible at the Eight Annual National Hunting and Fishing Day "An Adventure in the Outdoors," planned for Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Cohen Campbell Fish Hatchery near Columbia.
     Thanks to the sponsorship of the Weatherby Foundation, Harry Hampton Wildlife Fund, South Carolina Wildlife Federation and S.C. Department of Natural Resources' (DNR), South Carolina's National Hunting and Fishing Day celebration is free of charge and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DNR Cohen Campbell Fish Hatchery located at 1528 Fish Hatchery Road in West Columbia.
     National Hunting and Fishing Day will be celebrated in the
Upstate as well this year. Also on Saturday, Sept. 22, Duke Energy's World of Energy near Seneca will serve as host for a day that includes events such as kayaking, introduction to fishing, archery, air rifle shooting, fly fishing, and much more. For more information on National Hunting and Fishing Day, contact DNR at (803) 734-3886 in Columbia or the South Carolina Wildlife Federation office at (803) 256-0670 in Columbia.
     National Hunting and Fishing Day is a day for Americans to celebrate their outdoor heritage and participate in wildlife-related outdoor activities. DNR and South Carolina Wildlife Federation always plan this educational event that offers "hands-on" outdoor learning opportunities for every age group, outdoor-oriented people and urbanites alike. From the novice to the experienced angler or outdoor enthusiast, National Hunting and Fishing Day will offer activities that the whole family can enjoy.
     The day-long event will feature archery, crossbow and air rifle shooting, a children's casting contest, muzzleloader demonstrations, a wild animal exhibit, shotgun and .22-caliber rifle range shooting, tree stand hunting safety and boating safety demonstrations, fly tying and much more.

Shellfish Season Will Open September 17
     The 2007-2008 season for harvesting oysters and clams will open Monday, Sept. 17. Oyster and clam seasons will remain open through May 15, 2008, unless conditions warrant extending or shortening the seasons. Season dates apply to both recreational and commercial shellfish harvesting. Shellfish harvesters may begin gathering oysters and clams on designated areas one-half hour before official sunrise until one-half hour after official sundown. Harvesters should be aware the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) would close shellfish beds by specific coastal county if the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration places the area under a hurricane warning.
     According to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), commercial landings last year totaled 83,800 U.S. bushels, slightly higher than the previous year. Commercial culture permit harvests were 64,229 bushels, about 27 per cent more than last year and the highest since the 2003-04 season.
     The DNR maintains 59 State Shellfish Grounds for commercial and recreational harvesting of clams and oysters. Twenty Public Shellfish Grounds are managed exclusively for recreational gathering and are posted with boundary signs. The recreational limit is two U.S. bushels of oysters and one-half bushel of clams in any one day. No person may gather more than one personal limit of shellfish on more than two calendar days per any seven-day period. There is a maximum possession limit of three personal limits per boat or vehicle or boat and vehicle combination. Clams must be at least 1 inch in thickness.
     Recreational harvesters should obtain updated Public Shellfish Ground maps at the beginning of each season as boundaries may be modified from time to time or areas previously open to harvest may have been closed by pollution by DHEC. Maps for these areas are downloadable off DNR's Web site Here, or may be obtained by writing Marine Resources Division, PO Box 12559, Charleston, SC 29422. Maps of State Shellfish Grounds, open to both commercial and recreational harvesting, may be found on the Web Here. All maps are listed by county, and additional information may be obtained by calling (843) 953-9300.
     South Carolina residents commercially harvesting on State Shellfish Grounds are required to purchase a saltwater commercial license, a State Shellfish Ground License and acquire permits from the DNR. Increased license fees are required for non-resident harvesters. A Saltwater Recreational Fishing License is required for residents and non-residents for all recreational shellfish harvesting. Areas designated as Shellfish Culture permits cannot be recreationally harvested unless the harvester has written permission from the permit holder in their possession.
     The public is reminded that 18 oyster shell recycling drop-off locations are located in coastal counties, and collection sites can be found online Here, or by calling (843) 953-9300 to find the nearest location. Every shell that is recycled locally is cycled back into the estuarine environment and helps to restore shellfish grounds in coastal South Carolina. Of the 84,000 bushels that were landed during last year's shellfish season, a record 13,581 bushels of the total were recycled by the public at DNR collection sites. This was a significant increase in public participation over last year's 7,600 bushels that were recycled. Shells not obtained locally are purchased from out of state vendors to ensure that adequate amounts are collected for refurbishing public reef sites prior to shellfish harvesting season.
    DNR uses Saltwater Fishing Stamp funds to construct and enhance renewable oyster resources that provide ecosystem services as well as finfish habitat in the coastal counties.

The weather made the offshore fishing really slow last week. This time of year there should be some nice wahoo to be caught and the sailfish really start to get cranked up in September. I hope this week will allow some folks to get out and see how things are going. Thank goodness for inshore fishing and a really good inshore fishery here in Charleston. The redfish are thick and the flood tides last week gave some anglers great opportunities to fish the flooded flats for tailing fish. I spoke with one guy that found a flat and it looked like a field to wagging tails. The trout fishing continues to be really good with some big fish pushing the 5lb. mark. Flounder fishing is steady and the sheepshead fishing is really good as well. Hard to say what the weather holds for this weekend. Hopefully some blues skies will come our way.

Tight lines…
Andy Pickett
CharlestonFishing.Com