Wildlife

For many of the consistently successful deer hunters in South Carolina, the hunting season never ends. Granted, the legal shooting of deer has specifically defined seasons, but the searching process never ends for dedicated hunters. These hunters are the ones who generally have the big trophies mounted on their den wall, referred to by others as “the luckiest hunters in the world!”

 

Weather changes from cold to warm to cold – seem to be playing havoc with the several species of fish right now and to some extent even the catfish. But overall, they are one species that can be caught fairly consistently right now based on recent reports. But depending on the weather, the action can get red-hot during January when conditions are right.

 

Deer hunting is a challenging sport and taking a big buck is the overriding goal of most hunters. But hunting a specific buck, especially with a bow, is one of the greatest challenges in deer hunting. It takes patience, perseverance and preparation to be successful.

 

This is the time of the year when fishing reports get a little tricky. A lot always hinges on water temperature and some things can create a big change in fishing quickly, based on water temperature. Right now, we’re still experiencing productive striper fishing and good catfishing. The largemouth action is steady but not spectacular, but the overall bite is good.

 

Christmas has come and gone and while the season was great, it’s time to start gearing up for another great year in the outdoor world. But this one’s not quite over yet. We’ve still got a little deer hunting to do and maybe some fish to catch, and small game opportunities abound. The time to start using those outdoor gifts you got for Christmas begins now.

 

The excellent fishing noted for stripers last week just seems to be getting even better. Not only are a lot of stripers being caught, but some truly large ones have been taken as well. Guide Don Drose had a 24-pound striper caught by one of his parties last week along with others in the mid-teens being reported from various sources. Overall, fishing for striper continues to be red hot. While a lot of the fish continue to be undersized, there are some keeper-sized and larger fish being taken.

 

Sometimes we get so busy during this time of the year that it’s easy to forget what the spirit of Christmas is all about. I know I certainly get caught up in all the hustle bustle of the holiday, having places to go and things to do, as well as buying and wrapping presents. Sometimes – all too frequently – the reason we’re celebrating gets forgotten, misplaced or simply taken for granted.

 

There’s been a lot of activity on striper fishing this fall in Lake Marion but a lot of the fishing stories have been about the many stripers being caught, but there have been few if any keepers (26-inch minimum length).

 

Pushing into the middle of December, we’re seeing some excellent fishing on Lake Marion right now. The biggest news continues to be the sensational striper fishing, but some good catches of largemouth bass continue to be made, along with some crappie and catfish. The weather has been just cool enough to get things cranked up but not so cold to slow the bite down. Now is a great time to get out and catch a variety of fish species.