Wildlife

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.

 

Ready or not, it’s that time of the year again. Christmas season 2012 is upon us, and if you’ve got outdoors men, women, boys or girls in your life, you have a little, but not a lot of time to think “gifts” now. Sometimes it is hard for folks who don’t get into the outdoors to buy appropriate gifts for those who do.

 

Cool weather has started into motion some excellent fishing recently. While the crappie fishing may begin to wane in the next couple of weeks, it’s good right now. The striper fishing is excellent and is actually getting better according to several reports. The fishing for largemouth continues to be good, but as the water temperature drops, slowing down the lure presentation is a real key.