NEWS for December 1, 2008
A Summary of DNR News Releases
Note to Editors, News Directors: Full-length articles follow these summaries, also fishing trends and tidetable. Also available online at dnr.sc.gov. For more information, call Brett Witt at the Communications Office of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources at (803) 734-3815 in Columbia or e-mail newsdesk@dnr.sc.gov.

* Ask DNR!—Have a question about hunting, fishing, boating, natural resources or wildlife conservation? Submit your question, wildlife fish and game photos and wild game recipes at www.dnr.sc.gov/dnrradio/ask_dnr.html, then listen for "Life's Better Outdoors" with host Mike Willis. Join DNR communications director Mike Willis for "Life's Better Outdoors" each Saturday at 11 a.m. on Sports Radio 1400theteam.com in Columbia and on the Clemson University radio program Your Day, the first Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m., statewide on the SCETV radio network.

* 2009 HUNTING, FISHING LICENSES AVAILABLE ONLINE—Purchase your license by going to: https://ssl.sc.gov/DNRLicensing/EntryPage.aspx.

* WILD20AND DOMESTIC TURKEYS: BIRDS OF A DIFFERENT FEATHER—While sitting down to enjoy turkey during the Thanksgiving holiday, remember that although wild and domestic turkeys are genetically the same species, that’s about where the similarity ends. The domestic turkey lost its ability to fly through selective breeding that created heavier, broad-breasted birds, a feature much desired by chefs and commercial turkey producers. The shorter legs of the domestic turkey also mean it can’t run as well as its wild cousin. In contrast to the heavier domestic bird, the wild turkey is slim, tall and long-legged. Factor in its keen eyesight and native cunning, and the wild turkey makes a difficult target for human and animal hunters alike. Reintroduction of the wild turkey in South Carolina is one of the Palmetto State’s most noteworthy conservation success stories. Limited in the early 1900s to small pockets of birds in the Lowcountry’s Francis Marion National Forest and along the Savannah River swamps, the wild turkey is now so widespread throughout South Carolina that a month-long spring hunting season is held in all of the state’s 46 counties (there is no fall season). Wild turkey restoration was made possible through the efforts of the state S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the National Wild Turkey Federation, the forest products industry and South Carolina sportsmen and sportswomen. For more information on wild turkeys, visit the DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/index.html.  #08–296

* YOUTH RACCOON HUNT SET DEC. 6 IN GEORGETOWN—The S.C. Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina State Coon Hunters Association and the Hellhole Coon Hunters Association will sponsor a youth raccoon hunt near Georgetown on Saturday, Dec. 6. The winners in this event will qualify to participate in the state championship at the Webb Center in Hampton County on Feb. 28, 2009. For additional information and applications for the Georgetown County youth raccoon hunt, contact Vernon Howard at (843) 264-3022 or (843) 833-9392.  #08–297

* WILD QUAIL MANAGEMENT SEMINARS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 5-7, 2009—Bobwhite quail populations in South Carolina and the Southeast have been declining steadily over the past 60 years due to major land use change and reduction in suitable habitat. The 22nd Annual Wild Quail Management Seminars, sponsored by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the S.C. State Committee of Quail Unlimited, are designed to instruct landowners and land managers in the proper techniques of creating habitat that will support native populations of bobwhite quail. Two seminars will be conducted over a three-day period, March 5-7, 2009, at the Webb Wildlife Center (1282 Webb Avenue, Garnett) in Hampton County. The registration fee (at this time) is $75 and includes meals, overnight accommodations and seminar materials. Space is limited, so register early to reserve a slot in one of the two sessions. For more informat ion write Quail Management Seminars, DNR, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, or call the DNR Small Game Project in Columbia at (803) 734-4306, or e-mail barnesj@dnr.sc.gov.  #08–298

* "SECOND AMENDMENT" SALES TAX HOLIDAY IS NOV. 28-29—South Carolina will waive the state’s sales and use tax on purchases of handguns, rifles and shotguns during the first annual Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Nov. 28–29. The 48-hour tax break on firearm purchases begins at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 28 and continues through midnight Nov. 29. The tax exemption also applies to any local sales and use tax.  #08–299

* JOINT SAVANNAH RIVER COMMITTEE WILL MEET DEC. 1 IN MARTINEZ, GA—South Carolina's Savannah River Committee will meet with Georgia's Savannah River Committee on Monday, Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, White Oak Room, Martinez, GA to continue their discussion of issues arising in the Savannah Basin. The bi-state meeting is open to the public. The Savannah Rapids Pavilion is located at 3300 Evans-to-Lock Road, Greene Street, Martinez, GA. For directions to the Joint Savannah River Committee meeting, call (706) 868-3349.  # 08–300

* DNR CO-SPONSORS LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT, STORM WATER MANAGEMENT SEMINAR—The ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve’s Coastal Training Program recently co-sponsored a one day seminar for developers, engineers, architects, contractors and planners interested in low impact development along th e coast. The late October free event was held in North Charleston at The Noisette Company’s office and provided an opportunity to learn about low impact development (LID) strategies for managing stormwater, specifically bioretention swales and pervious surfaces. Find out more about the ACE Basin Coastal Training Program at: www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/NERR/ctp.html.  ; # 08–301
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December 1, 2008          DNR News (803) 734-3815
The following information is provided courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.

Freshwater Report

Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee
Trout: Fair.  Best results continue to come trolling minnows and spoons in 80 to 90 feet in the big water around the dam and up the rivers.  The fish are increasingly spread out, though, and as the season continues they will move shallower and head up the rivers to spawn. Black Bass: Tough.  Look for topwater action early in the morning using Zara Spooks or Rebel Pop-Rs and try to find fish busting bait the rest of the day.  On clear days the fish are more likely to stay hunkered down over deep points and drops; fish shakey head worms or finesse soft plastics

Lake Keowee
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good.  Early in the morning and late in the afternoon schooling action is being reported if anglers can find baitfish being pushed to the surface.  Use topwaters like Spooks, Sammies, or Pop-Rs to try and bring fish to the surface, and once surface schools are located throw lures like Rattle Traps that get very good distance.  On overcast days surface action may continue all day.  Later in the day doodling and drop shotting is most effective in 30 to 60 feet of water. Crappie: Fair.  The crappie bite is beginning to improve slightly, and fish are being found around brush in 8 to 12 feet of water.

Lake Hartwell
Most ramps are closed.  Much of the lake is currently too dangerous to encourage fishermen to run. 

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Slow.  The best biting coming on deep running crankbaits. 

Lake Thurmond
White perch: Good to very good.  White perch are grouped in large schools and can be caught on minnows and jigging spoons.  Striped and Hybrid Bass:  Good.  Hybrids and striper have moved out of the lower part of the lake and up the rivers.  Good action is being reported pulling planer boards and free lining herring in shallow areas. Largemouth Bass: Fair.  Few anglers are pursuing largemouth right now, but in a recent tournament a variety of crankbaits were effective. 

Lake Wylie
White perch: Very good.  White perch action is hot right now, and some very large fish up to two pounds and more are being reported caught.  Look for large schools in 18 to 20 feet, and fish live minnows vertically or small spoons.  Catfish: Very good.  Drift fishing for 2-3 pound channel catfish is very good right now, and some fish up to 8 or 9 pounds are being caught.  The best action is coming20on the north side of the Buster Boyd Bridge, and small pieces of bream, white perch, and shad are the most effective baits.   Some nice blues are also being caught drifting.  Crappie: Good.  Crappie fishing continues to improve, and fish can be located in 15 feet of water around brush or deep boat docks.  Vertical fishing with small chartreuse jigs or live minnows is effective.  Largemouth Bass: Fair.  Bass fishing in the lower part of the lake is tough right now, and soft plastics fished around boat docks is the best pattern.  Fish are finicky and don’t seem to be feeding aggressively, especially on clear, sunny days.  In the upper part of the lake above the I-85 bridge fishing is much hotter up the rivers.  Early morning topwaters and buzzbaits are effective, and after that fat, shallow running crankbaits with a wide wobble in shad color with some orange are a good choice.  Jig and pig combinations are also effective around wood.

Midlands Area

Lake Greenwood
Catfish: Very good.  Drifting cut baits and fresh jumbo shrimp at the mouths of feeder creeks is producing coolers full of 1 to 8 pound channel catfish.  Most fish are in 10 to 18 feet of water.  Largemouth Bass: Fair.  Best fishing is coming in 12 to 15 feet with soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits early in the morning.  Crappie: Fair.  Crappie fishing is improving and best action is coming in 12 feet of water using small to medium minnows fished20around brush. Striped Bass:  Fair.  Striper catches are starting to improve and schooling action is being reported.  The fish are not in any particular pattern yet, but as the weather settles fishing should get more consistent. 

Lake Murray
Catfish: Excellent.  Catfish are feeding extremely well shallow in 3 to 10 feet, and very nice catches of blue cats are being reported.  Fish cut herring or nightcrawlers for best results.  Crappie:  Good.  Crappie were the most improved species on Lake Murray this week, and some nice slabs are being taken.  Fish brush in 8 to 20 feet using small to medium minnows – the jig bite has not been as good.  Striped Bass: Good.  Most striper have moved out of the big water in the lower lake and best action is being reported in the middle of the lake on up the rivers.  Free lining and planer boards fished against the bank are both productive, and very good schooling action is being reported in some areas – look for the birds.  Although catches of numbers of fish are good the keeper ratio remains very low.  Bream: Good.  Fish in 5 to 12 feet using worms on the bottom.   Best catches for shellcracker are being reported in the middle of the lake. Largemouth Bass: Slow.  Try fishing topwater early in the morning, and later in the day fish shallow running crankbaits and rattle traps.  Some fish seem to have moved up the creeks and into cuts, although finding bait fish rem ains the key.  When the sun is high on clear days soft plastics fished around boat docks may be the best option.

Lake Wateree
Catfish: Very good.  Fishing for small, eating sized blue catfish in the one to five pound range is very good.  Look for the big shad schools and fish under them. That bite will be hot until early February when fish will start to move northward via deeper flats.  Very large blue cats will sometimes be mixed in with these fish. Striped Bass:  Good.  Striped bass fishing in Lake Wateree is improving as temperatures drop, and reports of good schooling activity are starting to come in.  Look for birds and schools of baitfish.  Trolling herring, shad or shiners is also effective.  Largemouth Bass: Slow to fair.  Lake Wateree bass fishing remains difficult, and few people are catching fish – even those who do are not reporting consistent results from day to day.  Look for cooling water temperatures to improve the bite.  The best bite is coming using ¼ ounce shakey head jigs tipped with a 7 inch watermelon seed worm around the banks in creeks. 

Santee Cooper System

Lake Marion 
Catfish: Very good.  During the day use salties and cut bait fished around stumps and other submerged structure, or drift in 18 to 55 feet.  Early, late, and at night the catfish are moving much shallower and can be caught in only 3 to 4 feet of water using the same baits or stinkbaits.  Bream: Good . Bluegill are feeding well over brush piles and other cover like stake beds that have been put down for crappie in 12 to 35 feet.  The shellcracker bite is slower.  Crappie: Fair.  Crappie fishing is improving, and fish can be caught over the same structure as the bream using small jigs and minnows.  Largemouth Bass: Good.  Water temperatures may start out in the low 60s each day, but as the water warms the bite improves.  Best results are coming fishing worms and crankbaits, and some very good days for large numbers of bass are being reported.  This pattern should continue until water temperatures hit the low 50s, when fishermen will need to slow their approach and retrieves.  

Diversion Canal
Catfish: Erratic.  Catfish continue to be caught in the canal on days when water is being pulled through, but other days are slow.  Fish on the bottom in 30 feet of water using chicken livers; fish will mainly be eating size but catfish up to 30 pounds have been caught recently on this bait. 

Lake Moultrie
Bream: Very good.  Bluegill are feeding very well in Lake Moultrie over brush piles and other cover like stake beds that have been put down for crappie in 12 to 35 feet.  The shellcracker bite is good, but not as hot as the bluegill bite. Catfish:  Good.  Despite some tough weather off and on the catfish bite remains strong.  During the day use salties and cut bait fished around stumps and other submerged structure,=2 0or drifting in 18 to 55 feet.  Early, late, and at night the catfish are moving much shallower and can be caught in only 3 to 4 feet of water using the same baits or stinkbaits. Largemouth Bass: Good.  Water temperatures may start out in the low 60s each day, but as the water warms the bite improves.  Best results are coming fishing worms and crankbaits, and some very good days for large numbers of bass are being reported.  This pattern should continue until water temperatures hit the low 50s, when fishermen will need to slow their approach and retrieves. Crappie: Fair.  Crappie fishing is improving, and fish can be caught over the same structure as the bream using small jigs and minnows. 

Purchase a SC fishing license at: https://ssl.sc.gov/DNRLicensing/EntryPage.aspx
South Carolina freshwater recreational fishing regulations: (Pdf file): http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf
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December 1, 2008          DNR News (803) 734-3815
The following information is provided courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.

Saltwater

Little River
Spottail bass: Very good.  Very large red drum are available at the Little River jetties, but a series of windy fronts have kept many inshore anglers from going after them.  Fish the incoming tide with large chunks of cut bait, or live mullet and menhaden.  In the creeks and estuaries puppy drum are prolific right now; fish the main channel of the salt marsh with cut shrimp. Black Drum: Very good.  Cut shrimp are productive in the Dunn Sound area, and black drum are plentiful in the 15 to 18 inch range.  Trout: Slow.  Little trout action has been reported, but things should be improving as the water temperature drops.  Try live shrimp under a popping cork against grass, or Gulp shrimp imitations. 
* Cherry Grove Pier: Spot are being caught in good numbers on days when schools pass through, and some nice black drum are also being taken.  Rain over the last few days has clouded the water; look for fishing to improve when the water clears. 

Grand Strand
* This is the best time of year for fishing on the Grand Strand, and the bite has been hot for most inshore species. 
Trout: Excellent. Several trout over 5 pounds have been weighed in at the store, and 2 to 4 pound fish are common as are limits.  Live shrimp and artificial baits are both effective in the Murrells Inlet area.  Sheepshead: Excellent. Fishing for sheepshead at the jetties is the best it has been all year; fish fiddler crabs on a Carolina rig. Spot: Very good.  Although the spot run has slightly slowed Murrells inlet is still thick with them, and 60 to 70 fish days remain easy.  Runs of spot continue off the piers from day to day, and reported schools north of Myrtle Beach mean the run should continue for some time.  Fish cut shrimp or blood worms on small hooks. Black Drum: Very good.  Large numbers of black drum are being caught around jetties, piers, and sea walls, with lots of 14 to 27 inch eating size fish.  These can be caught on cut, whole dead, or live shrimp, as well as on crabs (effective for trying to avoid pinfish bites).  Brigham’s hole is also a good location to fish.  Spottail Bass: Very good.  The very largest drum have arrived at the jetties and in the surf, and they can be caught using cut mullet or menhaden.  Slot sized fish are abundant in the creeks.  Use live bait beneath a popping float, or Gulp grubs, around low tide.  Flounder: Very good.  Flounder fishing is hot in Murrells Inlet, and for the first time this year large fish are being caught with lots of two and three pound fish mixed in.  Thirteen and fourteen inch males are still common, but the average size has greatly increased.  Fish live mud minnows or finger mullet on a Carolina rig on the bottom.
* Surf and Pier Report: From day to day spot are abundant in the surf, and whiting and pompano are also around.  Bluefish, including fish up to 3 or 4 pounds, are common, but most blues are in the 8 to 12 inch range.  Bull red drum are being caught in the surf, and large black drum are around, too.  Weakfish can be caught off the piers, particularly Garden20City and Surfside, and the ledges around the Holiday Inn on Surfside are also productive.
* Offshore: Although gas prices have moderated windy conditions have kept many boats inshore.  However, while fishing for Spanish and king mackerel has slowed good results have been reported by boats bottom fishing for grouper.

Charleston
Trout: Very good.  Trout fishing is hot as water temperatures have dropped and fish are feeding heavily to fatten up for winter; in addition to good numbers some large fish are being caught.  A dwindling bait supply in the creeks means that artificials such as DOA Shrimp, Z-man's Chatter baits and grubs of assorted colors are becoming the baits of choice.  Spottail Bass: Very good.  Small redfish in the 15 to 20 inch range are prolific in the creeks right now, particularly around docks, oyster bars, and rock piles.  Fish live shrimp under a popping cork, or cast artificial grubs or plugs, for these fish.  Large breeder sized red drum are being caught in the surf, particularly in the inlets north of Charleston and in Bulls Bay.  Black drum are occasionally mixed in with the bull red drum.  Sheepshead: Very good.  Sheepshead are beginning to make their annual migration from inshore structure out to nearshore reefs and wrecks in deeper water.  For now fiddler crabs are the bait of choice, but as these crabs go into hibernation live shrimp will become an effective bait.  Weakfish: Good.  At nearshore reefs good numbers of weakfish,20or summer trout, are being caught in roughly 30 feet of water. 
* Folly Beach Pier: Spottail bass, trout and black drum are all being caught off the pier, and whiting and other bottom fish are taking cut shrimp. 

Hilton Head
Trout: Very good.  Trout fishing is very good on the outgoing tide, and fish are being caught on both artificials and live shrimp.  Mud minnows will also work when live shrimp are not available.  Spottail Bass: Good to very good.  Big red drum will in the Port Royal Sound and around the Shipping Channel for the next month or so, and he is catching some very large drum using jigging spoons when birds are working, or on cut bait on the bottom.  The last of the incoming tide up to high tide is a good time to fish.  Inshore the end of the tailing season is upon us but fish will continue to feed until fiddler crabs go into hibernation.  After that the best action will be targeting large schools of spottails in the creeks on lower tides.  Sheepshead: Good.  Sheepshead fishing is starting to really pick up around inshore structure.   Fish fiddler crabs vertically on a Carolina rig. 
* Offshore: Fair catches of triggerfish, red snapper, and grouper 40 miles offshore as well as prolific black sea bass.  Most of the black sea bass are under the minimum of 12 inches, and for every three or four fish only one may be a keeper.  Some boats are reporting good numbers of black sea bass 15 miles off shore, but it’s necessary to move around to find the big ones.  There is little trolling action for king mackerel close in, but 20 miles out there should be kings around.

For South Carolina marine recreational fishing regulations: http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/regs/pdf/saltfishing.pdf
Visit the Saltwater Fishing License Web site at http://saltwaterfishing.sc.gov