Capt. Bob - Edisto Island, SC Blog

Edisto Beach, South Carolina Fishing Charters
February 16th, 2010
Charter Friday could not have been any better! Left Edisto Marina at 11:00 AM, back at noon in the rain. 9 redfish (Jan caught five, Pat four). 6 overs, two slots, and one under Great trip! Fish were on a flat in about 10 inches of water, 4 inches visibility, water temp 48, and the fish were active (before the front?). Unweighted plastics worked best (vs weighted).

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-259-1374
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

http://tv.flyfishingfilmtour.com/video/295/Carolina-Reds

Check out this video on South Carolina Redfishing.  And if you want to do some of the same, give me a call.

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-259-1374
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

When I “discovered” using this freshwater lure for trout, I had about twenty colors (the lure has been discontinued and I have them). Two of them worked in clear water, Pro Blue and Rainbow Trout. Problue also works in dingy water, which is why I have only the Problue run.

It was an incredible discovery. I had anchored on about a 1/2 acre of blowing up trout. This was while scouting on the Chocktawhatchie Bay in Fl when I was guiding down there. I made twenty casts with every conceivable lure, topwater, jerk baits, crankbaits, and all the plastics, flukes, tubes, etc, and all the colors of Trout Tricks my sponsor, at the time, had sent me with a world of other plastics. (I was still fishing the FLW and BASS tournament trails). I would get about 5 strikes per 20 casts on all the baits except the two afore mentioned colors of the TT. 30 strikes/20 casts. If they missed it or got off, another would grab it. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize I had stumbled (nature sent me a miracle)onto something.
Radlures’ Chatterbait is another lure that has produced incredible results. If you don’t know the story of Ron and his father inventing the lure, and Ron going all over the country promoting it, and it’s meteoric sales, get him to tell you. It was so cool watching the coanglers in the back of the boat on televised tournaments, waxing their pros backside. That’s a sick feeling, coming to the weighin with your amateur partner having a bigger bag. It happened all the time with Ron’s lure. And sales went thru the roof. Well, this has turned into a book.

Trout Tricks   100 ct.   $35.00 + $5.30  shipping and  $2.10 tax  =$42.10

Call me and I’ll put them in the mail.  Send check to Bob Sanders, 7495  SC Hwy 300, Ulmer, SC 29849

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-584-5211
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

It’ time to plant my wheat so I pulled up the almanac to refresh my memory (happening more and more).

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-584-5211
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

The Phases of the Moon

The moon has four phases or quarters lasting about seven days each.The first two quarters are during the waxing or increasing light, between the new and the full moon. The third and fourth quarters are after the full moon when the light is waning, or decreasing.

Planting by the moon is an idea as old as agriculture, based both in folklore and superstition, but there are scientific ideas to back it up The Earth is in a large gravitational field, influenced by both the sun and moon. The tides are highest at the time of the new and the full moon, when sun and moon are lined up with earth. Just as the moon pulls the tides in the oceans, it also pulls upon the subtle bodies of water, causing moisture to rise in the earth, which encourages growth. The highest amount of moisture is in the soil at this time, and tests have proven that seeds will absorb the most water at the time of the full moon.

At the new moon, the lunar gravity pulls water up, and causes the seeds to swell and burst. This factor, coupled with the increasing moonlight creates balanced root and leaf growth. This is the best time for planting above ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside the fruit. Examples are lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain crops. Cucumbers like this phase also, even though they are an exception to that rule.

In the second quarter the gravitational pull is less, but the moonlight is strong, creating strong leaf growth. It is generally a good time for planting, especially two days before the full moon. The types of crops that prefer the second quarter are annuals that produce above ground, but their seeds form inside the fruit, such as beans, melons, peas, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Mow lawns in the first or second quarter to increase growth.

After the full moon, as the moon wanes, the energy is drawing down. The gravitation pull is high, creating more moisture in the soil, but the moonlight is decreasing, putting energy into the roots. This is a favorable time for planting root crops, including beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, and peanuts. It is also good for perennials, biennials, bulbs and transplanting because of the active root growth. Pruning is best done in the third quarter, in the sign of Scorpio.

In the fourth quarter there is decreased gravitational pull and moonlight, and it is considered a resting period. This is also the best time to cultivate, harvest, transplant and prune. Mow lawns in the third or fourth quarter to retard growth.

Rut Started in Barnwell County, SC
October 18th, 2009
With the rut in Barnwell starting about a week ago, I thought I would post this history of the SC Whitetail.

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-584-5211
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

History of White-tailed Deer in South Carolina

In pre-Columbian times much of South Carolina’s landscape was composed of mature hardwood and longleaf pine forest habitats. Deer were statewide in distribution but their overall densities could best be described as moderate. These moderate densities resulted from the lack of optimum habitat diversity, for deer, that was associated with historic, mature forests. Also, predators like the cougar, red wolf and American Indian helped to keep deer numbers regulated. Higher deer densities occurred in areas where disturbance created early stages of ecological succession. These disturbed areas provided an abundance of new, 4 succulent growth close to the forest floor and within reach of browsing deer. Deer became locally abundant in areas where disturbance opened the forest canopy and allowed sunlight to penetrate and stimulate new growth. Natural disturbances that opened the forest canopy included lightning fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The impact of a storm like hurricane Hugo on pre-Columbian forests would have created an immense area suitable for an abundance of deer. Similarly, the native American Indians understood this relationship and used fire frequently to create habitat suitable for larger numbers of deer.

The coming of the colonists had little immediate negative impacts on white-tailed deer. Although firearms facilitated the harvest of greater numbers of deer, clearing of land for small communities and farms created habitats that allowed for increased numbers of deer. Overall, during the early colonial period there was a general equilibrium between the colonists (and Indians) use of deer and the benefits that deer populations received. However, by the 1800’s the value associated with deer, improvements in firearms, extensive agriculture, and unrestricted market hunting began to severely limit deer and herds declined drastically in South Carolina. Domestic use of deer hides was great and in addition, annual exports of deer hides from Charleston approached 150,000 during the mid to late 1700’s. The terms “bucks,” “doe,” and “skins” persist to this day as monetary references reflecting the historic value of deer in our heritage.

The early 1900’s marked the low point for deer in South Carolina as it did across the country. However, because of public concern for conservation things began to change in a positive direction for deer. The Lacy Act was passed by Congress in 1900 placing regulations on the interstate trafficking of wildlife and in 1923 South Carolina passed the buck law which prohibited the harvest of female deer. In 1937 Congress passed a sweeping piece of legislation called the Wildlife Restoration Act or Pittman-Robertson act. This act, named for the Senator and Congressman who sponsored it, authorized the setting apart of a tax on sporting arms and ammunition to be used in cooperation with states in wildlife restoration projects.

Also important to the recovery of deer in South Carolina were widespread changes in habitat that benefited deer. Although clearing for agriculture was greatly responsible for low deer numbers by 1900, the habitat began to change for the better in the 1920’s. Years of signifi5 cant drought and the impact of the cotton bowl weevil were devastating to farming. With this reduction in farming came a trend of people leaving farms prior to and especially after World War II. Mills began to operate in many parts of the state and a large amount of agricultural land began to revert back to forest land. So at this time we had laws that offered protection for deer, funds to implement wildlife management and research, and improvements in habitat for white-tailed deer in South Carolina.

Although delayed by World War II, restocking efforts began in earnest in the early 1950’s. Deer were virtually non-existent in the piedmont and mountains of South Carolina and there was little if any deer hunting in those areas. Fortunately, good residual populations remained in the river swamps of the coastal plain and these strongholds of deer became the source for restocking. The fact that all restocking that took place in South Carolina used native deer as stock places our state in a unique position with respect to genetic integrity. The characteristics of native South Carolina deer evolved due to environmental, behavioral and genetic pressures exerted for millions of years and we are lucky to have only native deer in South Carolina. Most, if not all, other states that had restocking programs received deer from other states.

In both the central and western piedmont, where deer were rare, wildlife biologists restocked approximately 100 deer during the early to mid 1950’s. Deer numbers rapidly increased and by about 1960 the first deer hunts were held in these areas. In each case, the first hunt was a 3 day buck only hunt and in each case 1 buck was harvested. In contrast, the combined deer harvest from the Central and Western Piedmont Hunt Units in recent years has been approximately 120,000 deer annually. In much of the coastal plain, deer numbers were sufficient to allow hunting even when there was no hunting in the mountains and piedmont. Today the statewide deer population is approximately 750,000. Huntable populations exist in all 46 counties in South Carolina and the annual statewide deer harvest is approximately 225,000.

Three generations, all throwing topwater, and the bite was on at the first stop! It doesn’t get much better. Topwater plugs catch a much bigger size fish, at least for me. I like Super Spooks, Super Spook Jrs., and Rapala Skidderwalks in bone or mackerel (normal conditions) or black w/chartreuse head(for low light or muddy water). These are what we call “one knocker” plugs, for the larger ball bearing inside, whose sound I feel imitates a shrimp popping. I add a split ring to the line tie and change out the hooks. A GLoomis cranbait rod, Shimano Curado w/ 50# Power Pro braid and we’re ready to “walk the dog”. Bob

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-584-5211
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

The trout bite (using artificals) on the south side of Edisto has been dependent on the water clarity, which has been pretty much nonexistent this year. On the rare days of 1 1/2 to 2 foot visiblity we’ve been catching 20 to 60 trout on Trout Tricks with a good number of keepers. The reds on gulps/jigheads and Carolina rigs have been the mainstay of my charter business. That’s my beautiful niece, Tara with the redfish, which we kept for a family fish fry. Tara was on Edisto for another beautiful niece’s (Christena with her first deer) wedding last weekend. We helped Edisto’s economy as we had 140 guests from Memphis (the bride) and Philadelphia (the groom). Speaking of deer, I will be changing my hats, to and fro, from FishingWithBob to Bwana Bob. I am doing some limited trophy buck (and doe) hunts on our family farm (Wayfar Farm)in eastern Barnwell county. Located on the Salkehatchie River, Wayfar Farm has been intensively managed for deer and turkeys for 25 years. Give me a call to talk about killing a state record buck (like the one in the pic) and the exciting experience of harvesting does on safari style hunts. I am only taking a very few clients each year and would like for most to be a father/son (daughter or mother) type deal. I promise you have never seen a hunting property like the one my father developed. 803-300-2780

“You will find fishing to be like the virtue of humility, with a world of other blessing attending upon it.”
Sir Isaac Walton

August 12, 2009

12 year old Issac was fishing like pro before we were very far into the morning. The water on the south side of Edisto was green with a two foot visibility and the trout bite was on! Issac and his dad were throwing Trout Tricks on 1/8th ounce Owner jigheads, jerking them off of and letting them fall back to the bottom (creating a reaction bite technique). Later, we anchored, put some lines out the back and took a sandwich break at the double top secret redfish hole, where Issac had two grown ones cut him off and then landed this 27″ beauty. Then it was on to another trout flat where, one point, we were getting bit every cast. Chris Rowe, from Walterboro, and his two young sons pulled up a very respectable distance from us and those two boys went to work on the trout with live shrimp under corks. One of our keys today, was when we got in a school of smaller fish, we would catch a few, then leave them. As my mentor, Mr. George Bowman told me, “Son, those big fish won’t allow little fish around them.”

Bob Sanders

CALL 803-300-2780 TO BOOK YOUR CHARTER WITH CAPT BOB

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Edisto Inshore Charters

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803-300-2780….. 803-584-5211

www.fishingwithbob.com

www.southcarolinalandonline.com