Taylor Bradberry caught this 29-pound flathead catfish at Santee Cooper in early April 2024. The post Taylor Bradberry’s flathead catfish appeared first on Carolina Sportsman ..read more

It’s a great time to catch big bass on Lake Russell this month. (Picture by Brian Cope)Spotted bass, largemouth and stripers join the fray On Lake Russell, the majority of bass have finished spawning by May, so they are eating aggressively. And one of their favorite food sources – blueback herring – are dead in the middle of their own spawning ritual, according to guide Wendell Wilson of Elberton, Ga. “May is a great month to catch some really big largemouth bass on Lake Russell, and it’s also a good time to catch some of the larger spotted bass,” said Wilson. Swimbaits are excellent choices t ..read more

This month provides some of the hottest action for multiple species of fish on the Santee Cooper lakes. (Picture by Terry Madewell) Various species of fish are in different depths and spawning modes by May, but anglers can catch almost any species they want to target. They are all in good numbers and sizes right now. Some species are primarily in post-spawn mode, such as bass and crappie. But bream and shellcrackers are in full-blown spawning mode, and catfish do what catfish do in May…they eat whatever’s not fast enough to get away. Stripers are migrating back throughout both lakes, and will ..read more

Jacob Reome shows off an early morning Lake Murray striper. (Picture by Brian Cope)Lake Murray’s stripers feed heavily in May For Jacob Reome of Gaffney, SC, catching stripers on Lake Murray is usually not a problem this month, even though they aren’t his usual target species. “In May, the first hour or two of morning sunlight is prime time for catching stripers on topwater lures. I learned this years ago while targeting largemouth bass,” said Reome. Most of his time on this lake has been during bass fishing tournaments, so he couldn’t always enjoy those striper bites as much as he’d liked to ..read more

Many anglers can trace their fishing roots back to a small body of water. Whether it was a watering hole for cows, a swimming hole in a state park, or maybe just a low spot for water retention that had fish in it, a lot of memories were made walking the edges of that pond. For pond anglers, kayaks change the game. No more walking the bank. No more trying to make long casts with heavy baits to reach deeper water. It’s the best of both worlds. The term finesse fishing goes hand-in-hand with pond fishing but doesn’t describe the whole gameplan. It’s better to describe it as small fishing. The sm ..read more

Tandem rigs are multiple flies that are attached with short sections of tippet. They offer anglers an excellent way to attract and catch trout. Tandem rigs can excite the predatory instinct of fish when and where other techniques fail. Admittedly, they are a little more difficult to cast without a resulting tangle, but at times, this method is the best recipe for success. Tandem rigs may be separated into several categories: Droppers Usually larger dry flies are used as the leading fly attached to the main leader. The dropper may be a small nymph attached to the larger dry fly by a short sect ..read more

This recipe works best with larger, thicker rainbow trout. If using smaller and thinner trout, watch it closely and use a shorter cooking time to avoid overcooking. (Picture by Jerry Dilsaver) May is a great time to enjoy some meals made of fish. Fish is great, fresh fish is better, but fish you caught yourself, earlier that day, are the best of all. This column often features recipes for dolphin, wahoo, flounder, catfish and such, but not too often about our mountain trout. Well, this recipe is for rainbow trout. I expect it would also be good for brown trout, but I haven’t caught any of the ..read more

Pechmann’s course schedule for May 2024 NCWRC’s Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville provides a full range of fishing classes throughout the year. Here, anglers can learn a variety of skills to help them in their pursuit of numerous species of fish. And these aren’t just “how to tie a fishing knot” type courses, although such topics are certainly covered. Courses held throughout May include the following: May 2 – Soft plastic lure making May 4 – Warm water fly-fishing workshop May 7 – Basic rod building workshop May 10 – Soft plastic rigging and presentation May 11 – Family fishin ..read more

Molly Joyner went crappie fishing at Lake Wateree April 2, 2024, and said it deserves two thumbs up! The post Molly Joyner crappie fishing at Lake Wateree appeared first on Carolina Sportsman ..read more

Molly Joyner had a BIG day of crappie fishing with her family at Lake Wateree during the spring of 2024.   The post Molly Joyner’s Lake Wateree crappie appeared first on Carolina Sportsman ..read more