FISHING
any other fish in the world. And we have guys that just go crazy because we have them in here.” And while the early morning hours might still yield tarpon, it’s nothing like it used to be. What they now call The Belly used to be called Tarpon Alley. “Seven years ago, you’d come through here and there’d be hundreds of them rolling,” said Malphrus. “I mean literally. Hundreds everywhere.” “It was like mirrors laying just under the water,” Garbett added. A harsh winter a few years back killed thousands of tarpon, according to Malphrus, and he’s been working tirelessly to bring them back. “Right now we’re going through a restocking program,” he said. “We have slowly been
rebuilding the population over that last 3-4 years. I’ve put maybe 600-700 fish back into the system. … Old Tarpon Alley might come back one day.”
THE FINGERS
Our final stop was a thin, shallow lane that glistened between overhanging oaks. They called it The Fingers, and it was supposedly teeming with red fish. And once again, while we fished, we talked. A small alligator surfaced on our port side, following us as we lazily drifted down the fingers. “It’s really like riding through a giant aquarium,” said Garbett. The alligator, apparently disappointed that we wouldn’t be sharing anything we
caught, eventually peeled off and returned to the shoreline. Above him, the egrets and herons continued their watch. “This is one of the only places on the island where you can watch shorebirds and hardwood forest birds at the same time,” said Malphrus. “There are so many different species in here it’s unreal. Those birds maintaining the bait populations is awesome for this place. “Everyone has their own little niche, and if one thing gets off kilter? You know the deal.” It’s odd to apply the philosophy of a natural ecosystem to something so ingeniously manmade, but that’s the magic of these lagoons. They’re a marvel of engineering that happens to support a full-fledged ecosystem unlike anything else on the island. They’re among
the most biodiverse areas in the Lowcountry, and they wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for a massive dredging project 40 odd years ago. It’s a completely unique, utterly amazing aspect of the island that almost no one knows about. It is, truly, the island’s best kept secret. And now that the secret’s out, get out there and go fishing. M
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