Where Southern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run

species that crosses their path.

It is a good time to be a river angler. Here are three excellent destinations for river-run striped bass in the South.

• Saluda River: Columbia, South Carolina

In spring and summer, scads of striped bass make the 60-mile run up the Congaree River from the Santee-Cooper Lakes southeast of Columbia, S.C. By late summer, most of those sh pile into the Saluda River, which is a short, 10-mile-long tributary that’s fed with cold water from the dam at Lake Murray. August is the heart of the Saluda season, when 100- sh days of 2- to 5-pound stripers are possible. Fish heavier than 20 pounds are a possibility, but this shery sees a lot of pressure and the water is normally very clear. e big ones spook easily and become nicky late in the season.

• Etowah River: Cartersville, Georgia

On Georgia’s Etowah River, the sh are spread out over about 50 miles of river, so covering water is the name of the game. Anglers should expect to do a lot of casting to each shoal and piece of wood cover where stripers might lie in ambush.

Starting in April, they run some 75 miles upriver from Alabama’s Lake Weiss to a lowhead dam downstream of Georgia’s Lake Allatoona. e sh are constantly on the move and the idea is to intercept them. Anglers might hook up with sh from 4 pounds on up to 20 pounds and larger.

• Hiwassee River: Reliance, Tennessee e Hiwassee is more of a quality than quantity shery. Anglers are called on to sh hard for just a few bites, but those bites come from sh that o en weigh 20, 30, even 40 pounds or more. at all changes in spring. e rst groups of striper migrate into the rivers on spawning runs. In many locations, this spring run is followed by a larger summertime push, when pods of striped bass move up into cooler, more oxygenated waters. Sometimes they pile up below dams, and sometimes they patrol surprisingly skinny waters in wolf packs, gobbling up any prey ey hold in the same holes and shoals every year to feed heavily on skipjack herring, gizzard shad and the stocked trout Tennessee puts in the river for anglers.

In the South, the striped bass runs of spring and summer bring some of the most exciting shing of the year for those who prefer to sh rivers. Landlocked striped bass are as large and powerful as any sh in freshwater, and for most of the year they are only available to big-lake anglers who troll or downline live baits.

Most years, the wide, shoal-broken river around Reliance loads up with striped bass from July into September. ese are big-river sh that run some 50-miles upstream from the Tennessee River at Lake Chickamauga. ey revel in cold, oxygenated water that ows down the mountains from Apalachia Lake on the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

For more information, go to coastalanglermagazine.com.

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George K. Regan,

The Hunt of the EIusive

By Grant Thompson

they were 35+ pound fish.

A few years before my grandfather passed, my grandparents decided to take me to an old inn restaurant in York Village.

about a rowboat? No. How crazy would a kayak be?

I grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts and was lucky enough to spend the majority of my summers as a child in York Maine where my grandparents lived.

After the seemingly obligatory father son freshwater fishing trip as a kid which included catching sunfish with night crawlers, I was hooked, and my imagination about the type and size of fish that I could catch grew as I grew.

Unlike many of the stories go, my grandfather who resided in York Maine never held a fishing rod in his hand until I brought one to his house. He was a city boy who was a firefighter lieutenant in Charlestown his entire life. We decided to take a try at saltwater fishing. He was happy just spending time with me, and I was happy chasing fish bigger than a bluegill. Many of our late night talks consisted of the few schoolie stripers we had caught from the shoreline throughout the summer months, talking them up as if

During the meal I had to take a leak, so I got up and searched for the bathroom. While on my way to find the bathroom, I walked into a hall. The hall consisted of old black and white pictures, all of which were taken in York during the early 1900’s. I began to examine a few of the photographs, and then I came across one that would change everything for me. It was a picture of two men standing behind a behemoth of a shark. It wasn’t a great white, and it wasn’t a mako. I had never seen anything like it. The picture labeled it as a “poor beagle shark”. That picture stayed engraved in my mind for years, until the about 3 ago years when I decided I wanted to hunt that mystifying beast right in York.

As a freshman student athlete in college, I was broke. The idea of buying a small skiff was quickly met with reality. So I had to begin to think outside the box. How could I chase an offshore shark without a boat? What

A month later I found myself in New Hampshire buying an old beat up Hobie Kayak from a man I met through craigslist. Perfect I thought. Now all I had to do was save up for one of those beautiful shiny gold conventional reels I saw on TV. I mowed some lawns and catered during the summer months.

That fall I drove up to the Kittery Trading Post and got one of those shiny TV reels, and a Penn Tuna Stick to match. This is it I thought, how cool would this be?

That ensuing summer I made my first venture out of the Cape Neddick River and into Maine’s gulf. After a couple hours of paddling out and an estimated 3 miles of total travel, I quickly realized I was not alone. A seal followed me away’s, and by the time I decided I had met my limit as to how far out I’d go, I was met with a pack of porpoises. What always seemed like an empty but beautiful blue shimmering ocean from shore, turned out to be another world full of life.

I took 3 more trips out into the abyss, dropping whole mackerel over the side of my kayak with cheap commercial shark rigs I had bought at the local stores. No weights, no chum, no real plan, I was just happy “pursuing” this legend and lore type of adventure.

Every time I made my way back to shore after hours of paddling, I found myself smiling every time. I was excited about it, and wanted to tell people, you know, fishermen. My excitement about this was immediately met with criticism. “You’re crazy” one tackle shop owner told me. “It’s a pelagic shark which could not and should not try to be reached by a kayak” another one said. “You’re asking to be killed.” Holding on to any sign of hope, I attended a “Shark Seminar” up in Maine the summer going into my senior year. After it was over I waited till I was the last person in the room while the “registered Maine fishing guide” was packing up his equipment. He’s passionate about this I thought, maybe he’ll be more open to my idea and have some valuable information for me. I told him my plan, and he belched out laughing.

That was the day I decided I was actually going to catch the porbeagle.

Searching for table fare along the Gulf

Coast

There’s a road trip and then there’s a ROAD trip.

With the work I do I get to spend a lot of time traveling. I hit spots around New England and the country, learning from pros and experts everywhere I go. But the journey I went on recently with my cameraman

Chris Goodney made the ones that came before it seem like small potatoes.

Our mission: travel the Gulf Coast between Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida in search of the best tablefare species of fish; then catch, fillet, and dine on those species.

And who did I have to thank for this opportunity? Dexter

3,500 Miles of Fishing and Fun

By Dan Kenney

Knives, the oldest knife manufacturer in the country. Dexter wanted to produce a series of fillet videos demonstrating their knives’ prowess while providing expert advice from professionals in the field. I had the good fortune of being the guy who would make it happen—with a lot of help from a lot of friends.

Poor me, right?

After departing in the truck from Massachusetts down to Louisiana, our journey took us through all the southern states en-route to the shorelines of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida

Along the way we hooked up with knowledgeable guides like Captain Trey Pique of Voodoo Charters in Venice, Louisiana, Captain Ronnie Daniels of Fisher-Man Guide Service in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and Captain Joe Weaver in Pensacola, Florida. Together we dined on golden tilefish, triggerfish, vermillion snapper, crabs, crawfish and shrimp—and those were just what we caught. In Mississippi, Chris and I stayed at the Silver Slipper Casino for two days, enjoying their famous allyou-can-eat buffet. The cuisine on the Gulf Coast is out of this world!

As much as we hoped to get off to a great start in Louisiana, Mother Nature had other ideas. A wicked storm that would become a nasty Nor’easter in New England hit us hard, ruining our chances of catching any large pelagic like tuna, mahi or wahoo. However, we did get some redfish, sheepshead, triggerfish, golden tilefish, black drum and vermillion snapper.

After the weather passed, the fishing got much better in Mississippi and Florida. This being an epic road trip, there was plenty of eating and sleeping in the truck, There was the lodge owned by Voodoo Charters; our rooms at the aforementioned Silver Slipper, which sits right on the shore; and Captain Weaver’s Wave Cutter, a Custom 48 Bacle Boat outfitted with two Lazy Boy couches, two beds, satellite TV, two bathrooms, and a coffee maker.

The Wave Cutter was one of the coolest places I’ve ever stayed--on water or land—but the funny thing is, the coffee maker might have been the best part! It cued right up for us at 6 a.m.—essential for any fishing trip. Wherever we traveled we were fortunate to meet great people. Folks like Captain Trey, Captain Weaver and Captain Daniels. Even though I fish fairly often and spend time at trade shows and on social media learning from pros, I am always amazed by how much I can learn from guides who virtually live on the water. Their fillet skills are incredible! They can clean even the most difficult species effortlessly and sometimes in mere seconds. Plus, everyone was great on camera and generous with their filleting advice. You'll be able to see the clips we produced on the Dexter Outdoors Facebook page during the next several months. Like their page and follow along for some great tips.

This, my friends, was a serious road trip and as I was rolling home I had to pinch myself, not only to stay awake but to remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to travel to all these amazing places and to meet such nice folks.

As for the Gulf Coast, “Wow” is all I can say. Super nice people, beautiful scenery and great fishing with an abundance of species. I strongly encourage you to get down there yourself if you haven’t yet.

Until then, God Bless and Go Fish!

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Boston’s

Spring is in the Air… as we experience longer amounts of daylight along with the annual rituals in Maine. The return of the Turkey Vultures, Woodcock, Canada Geese and Spawning Smelt gives us outdoor folks the itch to get outside and camp on a fishing trip! Fishing and camping go together like peanut butter and jelly so why not learn how to camp “safely with comfort” and get the most out of your fishing adventure. Camping can mean many different things to many different people. So for all practical purposes we will talk about being prepared in a simple fashion. Some of best fishing spots are just not found in an RV park!!! This time of year is a great time to think about your gear and equipment list!

I like to prepare a must have list so when the opportunity comes to do a trip we can be prepared.

Here is a sample list of things to think about….

• Shelter, sleeping bag, ground pad, and rope.

• LED lights with extra batteries

• Breathable clothes worn in layers

• Shoes/Boots – Breathable, waterproof, warm with extra socks. (Polypropylene and Wool socks)

• First Aid kit with Space Blanket

• Personal Essential Effect