The Angler Magazine | January 2022 | Charlotte/Piedmont, NC Edition

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CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT, NC EDITION

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Fishing Friends RECORDBREAKING CATCHES

WINTER BASSIN’

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By Capt. Ryan Palmer

W

ahoo are some of the fastest fish in the ocean.

Built for speed with large tails and torpedo shaped bodies, they can accelerate rapidly and turn on a dime. Wahoo can be solitary fish or found in large schools, depending on conditions, time of year and moon phases.

Known for their excellent table fare and awesome fighting ability, anglers travel to South Florida and The Bahamas from all over the world to target them. They have razor sharp teeth and their jaws are hinged like scissors, so landing one on mono is always an exhilarating feat. They can be caught year round, but during the winter months they are found in far better numbers and sizes, especially around the new and full moons. There are several ways to catch them, including high-speed trolling, planer fishing, vertical jigging and live bait.

High-speed trolling for wahoo could well be the most exciting method to catch them. There’s nothing like hearing the clicker of an 80 wide reel scream while you’re doing 17 knots. In some cases, you will have multiple hook ups with multiple drags going off. Talk about heart racing!

I’ll go over my normal high-speed spread, but keep in mind everyone has their favorite way of doing things. I run a three-line spread. I fish two electric reels and a 50W Shimano Talica. My first electric is set at 80 feet from the boat with a 48-ounce cable-rigged cigar lead. To that I have 25 feet of 400-pound mono shock leader, which is then connected to my lure. The next electric is set at 150 feet from the boat with a 32-ounce cigar lead and the same shock leader. Last is my shotgun Talica with a 24-ounce cigar lead and the same shock leader.

I have about 25 different lures from different manufacturers in many colors, shapes and sizes.

All of my lures are rigged on 480-pound cable with either single or double hook sets. I start my spread with an assortment of colors. If I get more than one bite on a particular color, I will change the others to that or similar colors.

High speed trolling is done in both South Florida and the Bahamas. I used to think that it

was pointless in South Florida, but over the last few years I have been more successful catching them, and the fish I’ve been catching are better sized fish than the wahoo I’ve caught while planer fishing. On a trip just after a winter full moon, we caught a double header off Pompano Beach. Each fish was in the 40-pound range.

When high speed trolling, the optimum speed is between 15 and 20 knots, and we fish a zigzag pattern between 120 and 300 feet of water. There are a couple reasons for the zigzag.

One is to mimic baitfish coming in or going out during tidal changes, and the other is that during your turns your baits will slow down and fall slightly before accelerating again. This is when you get most of your bites. Keeping an eye on your chart plotter is key, because you can generally mark the schools in the upper portion of the water column. High speed trolling is great if you want to specifically target wahoo, as there are only a few species that eat at that kind of speed.

Planer fishing is just as fun and doesn’t burn nearly as much fuel. I like to run two planers consisting of a #4 and a #8 planer with either a drone spoon or a bonita strip behind a Sea Witch. Colors, sizes and shapes all vary, but once I find what color they like I switch them over. The drone spoon is a time-tested and proven method. The flash and vibration of the spoon cutting through the water gets their attention. I prefer 3.5-inch blue drone spoon behind a #8 Old Salty planer. I run about 60 to 100 feet of 60-pound mono between my planer and bait. While pulling planers down deep, I also pull a couple surface baits. Anything from a bonita strip behind a chugger-style lure to a rigged ballyhoo on wire behind an Islander will work. If you have outriggers, you can spread two baits wide and run a shotgun with a cigar-weighted rigged ballyhoo. I

planer fish the same areas as I high speed, but my speeds will be much slower at 6 to 11 knots. Lots of wahoo tournaments have been won fishing at slower trolling speeds, so don’t rule out a jumbo just because you’re not highspeeding.

Live baiting wahoo is less common because you are either bump trolling or drifting goggle eyes or other live baits. You are not covering as much ground. Live baits rigged on light wire or titanium are my first choice, with fluorocarbon being second, due only to a wahoo’s super sharp teeth.

I’ve caught several wahoo on vertical jigs.

About 90 percent of those have come way offshore under some type of flotsam. I prefer a simple 2-ounce diamond Jig. All the wahoo I’ve caught on vertical jigs have been less than 10 pounds.

Wahoo as table fare is in my top five, maybe even top three. I’ve often said that if you have cooked it, it’s already burnt. Do yourself a favor and try some wahoo sashimi!

Capt. Ryan Palmer Family Jewell Fishing Charters 954-882-2631

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Friends&Fishing

By Jim Parks

T

here are a multitude of pleasures and benefits to fishing. The beauty of the environment, the challenge, the relaxation, the simple joy of being outside, the fish caught and the big ones that got away are all among the reasons we fish.

Intertwined are the relationships created during outings.

Like many others, there are times when I would rather be on the water alone. One particular period of my life, I was working full time while going to night school working on my master’s degree. I had no time. Recognizing this, my wife all but demanded I go fishing. Entering the creek that morning, I was mentally exhausted. I perhaps fished 30 minutes before I wound up lying on a rock with the sun in my face. The sound of the creek and my feet in the cool water washed away a lot of stress. At other times, I’ve found the solitude allows me to commune amidst the creation with its creator. After all, even Jesus knew the merits of hanging out with fishermen.

To quote Norman MacLean in A River Runs Through It, “And we were left to assume, as my younger brother Paul and I did… that all firstclass fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were flyfishermen... and that John, the favorite, was a dry fly-fisherman.”

Over the decades, I’ve been blessed to meet hundreds of like-minded sportsmen. Some, I’d rather forget! However, looking back over fourplus decades, I cannot help but reminisce over what fishing friendships have meant.

If you were fortunate to begin fishing young, you had at least one mentor. If you had a father or grandfather who took you on early fishing trips, hopefully you realize how blessed you were 6 NATIONAL

JANUARY 2022

and will joyfully pass that blessing to the next generation.

Having no fishermen in my family tree, I adapted. Like-minded friends of my own age, aka the “Three Amigos,” myself, Keith and Steve, as well as their fathers and grandfathers, helped me along the way. Though my father didn’t fish, he worked in a textile mill alongside more than a few fishermen with whom I came into contact. Among them were the late Don Kirk, author of several books on fly fishing, and the late, great fly tyer Kirk Jenkins. To this day, the memory is burned in my mind of my father’s co-worker Charlie Murrell tying flies with me while camped on Forney Creek in the Smoky Mountains. I was 14 years old.

Along the way, they and others taught me wading, casting and reading water, always instilling an interest and knowledge of the history of and respect for the locations where I trod as a young fisherman. Growing older meant adulthood; college, career and marriage entered the scene.

Still, at least one of the Three Amigos besides myself has kept fishing, and we still get together when life permits.

As we grow older and hopefully better in our pursuit, we’re sometimes blessed to invest in the future of our sport by sharing with the next generation. We instill in them an appreciation for the beauty and opportunity of wading in the crystal clear streams while sharing the history passed down to us.

Those opportunities make us better fishermen.

In teaching, we are forced to consider the intricate, basic skills of the sport, which over time can become blurred by repetition. As my mentors did with me, I am careful to not “over-coach.” This allows the student to make and learn from their

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mistakes. How awesome to be part of their first catch and to share in that accomplishment.

If we’re lucky, at some point we are blessed to come into contact with equally experienced fishermen with whom we just click. The best fishing buddies possess a similar interest in locales and styles, but are different enough that we still learn from one another. The best fishing buddies become those who can finish your sentence, agree on the best places to fish, offer insight we didn’t consider and share learned tidbits, making both that much better. An additional bonus are those friends who are willing to take those crazy adventures such as night trips, remote bushwhacking treks and just downright crazy ideas for which they’ll catch it from their spouse when they eventually return home, well past curfew.

I remember as kids how we were competitive.

We even had the unofficial “Virgil Ward Award” for whoever landed the largest fish that day. Over time, a point is reached when you get just as much joy in watching a friend ply a hole for that big ol’ brown. Sometimes it’s a tag-team approach, with a spotter directing casts to a trophy fish. We realize as much excitement in our friend’s success as if it were our own, if not more!

Lately, I’ve been stepping back… just a little… to give my buddy the first crack at a good run.

Watching an artist at work, regardless of the canvas, is a joy. When that person is using all the combined skills of a stealthy approach, with the fly you both agree is best, making that cast in just the right spot and setting that hook, it’s like watching yourself from a distance.

In that moment, you are just as elated to share and witness the moment. That moment is when you realize having a fishing buddy is priceless.

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CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT NC EDITION

In This Issue….

Local Fishing Forecasts

Winter Lures Billy Raines, Publisher TheAnglerMagCLT@gmail.com

/TAMcharlottenc

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JANUARY 2022

CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT 1

FRESHWATER FORECAS

Forecast for Lake Norman By: Captain Craig Price In keeping with the “new normal” concept that we hear so much about, the calendar for the beginning of the 2022 winter bite has been pushed to late fall-early winter, i.e. late November or early December.

This pattern has been developing for a number of years. Whether it’s man-made due to global warming, or a natural cycle, or a combination of both, there’s not much disputing that in the fishing world in central NC, everything is running about a month behind these days. Whenever the winter feed finally starts, December has always been primetime for hybrids, stripers, and other predatory gamefish. Plus, there’s Christmas at months end which is a great time to acquire more tackle and gear!

On Lake Norman, water temperatures should be close to ideal (50-55⁰ F), and large schools of forage, primarily small-medium size herring, threadfin shad, and alewives form in major drainages above and below the Hwy 150 bridge. Depending on actual water temps and other conditions (wind, light, etc.) the bait can be found in creek mouths; midway back along the creek channels; and sometimes back close to the mudflats where the creeks enter the lake.

Sea birds typically have arrived by January and are excellent indicators of where concentrations of bait and gamefish are on any given day. In the cool water, schools of hybrids, stripers, spotted bass, and white perch roam freely throughout the water column. Surface feeding, and surface catching, opportunities can take place anytime, especially on low light days. Catfish are often below this activity, especially around humps and ledges near points or flats.

The methods for catching winter gamefish are numerous. I’m an old (longtime, not age!) live bait fishermen and live shad, herring, or even store-bought trout or shiners are effective. They can be fished on free lines or weighted lines to reach the desired depth. I use Carolina rigs with 1/0-3/0 circle hooks, but j-hooks and trebles are still used. You might consider fishing barbless if you plan to release your catch alive and healthy.

As a live bait striper angler, it took me quite some time to embrace trolling artificials (A-rigs, umbrella rigs, tandem bucktail rigs, crankbaits, etc.), but the open water activity in winter is a great time to employ this technique, simply because you can cover more water while tracking the fast-moving action.

One of my favorite inshore saltwater offerings that has proven successful here in winter is the use of Gulp Alive swimming mullets. I fish them on lead jig heads, for trolling or casting. The curly tail design has a great swimming action, plus the profile and length are ideal for “matching the hatch” at Lake Norman. White or chartreuse are the only colors I carry. I vary my presentation by changing jig head colors if needed. The integral scent is an added attractant. Other paddle tail or curly tail swim baits are also effective, so don’t hesitate to try different designs.

What I call my “Christmas tree A-rig” is a 2 tier, nine drop Shane’s Baits setup with 1/16 or 1/8 oz. red jig heads and chartreuse swimming mullets.

It’s pretty gaudy, but some of my very best creels, both number and sizewise, have come from this display. On Norman, hybrids, stripers, bass, and perch all attack this offering.

No matter your preference, there’s really no excuse to miss these early winter opportunities. Get your foul weather gear out, choose your weapons, and hit the water for some of the year’s best catching. Fish On! Capt. Craig Price is locally born and raised, and has been fishing the Catawba River and its impoundments since the 1960’s. As his guide business has grown, his area of operations has also grown to include numerous freshwater lakes in NC & SC, plus inshore saltwater charters along the coasts of both states. Capt. Craig is a master rated USCG licensed captain, fully insured, and trained in first aid/CPR. Visit www.fishonguideservices.com or call 704-996-0946 to book your fishing adventure today.

Since the introduction of blueback herring into Lake Norman, the action is often found in open water along deep creek channels, and more so along the river channel as winter progresses. I especially like to work the initial depth transition from the deep channel/flood plain to the shallower areas approaching the bank. These transition zones are easily identified on a topo map because the flood plain contains very few contour lines and the decreasing depths heading towards the bank are indicated by an increasing number of contour lines.

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JANUARY 2022

CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT 3

FRESHWATER FORECAS

Forecast for Lake WYLIE By: Captain Phillip Rizzitello With the holidays and hunting season over its time to get back on the water. This time of the year can be very hit or miss. Watching the weather can be your best friend. While the actual temperature may play a roll, something more important is sharp temperature changes. Days with sharp drops in temperature are going to be the least favorable and days with a consistent temperature or rise will be more desirable. Generally speaking, leading up to rain produces warmer weather as well as a drop in pressure, which are both favorable conditions.

The cooler weather and sharp changes are going to drive the fish into deeper water to avoid the sudden change. The warmer weather will push them back up to feed on bait fish. Rocks are a great place to start as they will hold heat when the temperature starts to drop. Points with rocks is where I’m going to target most species. Flats with quick access to deeper water is a great place as well, as the fish will hold deep or on the ledge and move into the shallows to feed.

locate structure that might have otherwise been under water. Regardless just be aware because after all returning home safely to loved ones is the most important thing!

Visit www.rizzsoutdoors.com or call 803-2306309 to book your fishing trip with Captain Phillip Rizzitello

Be mindful with our lack of rain our lakes are low and can cause navigation hazards. It may help you

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JANUARY 2022

CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT 5

WINTER BAITS

Happy New Year! It's time to make some fishing resolutions. Before we can do those, we need to talk about the baits you should be using to target those lethargic bass during the winter months and in January.

January and in the winter months is really a great time to go fishing. The waters are clearer and the fish are fat and healthy.

Water temperatures are dropping and so are the water levels. The predator fish are going to go to the first available deeper water spot. Bass and other fish are going to move from the backwater

creeks to the first big drop off. They will be looking for shell, rock and hard bottoms. These spots will be their winter homes, and they will not like to move far from their home to go and eat. They prefer the 'Fishing Grubhub' to deliver their favorite meal directly to their home. So you should find those deeper spots and feed 'em. Beware though, during the colder months you should downsize your line.

Eight to ten pound is where you should be at, and like last month, you really need to slow down and fish the bottom of the sea floor as slow as possible.

Here's a few baits you should consider having on your favorite rod. #1 Cumberland Elite Prayer Underspin This is an exceptional underspin made with the highest components on the market. The Elite Prayer Underspin is an amazing bait during the colder months for several reasons, but why I like it should be obvious. You can put your favorite trailer on this underspin and let it sink to the bottom and just reel it in. If you want to give it more action, twitch it, but let it sink and reel it in slowly. This underspin will attract predator fish to eat even if they are not hungry. The flash from the underspin and the feathers make bass mad and they eat it as a reaction. #2 Ned Head/Shakey Head Finesse Zman TRD Again, a common thing this month is getting the bait to the bottom of the sea floor and worked slowly. The Zman TRD on a Ned or Shakey Head will do, and it is a perfect presentation size for all bass sitting in those deeper holes. A wacky rigged worm dragged slowly is also a great bait too. #3 Megabass Dark Sleeper This bait hunts on the bottom of the sea floor. It was designed and built to catch big bass and comes in 8 weight sizes and numerous fish catching colors. Megabass Dark Sleeper has a great thumping tail and delivers fantastic side wobble action that fish love to eat.

One of the many superb reasons to own this bait is that the fin guards the hook, allowing the swim bait to go through cover and deflect snags without any problems. And the plastic is soft and collapses during a strike which allows for a great hook up ratio.

Good luck.....Take Kid Fishing and

123 W Broad St * Statesville, NC 28677 * 704.871.1444 1-40 exit 150, S one mile or 1-77 exit 50, W 1 mile approx

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Bassmaster Classic Returns to Hartwell T

he world’s most prestigious professional bass tournament is returning to the site of some of the best moments in the sport’s famed history.

The 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented

by Huk will be held at Lake Hartwell March 4-6. It is the fourth time the crowds and pageantry of the Classic have descended on Upstate South Carolina.

Takeoffs will be conducted from Green Pond Landing & Event Center, while daily weigh-ins will be held at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The annual Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will take place at the Greenville Convention Center, both of which are in nearby Greenville.

B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin said the organization is excited to once again visit a venue that has become the gold standard for professional bass fishing events.

“Everything about Lake Hartwell and the city of Greenville make them the perfect setting for the Super Bowl of Professional Bass Fishing,” Akin said. “The Bassmaster Classic is not only a chance for the best anglers in the world to showcase their abilities, it’s an annual celebration of the sport itself.

“Lake Hartwell provides the perfect site for amazing competition, and the city of Greenville provides the hotels, restaurants and other facilities you need for an event the size of the Classic.”

Hartwell is a 56,000-acre man-made reservoir situated between Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing portions of the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca rivers. It features a vast array of habitat and a good population of both largemouth and spotted bass that are likely to be in the prespawn phase when the Classic competitors arrive.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to host the Bassmaster Classic once again on Lake Hartwell,” said Neil Paul, Executive Director of Visit Anderson. “The leadership of Anderson County has made a significant commitment to Green Pond Landing and the marketing efforts of Lake Hartwell, and we expect another record-breaking event with our teammates from Greenville.

“Hosting our fourth Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell is significant to our community because no other fishery will have hosted more Bassmaster Classic events. Having hosted this great event in the past, we can speak first hand to the significant economic impact it will have on the upstate of South Carolina and the impact of residual tourism that will be felt in Anderson County for years to come.”

The 2022 Classic will feature 55 qualifiers with berths earned through the Elite Series, the Opens, the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation circuit, the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bassmaster Team Championship, plus the defending Bassmaster Classic champion and winner of the final Elite Series event of the 2021 season.

They will compete in the no-entry-fee event for their share of a whopping $1 million purse, with the champion earning $300,000.

For more information, go to www.bassmaster.com.

DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO GET OUT ON THE WATER...

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252-235-2461 COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

JANUARY 2022

NATIONAL 11

THINKING ABOUT QUITTING BOATING? P erhaps your vessel needs a major repair.

Maybe you sold your house and are moving away from the seashore. Maybe you are too busy to sell your boat, or you tried and found a lot of people didn’t have the resources to buy it, much less to move it.

There are a lot of reasons people have for getting rid of an older boat, working or not. We want to let you know that you can trust Boat Angel Outreach Center. We here at Coastal Angler have seen them help thousands get rid of their unwanted boats and receive generous IRS1098 tax receipts for doing so.

Did you know older, larger working boats can be donated for their fair market value? Did you know Boat Angel will walk you through the whole process, and most of the time even a boat that has been unused on your dock or in your backyard will be gone in less than 15 days?

I’ve known the people at Boat Angel Outreach for more than a decade, and I can personally vouch that this charity is both caring and focused on helping kids. 100 percent of their funding is from the sale of donated boats. They currently fund projects on four continents and ceaselessly work to make this world a better place, especially for children.

They have a courteous and diligent staff. They are experienced in solving logistical problems and multi-state title issues, all while achieving their goals of getting the donated vessels moved away quickly.

So, if you’ve got a vessel that’s no longer

working, or you have decided to move on from boating, I strongly recommend you give this great organization a call or contact them through their website. When your donation is completed, just forward your receipt to your tax preparer. Who knows how much money your donation will put back in your pocket?

We all know that an unused or nonworking boat is a drain on anyone’s finances. Fuel, maintenance bills, registration, insurance and slip fees are year-round expenses. Maybe it is finally

Donate A Boat or Car Today!

12 NATIONAL

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time to move on.

A friend of mine once asked, “What is better than being a boat owner?”

“I don’t know, what?” I said.

“A friend with a boat,” he replied, smiling.

We all have friends with boats. Why not put the money saved into their gas tank and take a small fishing trip?

Boat Angel Outreach Center; www.boatangel.org; EIN 42-1619552; 800-700-2628.

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KEEP IT GENUINE PRECISION PROTECTION

Whether you take your boat out to the lake or the ocean, your 4-stroke outboard needs ECSTAR Suzuki Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil so it can run long and strong.

ECSTAR features special additives that protect the engine in harsh salt and fresh water environments, advanced detergents that keep engine parts clean, and viscosity index improvements that help the engine start in cold conditions.

No matter where your next boat ride takes you, go confidently with ECSTAR.

RUN LONG. RUN CLEAN. RUN STRONG.

Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-Approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. Suzuki, the Suzuki “S” ECSTAR and Suzuki model and product names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. © 2021 Suzuki Marine USA, LLC.

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JANUARY 2022

7/16/2021 9:56:33 AM NATIONAL

13

Angler Lands Record Red Hind

A

North Carolina angler boated a new state record red hind off Cape Lookout in October, and it’s a record that’s likely to stand for a while. The fish weighed 7 pounds, 1.6 ounces and measured 21.5 inches in length with a 17.5-inch girth.

The new state record holder, Matthew Parr, of Wilmington, N.C., was fishing with Capt.

Charles Stewart Merritt of Salt Air Ventures. They were dropping cut bait on 80-poundtest line, probably looking for big grouper.

The record breaker Parr hauled from the depths was less than 2-pounds off the IGFA all tackle world record, which stands at 9 pounds even and was caught by Eddie Vanmeter out of St. Marys, Ga. in July of 2019.

Previously, North Carolina did not list a state record red hind but created the category after Parr applied for the state record. The Division of Marine Fisheries creates new state record categories for fish that are exceptionally large for North Carolina. Parr’s was exceptionally large for anywhere.

Although red hind are known to grow up to 23 inches and exceed 10 pounds in weight, anglers rarely encounter them that large. The typical specimen brought over the rail measures about 16 inches.

Red hind is a quality table fish that is important in Caribbean commercial fisheries. In the South Atlantic it is regulated within the three grouper aggregate recreational bag limit. It is also listed in the ShallowWater Grouper Complex, which means there is a closure for the species from January through April.

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Meet the Beauty in the Beast Discover this spectacular 6½-carat green treasure from Mount St. Helens!

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or almost a hundred years it lay dormant. Silently building strength. At 10,000 feet high, it was truly a sleeping giant. Until May 18, 1980, when the beast awoke with violent force and revealed its greatest secret. Mount St. Helens erupted, sending up a 80,000-foot column of ash and smoke. From that chaos, something beautiful emerged… our spectacular Helenite Necklace.

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Helenite is produced from the heated volcanic rock of Mount St. Helens and the brilliant green creation has captured the eye of jewelry designers worldwide. Today you can wear this massive 6½-carat stunner for only $149!

Make your emeralds jealous. Our Helenite Necklace puts the green stone center stage, with a faceted pear-cut set in .925 sterling silver finished in luxurious gold. The explosive origins of the stone are echoed in the flashes of light that radiate as the piece swings gracefully from its 18" luxurious gold-finished sterling silver chain. Today the volcano sits quiet, but this unique piece of American natural history continues to erupt with gorgeous green fire.

Necklace enlarged to show luxurious color.

Your satisfaction is guaranteed. Bring home the Helenite Necklace and see for yourself. If you are not completely blown away by the rare beauty of this exceptional stone, simply return the necklace within 30 days for a full refund of your purchase price.

JEWELRY SPECS: - 6 ½ ctw Helenite in gold-finished sterling silver setting - 18" gold-finished sterling silver chain

Limited to the first 2200 orders from this ad only Helenite Necklace (6 ½ ctw) ................Only $149 +S&P Helenite Stud Earrings (1 ctw) ..................... $129 +S&P

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HOOKED ON™ A CLEAN OCEAN

CLEANING OUR OCEANS FOR A BETTER

TOMORROW

SUZUKI’S CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT If you’re going to claim to be “The Ultimate Outboard Motor,” you’d better do more than just build great engines. This is why, for the past 10 years, Suzuki has been committed to cleaning up the marine environment through voluntary “Clean Up The World” activities around the globe.

Through the recently launched CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT, Suzuki Marine is committed to reducing the use of plastics in packaging materials to its consumers which has led to eliminating 2.3 tons of plastic waste annually. Suzuki is continually finding ways to reduce plastic waste while educating and informing the boating industry about this critical issue. This is only the beginning and Suzuki is pledging itself to the important cause of protecting our planet’s waters, coastal environments, and marine ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.

YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY applies to qualifying purchases of Suzuki outboard motors sold and delivered to the retail purchaser, for pleasure (non-commercial) use only, from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. See Suzuki Limited Warranty for additional details. Suzuki, the “S” logo, and Suzuki model and product names are Suzuki Trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2021 Suzuki Marine USA, LLC. All rights reserved.

FOR REEL

GOOD FISHING Visit Upcountry South Carolina Stop by the South Carolina Lakes booth at the Bassmaster Classic Expo, March 4-6, 2022 at the Greenville Convention Center.

Perfectly Seasoned FishUpcountrySC.com

864-233-2690

Lake Hartwell, host of the 2008, 2015, 2018, and 2022 Academy Sports & Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk