Chandeleur Islands

When we arrived in Biloxi, Miss., I had never heard of the Chandeleur Islands 40 miles off the coast. Now I will never forget them! This string of islands is essentially uninhabited marsh and bayous that form the outer reaches of the Mississippi River Delta.

Our group of five couples boarded a 127foot mothership called The VI, captained by Bobby Lewis, along with two amiable crew members who would be our guides and cooks for the next three days. Great fishing was not the only thing on the agenda. When I saw an extra large Big Green Egg bolted to the deck, I knew great food was coming too.

It’s a four-hour trip to the Chandeleur Islands, and we arrived in darkness, just in time to fire up the Egg and cook some beautiful ribeyes. Early the next morning, we ate and headed off to the skiffs that were ready behind the ship. We were 40 miles off the coast, surrounded by marshes and islands and anchored in 15 feet of water!

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The plan was to fish the flats for speckled trout and redfish, return to the mothership for lunch, and then jump on the center console to head into the gulf for an afternoon of deep dropping around oil rigs. We caught several keeper trout and enjoyed zipping around in the skiff, but we made sure we were not late for lunch. Right after lunch our group boarded the Twin V center console and headed into the gulf. We timed it just right for the opening of red snapper season and caught our limit. Several snapper were over 10 pounds, and I was fortunate enough to land a cobia. With a full cooler and sore shoulders, we ran back to the mothership looking forward to cocktails and a dinner of fresh fish.

The menu was blackened trout and snapper on a half shell on the Big Green Egg. Fresh caught fish, perfectly grilled ended one spectacular day. We had two more days of fishing and made the most of them. As the sun set on our final day, it lit up the water and the oil rigs behind us. We were still fighting snappers and had to finally pull up lines and head back for our last dinner. Three days and nights with no cell service, no light pollution, amazing fishing, beautiful sunsets, great food and drink and superb company makes this a trip of a lifetime, or better yet an annual tradition!

Here’s how to make Capt. Bobby’s Snapper on a Half Shell. Leave the skin on the snapper filets to protect the meat while grilling.

Marinade: Combine robust Italian dressing, fresh lemon juice and a cajun seasoning of your choice and marinate on the half shell for an hour.

Grill: Skin side down, basting occasionally, do not flip. When snapper becomes white and meat separates easily, remove from the grill and serve.

ou don’t need an invitation to have fun in Upcountry South Carolina: Come kayak crys-tal blue lakes, hike to rushing waterfalls, dig into local cuisine, attend family oriented events and breathe fresh mountain air. But when you hold a South Carolina fishing license, it feels like an official ticket to enjoy the great outdoors.

Fish bite year-round in the lakes, rivers and streams of Upcountry South Carolina, which is located in the state’s northwest corner in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Devils Fork State Park in Salem is a great place to access Lake Jocassee, which holds state records for rainbow trout, brown trout, redeye bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass and yellow perch. Or try your luck at Lake Hartwell, at Lake Hartwell State Park in Fair Play and Sadlers Creek State Park in Anderson, three-time host of the Bassmaster Classic.

The Chattooga River boasts healthy wild trout populations and is also regularly stocked by Oconee County’s Walhalla State Fish Hatchery. The Whitewater River above Lower White-water Falls is another great option for wild trout. Lake Keowee, at Keowee-Toxaway State Park in Pickens County, swims with largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, crappie, bluegill, yel-low perch, catfish, brown and rainbow trout.

Pick up everything you need—including advice— at local fly shops or book a guided fish-ing trip. Sam Jones, of Jocassee Charters, puts anglers on trophy trout. Buster Green’s Guide Ser-vice reels in stripers, hybrids and bass on Hartwell and Keowee. Chattooga