A political fisherman finds a rival full of hot air

A man in a hot air balloon realizing he was lost lowered his altitude and spotted a fisherman in a boat below. He shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The fisherman consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 20 feet above a ground elevation of 2140-feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 25 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 35 minutes west longitude."

The balloonist rolled his eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," the fisherman replied. "How did you know?"

The balloonist answered, "Well, everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information and I'm still lost! Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The fisherman smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

The fisherman said, "Well, you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."

Don't fault me here. I prefer to remain neutral in the party wars. I am merely trying to be informative with a bit of levity.

Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic

The Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic will be at the state fairgrounds March 28 through 30 in Columbia. The times are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission fees are $6 for parking, $5 for seniors 60 and older and free for children 10 and younger. For information on the event, call 803-734-4008.

S.C Governor's Cup Tournament

Before the S.C. Governor's Cup Series began in 1989, virtually all billfish caught by anglers were killed and brought back to the docks. The series was established to promote the state's billfish and encourage conservation of the ocean's limited natural resources. The Series continues to actively encourage the conservation of marine resources by promoting catch and release of both billfish and other game fish. The partnership between DNR and the Governor's Cup Billfishing Series has provided an important link to the sportfishing community and has allowed for an extremely efficient and cost-effective means for gathering important scientific data.

Upcoming events

The Edisto Marina Billfish Tournament is May 14-17, the 41st annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament is May 28-31, the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina Billfish Tournament is June 25-28, the HMY/Viking Megadock Billfishing Tournament is July 9-12 and the Bohicket Marina Invitational Billfish Tournament is July 23-26.

For more information on any of these tournaments, contact Amy Dukes at 843-953-9365.

Clean Boating Act

Senate Bill S. 2766 promises to be a practical solution to a looming permit deadline for recreational boaters, anglers and charter boats. This one does not only apply to commercial vessels. A lawsuit aimed at larger vessels containing ballast water has generated a need by the EPA to implement an operational discharge permit for all vessels in the United States, including recreational boatsby Sept. 30. Without a change in law, all boaters will need to obtain this permit as early as this summer.

"This bill does not weaken any existing environmental laws restricting the overboard discharge of oil, fuel, garbage or sewage," Boat U.S. Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich said. "S. 2766 recognizes the fact that normal operational discharges from recreational boats, such as engine cooling water or deck runoff from rain, should not be viewed under the Clean Water Act as being similar to a commercial ship's ballast water."

To help boaters contact their federal legislators go to www.BoatBlue.org or www.BoatUS.com/gov.

Fishing Trends and Active Species

Finding time between occasional rains and high winds, fishermen taking the run have been rewarded with seasonal and the occasional unseasonable catch. While inshore remains at the top of the chart, the occasional run to close inshore structures has also produced. Hot spots offshore are the Betsy Ross, Outer reaches of 6H-I and on top of the Gordon. The Fripp Island Reef will show only marked returns as it appears bottom structure has smoothed a bit due to large sand deposits. Active from the structures are Blackfish, Grouper, Snapper, Sheepshead and Amberjack.

Inshore reports continue to surprise and delight area anglers. Trout, Spottail Bass, Flounder, Whiting, a few Croaker and a number of large Sheepshead have bent rods over the last week to 10 days.Rains this past Thursday morning muddied the waters a bit but the run off is swift and things should clear up by the weekend.

Best bets: Inside continues to be artificials for trout and bass. The top bait at this time is the 4-inch green and red Gulp Shrimp. Flounder favor minnows while whiting and croaker prefer fresh shrimp. Sheepshead fisherman are running the gauntlet with clam strips, fresh cuts of oyster and mussel as well as the hard-found fiddler crab. Fly fisherman continue to toss Clouser Minnows in Chartreuse while a few have decided to experiment with silver/red, red/gold and gold/black.

Choice Spots: Ribbon, Morgan and Station Creek. Port Royal along the rock banks and off the grass in the shipping channel.

Records Fall

The White Grunt record was broken again when Jason Edgerton landed a five-pound white grunt March 10 on the Y73-Reef in Charleston. His catch now tops the previous record set in February by Sean Murphy by two pounds.

Note: If you suspect you may have caught a record, it is best to have your catch weighed at a certified scale as soon as possible. Be sure you have a witness or statement and keep your catch preserved until a member of the SCDNR can verify your catch. The chance of adding your name to the record books does not come along that often, do all you can to ensure your opportunity is not lost due to an oversight. Contact the SCDNR for instructions.

Tackle Tip

One of my greatest pleasures is sharing information with other anglers. This holds true more so for beginners as they seldom have to break old habits. Veteran anglers have a tendency to nod in approval but shortly revert to the same old grind. Don't be a victim of habit. Try new lures and techniques and your days may improve greatly.

Till next week,

Good fishin'

Lee