Shenanigans of the elder male

Gone Fishin'

When the opportunity presents itself, I can be found out of the house, away from the office, in the woods or on the water. It takes very little to motivate me to other pursuits since I am a procrastinator by nature. I have a porch that needs to be screened, a yard that needs raking, my car needs washing, the oil needs changing and the shrubs need trimming. I have a driveway that needs sealing, a workshop that needs cleaning and a rapidly-approaching deadline for taxes that need filing. But for the love of the sport, I venture forth with total abandon.

To say that age sometimes fogs the mind brings to mind a recent fishing trip. Ken Conklin, a good friend and former Navy Seabee, invited me for a bit of backwater fishing. As most of the area waters we scouted proved too small for anything large, we opted for a flat bottom john boat and oars. With the distance and high winds it seemed only fair that I, being the younger member of the duo, would do the rowing. After a few hours, we had successfully boated a good stringer and decided to head back to shore, which was now a good distance away. I managed quite well most of the day but what should have taken a mere 30 minutes had now lapsed into the second hour. Being a former Marine Sgt., I wasn't about to let this Swabbie best my attempts, but was just on the edge of claiming defeat.

About that time, Ken sighted a large flounder moving just off the stern and decided to make a few casts. It was then that I noticed a large white rope under the boat and mentioned to Ken it appeared someone had lost a good bow line.

Retrieving our bit of good fortune, it was soon discovered that the rope was attached to a stern cleat on our boat. Ken had failed to pull the anchor and I had been rowing the entire time dragging rope, chain and anchor.

Whether this was intentional, a ploy by Ken to keep us on the water longer or just a sign ofage by two crusty old guys, it was and will continue to be a bit of humor for those days among friends while sharing tall tales.

Want to see more Crusty Old Guys doing what they do best? Visit www.crustyoldguys.com for exploits, opportunities and shenanigans of the elder male. You can even become an official cog with your photo featured on a greeting card. Become part of the group or just drop a line of support, however you may be so inclined. With character lines and mature wit prompting the cause, your visit will be rewarding.

Fishing Trends

The weekend holds little promise that things will improve heading into the week for both inshore and offshore fishing. Given that conditions looked good on Saturday, the week's past rains and strong tides muddied the waters and most of the baitfish and shrimp remain in deeper waters.

Seasonal catches will continue with an occasional straggler taken, but numbers will remain low for the majority of species. Most game have started to school but their numbers remain small and scattered.

Given these conditions and the fact that swift waters will ultimately clear the larger creeks and rivers, a good bit of runoff will remain and salinity levels will fluctuate. More stable conditions continue to evade us and Mother Nature remains on cue for April showers.

As the weather begins to warm more quickly and water temperatures rise an early spring turn this month is still possible. With moderate temperature changes and favorable wind conditions, baitfish and shrimp will return to the creeks and rivers and more abundant gamefish will follow. The warmer surface conditions on Saturday gave cause to optimistic anglers and good days ahead.

Towards the end of this month things will pick-up rapidly and fishing conditions will be well into the start of a new season. With the arrival of cobia, mackerel and sharks, deepwater anglers will be mirrored in their efforts by nearshore fishermen. The relatively mild winter has water temperatures above the mid mark at this time and we should expect plenty of activity from the creeks and main rivers as well as the brackish and larger backwaters.

Presently active but taking effort from both inshore and offshore anglers are dolphin, sheepshead, spottail bass, trout, whiting and some large black drum. Over the deeper structures good concentrations of blackfish and snapper remain on active bottom reaches and along the perimeters of closer inshore wrecks and reefs.

National Wild Turkey Foundation -- Beaufort Chapter

For information on the local club, events or programs, contact Mike Hoffstatter at 803-613-9042 or e-mail mhoffy108@comcast.net. There's good news for young hunters. All young people under the age of 18 can participate in youth hunting days, as long as a licensed hunter at least 21 years of age accompanies them. Previously, no one under the age of 10 could hunt wild turkeys.

DNR safe -- (for now)

Yesterday, the House Sub-committee considering moving DNR to the Governor's Cabinet and abolishing the DNR Board decided to adjourn debate on House Bill 4736 (H.4736). This is great news and is the equivalent of tabling the measure. The chairman of the committee and author of the bill, Rep. Jim Harrison, made an opening statement that after a full review he felt that DNR was functioning well and doing a good job in fulfilling its mission and that he was convinced that it should retain its current structure. Also, Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, who actually made the motion to adjourn debate, made a strong and positive speech on behalf of DNR. The voice was unanimous.

Thanks to all who testified, made phone calls and sent e-mails. Your contacts on behalf of sportsmen played a large part in the decision of the committee. You may want to drop a line to thank Chairman Harrison and members of the committee for supporting our request to retain the DNR Board.

Tackle Tip

You are rigged and ready to go, the weather is nice and the water is calm. Where to Fish? This question is posed to me very often at the start of each weekend. It usually goes something like this, "Lee, if you were going fishing this weekend, where would you go?"

A simple answer depends on what is biting and the time of the year. But a general approach is to run the shallows and flats. If there is a good bit of surface disturbance, this will be a starting point for the day. If things slack off a bit, move to deeper waters off the points and over drops. And finally, if things look good for an offshore venture and your craft is of the size and nature to support it, make the run. Be sure to let others know of your daily plans and file a float plan.

Till next week,

Good Fishin'

Lee