Big fish are biting as fishermen approach halfway through the 2021 South Carolina Wahoo Series, and tournament founder Captain Marc Pincus says the best is yet to come.
“Traditionally, at least in the past two years, the biggest fish came in April. I think that fishing will only improve from here,” said Pincus. “Two weeks ago it really blew up and we had a good race. And last week we had a good race.”
The SC Wahoo Series – which allows anglers to choose their three days of fishing, weigh one fish a day and count the two heaviest fish for the main prize – continues until April 24.
Pincus observed several boats that took advantage of the ideal fishing conditions in recent weeks.
But Pescado, captained by Billy Freeman of Mount Pleasant, weighed a 36-pound wahoo on March 10. That same day, Captain John Abbate’s Swedish Fish of Charleston, who finished second in 2020
SC Wahoo Series, brought a £ 71 wahoo to the scale. On The Flip, led by Cory Brumbelow of Charleston, narrowly failed to break the 70-pound mark, weighing 69.6 pounds on March 10.
Swedish Fish of Charleston, captained by John Abbate, has the second largest wahoo, 71 pounds, in the SC Wahoo Series. Photo provided
Four other boats landed wahoo weighing 60 pounds or more over a period of four days. On March 9, Game Hawg had a catch of 69.0 pounds and Dirty Martini had a wahoo of 66.6 pounds. On March 13, Stranglehold caught a 68.5 pound wahoo and Salty Cracker landed a 65.5 pound fish.
But Pescado is the overall leader of the tournament at the moment, but Scallywag, captained by Heather Leman of Mount Pleasant, has a total of two 71.7-pound fish. Swedish Fish, at 71 pounds, is third in the standings.
Weighing stations included Toler’s Cove at Mount Pleasant, Hilton Head Harbor Marina and Georgetown Landing Marina.
“The boats that went up and down the coast caught good fish,” said Pincus. “I fished on Saturday (March 13) and caught five right there, where the big fish were caught, but I didn’t get my chance. Game Hawg had seven fish and (Mas Pescado) had a double-digit wahoo catch.”
Pincus said that with the super moon approaching the fishermen are thinking that it will be a great month. Fishermen look for water temperatures of 70 degrees or more above the structure to find their fish.
The husband and wife team of Morris and Tamesha Beck from Johns Island waited until April 2020 to declare the fishing days. They took a 49.5 pound wahoo on April 6 and then got a 98.3 pound catch on April 11 to win the series and $ 63,294. The 2020 series had 151 boats. This year’s tournament attracted 180 boats. The maximum payout is $ 40,000 plus additional cash at optional tournament levels.
Stranglehold, captained by Chad Shiels of Statesboro, Georgia, picked up this 68.5-pound wahoo on March 13. Photo provided
Pincus started the SC Wahoo Series in 2016 and has since added the SC Mahi Series (May 10 to June 5) for dolphins and SC Fall Classic (September 21 to November 7) for mackerel.
This year, fishermen can compete in the three series, the SC Saltwater Series sponsored by Huk, in a race for points for the team of the year.
“I wanted to give these guys a competitive trail for the fishing team of the year, with the right to brag and prizes. We want to try to build it to make it really prestigious. All three are unique fish to be caught in different fishing styles. I expected to get 15 to 20 interested boats, but we have 53 boats that have committed to fishing all three, “said Pincus.
Pincus will be broadcasting live on Facebook from Haddrell’s Point Tackle in Mount Pleasant at 5:30 pm on March 22, giving an update on the series and also demonstrating how to handle wahoo lures and tips and techniques for capturing wahoo.
Electronic reports for turkey hunters
The opening day for turkey hunting on private land in South Carolina’s Lowcountry (Hunting Zones 3 and 4) is March 22, and hunters are reminded this year that they must report their harvest electronically.
There are three ways to report your harvest. South Carolina Game Check is a downloadable smartphone app. You can also access the Internet and report your harvest on the SC Department of Natural Resources website (dnr.sc.gov). There is also a toll-free number (1-833-472-4263) for typing keys.
Hunters should have received this information when they received their turkey hunting tags.
The seasonal limit on resident grants remains at three birds, no more than one per day, and hunters are limited to just one turkey during the first 10 days of the season. Non-resident hunters will be limited to two birds. State residents are required to purchase a set of three tags for $ 5, while the two tags for non-residents cost $ 100.
The 40-day private land season in Game Zones 3 and 4, which includes most of the lower part of the state, including Charleston, is from March 22 to April 30. The season in Game Zones 1 and 2 is from April 1st to May 10th. The state season in the Wildlife Management Areas is from April 1st to April 30th. Check the Wildlife Management Areas for specific hunting dates on these properties.
America’s Boating Club
America’s Boating Club Charleston will conduct boat safety classes on March 27 and April 10 at 1376 Orange Grove Road, Charleston. Classes start at 9am and end around 4pm. Successful participants receive the Boater’s Education Card from the SC’s Department of Natural Resources. The cost is $ 25 for adults and youth ages 12 to 18 are free. Call 843-312-2876 or send an email to [email protected].
Brady Bates Redfish Open
The Brady Bates Youth Redfish Open Scholarship Tournament is scheduled for April 10 at Buck Hall Landing. The tournament is part of the Student Angler League Tournament Track. Last year’s tournament saw $ 15,000 in scholarships awarded. The tournament is free for all members of the SALTT (Student Angler League Tournament Trail). Visit salttfishing.com for information or send an email to [email protected].
Charleston Sheepshead Tournament
The Charleston Inshore Anglers’ 28th annual “Big Ed” Sheepshead tournament will be held on April 17th.
The captain’s meeting and registration will take place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm on April 15 at the American Legion Post 147 located at 968 Folly Road. The weigh-in for the tournament will also be held at the American Legion Post 147 from 4pm to 5pm. The entry fee to the tournament is $ 40.
Contact Kevin Mischke at 843-324-1006; Robbie Zetrouer at 843-709-0650; Nick Kvestad at 843-557-2811; or Gene Broderick at 843-224-6826.