06/26/11 - Shem Creek Trip

(Tide listing for Charleston, SC)

Low Tide: 10:33 AM EST (0.4 ft)

High Tide: 3:02 PM EST (5.3 ft)
Sunrise: 6:13 AM

Sunset: 8:31 PM
Water Temp: 85F

Charleston Harbor Entrance Currents








Sunday June 26, 2011 - Shem Creek Trip




This trip started out at the boat ramp at Nature Adventures Outfitters on Shem Creek and extended into the Charleston harbor before returning to the starting point for takeout. This was our granddaughter Brooklyne's first kayak trip!! She loves the water and was very excited about the adventure. We reached Shem Creek at low tide and Nature Adventures Outfitters was very busy. They had a group leaving at 9AM and another at 9:30.






Since we didn't check their schedule before leaving home, we had a short wait we arrived at 9AM. We left the landing after the first group had cleared the landing. We took our 2 sit-on-top kayaks for this trip. The launch went well and we paddled out toward the Charleston harbor with Brooklyne helping out in Deanna's kayak.









It was a hot day with the temperatures already in the high 80s at 10AM. Our early start was a great idea and the skies were clear as we paddled out Shem Creek. Almost immediately we paddled up to an empty dock with 2 large pelicans sitting atop the poles there. Brooklyne loved the pelicans and it was a great start to her first yakking experience. We continued on by the shrimp and fishing vessels that were docked along Shem Creek. The wind was not a factor that day. We reached the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary alone, but the beach was off limits to humans.





It is a nesting area for many birds in the area and there were very young birds of many species along with their avian parents. The beach on the little island was packed with birds. It was a noisy place and the birds seemed to know that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources had established a sanctuary that humans could not violate. As we approached the beach the birds hardly took notice of us at all. There were many baby birds with peach fuzz for feathers, including baby pelicans. The parents were fishing nearby and bring back their catch to feed their young. Brooklyne was in awe of all of the activity surrounding Crab Bank. At the end of this blog is a 2 minute video of some of the activity here.





After we watched the birds for a bit, Deanna and Brooklyne shouted "Dolphins!!" and padded off away from the island. There was a pair of dolphins that came right up beside their boat. I did have the camera out, so I took a little time to get it together. I watched the dolphin swim around them, but I didn't get a picture until after the dolphins moved over a bit.







Some other kaykers came up to join in the dolphin watching. After observing the dolphins for awhile, we took the time to enjoy a chocolate treat that Deanna had brought along. Brooklyne loved the treat and she had a bit of chocolate on her face as a testament to the chocolate goodness.









It was another excellent day on the water at Shem Creek and Brooklyne loved her initial kayaking experience! We rested for awhile under the bridge to await another group of kayakers preparing to launch from the ramp.








This is the video of the birds on Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary!

06/19/11 - Wando River Fishing Trip

Sunday June 19, 2011 - Wando River Fishing Trip

(Tide listing for Big Paradise Island on Wando River)

Low Tide: 4:30 PM (0.0 ft)

High Tide: 11:32 PM (7.6 ft)

Ok, I did a poor job of blogging this one! I didn't take any pictures on this fishing trip, but Deanna did catch a 14" Sea Trout and we had a yummy dinner :)

That's much better than bringing home just pictures ...

06/04/11 - Wadboo Creek Trip

(Tide listing for Pimlico, West Branch, Cooper River)

Low Tide: 8:21 AM EST (0.12 ft)

High Tide: 1:43 PM EST (1.59 ft)
Low Tide: 8:17 PM EST (-0.05 ft)
Sunrise: 6:11 AM

Sunset: 8:25 PM
Water Temp: 82F

Lake Moultrie Tailrace Canal river data

SC Fishing Report for SC Rivers



Saturday June 04, 2011 - Wadboo Creek Kayak Trip
This trip on the waters of Wadboo Creek in Berkeley County, SC is a beautiful trip that allows for either open creek access to the Cooper River through old rice fields or a pristine look at the Francis Marion National Forest depending on the direction chosen. The direction chosen is typically a function of the tidal current and time of the trip. Our trip was chosen to be the forest creek version of Wadboo Creek. Our pre-trip planning showed high tide at 1:43 PM, We planned to take advantage of the rising tide on our trip into the Francis Marion National Forest and the falling tide on our way back to the dock. Our friend Linda White accompanied us on this trip.


We had two new boats to try out on this paddle. I had a recently purchased 16 ft Aquaterra Chinook and Deanna had a new 8 ft Pelican Apex 80 DLX sit-on-top to try out. We left the fishing gear at home as we had only one boat with rod holders. It was a hot day by the time we reached the Dennis C. Rembart Landing on Wadboo Creek. The day would peak at 95 degrees, but we were headed into the shade of the forest. The plan was to let the tide push us up into the forest and then bring us back out on the falling tide.

We started the trip at 11AM with Linda in the Potomac sit-inside, Deanna on her new sit-on-top, and me in the new Aquaterra Chinook. It was already hot when we started up the creek (with a paddle). The shade was a welcome relief from what felt like an August day in June. The osprey was on it's nest feeding the little ones when we passed by the electric lines around the first bend in the creek. As we paddled up the creek we were surrounded by huge dragonflys. They looked like small birds and smashed into the water, looking more like little pelicans.


We paddled a mile or so up Wadboo Creek before stopping in the shade for a snack and a tasty beverage. During our stop my 16 ft kayak was sideways in the creek and it stopped almost all of the debris in the water, creating a pond scum effect to my left. The tidal currents were still pushing us up into the national forest and the paddling was easy. There was virtually no wind and the surface of the water was very calm. We paddled about a mile and a half into the forest before we turned around to ride the tides back out and to our takeout spot.


At least we thought the tidal current would take us back out. Somehow the current was still coming our way. So, we paddled on against the current. We stopped to rest along the right side of the creek and I reached up to grab a low hanging branch to tie off on. I almost fell out of my boat flopping back and away from the very large wasp nest hanging the limb I was reaching for. I had been warned that wasps like branches for nesting spots, but this was certainly a wakeup call. Since none of us felt like starting a war with the little winged devils we decided to find a better shade down the creek.

On our journey we saw many water plants in bloom. The photo is just one of the many examples of flora along the banks of the Wadboo Creek. Along the way, Deanna spotted a snake rapidly swimming across the river in front of us. We paddled up to see the little water moccasin resting beside a water lily near the shore. Linda had a tasty treat eating the ripened blackberries that were hanging over the creek. She said they were quite sweet. We saw two more kayakers and warned them about the wasp nest up ahead. Around the corner from the wasp warning we saw another, larger wasp nest. Keep away from the branches!!

At the end of the day we learned a few things. The Aquaterra Chinook handled great and it will definitely be making another trip with us. The little sit-on-top that Deanna took, on the other hand, did not cooperate so well. She announced, "I dub thee pool kayak from this day forth". It did not track well at all and the side to side motion was quite taxing on her. I'm still not sure what happened with the tide, but at the bridge there was a high water mark a foot above the current water level. I think the tides here are just a bit off from the Pimlico tide chart that we had to use. Whatever it was, it couldn't be the excellent tide reading of yours truly. :)

02/26/2011 - Shem Creek Trip

(Tide listing for Charleston, SC)

Low Tide: 8:55 AM EST (0.56 ft)

High Tide: 3:02 PM EST (4.34 ft)
Sunrise: 6:51 AM

Sunset: 6:14 PM
Water Temp: 57F

Charleston Harbor Entrance Currents







Saturday Feb 26, 2011 - Shem Creek Trip

This trip started out at the boat ramp at Nature Adventures Outfitters on Shem Creek and extends into the Charleston harbor before returning to the starting point for takeout. The great things about using Nature Adventures Outfitters is they have a carpeted kayak ramp to prevent damage to your boats, they allow paid customers to use their bathroom facilities, and they allow you use of their water hose to clean off your boats at the end of your trip. We though that this trip would be heavily influenced by the prevailing tides, but it didn't significantly impact our paddling. Ok, I must confess that I didn't complete this blog until months after the paddle, so don't expect the level of detail to which you have become accustomed to seeing on Lowcountry SC Kayaking. The photos, however, are the actual pics from the trip!



We put in our boats at the Nature Adventures Outfitters ramp on Shem Creek. For a small fee ($3 / boat) and a signed waiver of liability they graciously allowed us to use their carpeted boat ramp, bathroom facilities, and water hose to wash off our boats after the trip! They rent kayaks there for Shem Creek paddlers, so if you need boats for this trip or just want to sign up to use the facilities as we did contact them at (843) 568-3222 or visit them online at www.kayakcharlestonsc.com. They are located next door to Mt Pleasant Seafood and Lowcountry Scuba. We have done business with all 3 and each are our favorites in the area for their type of business.





The launch went well and we paddled out toward the Charleston harbor with Bryce in the sit-inside kayak. Deanna and I were on the the sit-on-tops. The warm sun felt great as we paddled through the shrimp and fishing vessels that were docked along Shem Creek. The wind was not much of a factor that day. We reached the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary alone and beached our kayaks on the sandy beach to stretch our legs. This was the last weekend of the spring season in which humans are allowed on the little island. It is a nesting area for many birds in the area and they were soon to arrive.






After we stretched a bit on the sand we were joined by 2 couples, each including a sailor deployed at the local Navy base. The tide was coming in we had to run and catch the other's kayaks as they hadn't pulled them up above the tide line like we did. We took the time to enjoy a tasty sandwich that Deanna had put together for us and rehydrated a bit before mounting up again and continuing on our journey. The islands served as a breaker for most of the waves coming in from the harbor.






We went on down to another small sandy bank and stopped to search for fossils. We did find a nice Snaggletooth Shark tooth that Bryce took back to Kansas after mounting it into a nice necklace. On the way back to Shem Creek we noticed Bryce's kayak riding a bit low in the water. As we approached for a closer look we could see that when he really put out on the paddle, the back of his boat was taking on water through the drain hole. We stopped again on the beach where we had lunch and drained Bryce's kayak.






We took many pictures along the way on our trip. Deanna even brought along the nice DSLR camera. The birds were great sports with many Pelicans on every possible perch on our way back up Shem Creek. The dolphins came out and swam around us a bit. It was a great day out on the water!









It was an excellent day on the water at Shem Creek and we contemplated paddling around toward Patriots Point where the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier is at port. We were stopped by the setting sun and headed back up Shem Creek.








We passed our takeout point, Red's Ice House, and paddled under the bridge. There we took a number of photos of the resting pelicans in the fading sunlight. We used the water hose provided by Nature Adventures Outfitters to clean up our equipment, packed it up in Bryce's truck, and headed home. This was an excellent paddle, but it also meant the end of our Spring 2011 paddles with Bryce as he had to go back to Kansas. We look forward to his next visit!

02/18/11 - Ft. Sumter Trip

(Tide listing for Charleston, SC)

Low Tide: 1:52 PM EST (-1.0 ft)

High Tide: 7:31 AM EST (6.0 ft)
Sunrise: 7:18 AM

Sunset: 5:51 PM
Water Temp: 53F

Charleston Harbor Entrance Currents



Friday Feb 18, 2011 - Ft. Sumter Trip - Ft. Johnson to Ft. Sumter
This trip, in the Charleston harbor, is heavily influenced by the prevailing tides and winds. Our pre-trip planning showed low tide and 1:52PM and we planned to take advantage of the outgoing tide on our trip out to Ft. Sumter with the incoming tide pushing us back to the takeout spot when we leave. Bryce accompanied us on this trip and was instrumental in the site selection for the journey. He wanted a salt water experience and to check out Ft. Sumter. We could not have picked a more beautiful day for the trip. The temperatures hovered above 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The water temperature was a brisk 53 degrees, but it didn't seem quite that cool if you didn't take a swim in it.

Our initial plan was to put the kayaks in at Milton peter Demetre Park (formerly Sunrise Park) and paddle around Ft. Johnson to Ft. Sumter. However, upon arrival at the park we saw that the wind was picking up a bit. Another man pulled up to launch his kayak here and suggested that we might all be better off if we launched from Ft Johnson itself. The other kayaker, John, led us back to Ft. Johnson and showed us where he usually launches from at Ft. Johnson. After rigging the kayaks and hauling them the 40 yards or so to the water's edge we parked our vehicles in the paved parking lot nearby. It was to be a full moon that night and the tide was very low. At the launch site we waded out into the low tidal waters with out boats to launch at 12:05pm. The shallow waters made the launch a little slow, but soon we were on our way to Ft. Sumter. John took a right turn and went to check out a nearby tidal creek.

We almost immediately came upon a sand bar and had to paddle around it. Deanna took the sit-inside and left the rest of us on the sit-on-tops. The warm sun felt great as we paddled across the harbor and to Ft. Sumter. The wind wasn't took bad on the way to Ft. Sumter, but the wave action did crash over the side of the sit-on tops a few times. As we approached Ft. Sumter, Bryce noticed that the flag flying above the fort was not sporting all 50 stars. We also noticed that the other flagpoles, usually flying the state and confederate flags, were empty. We had to wonder if the fort would be closed for the President's Day holiday. We beached the boats at Ft Sumter at low tide and pulled them up the beach about 20 yards to avoid the high tide floating our boats away. The trip from Ft Johnson to Ft Sumter had taken us just 30 minutes.


At Ft. Sumter, the tourist boats had not yet arrived and we had the place to ourselves. A nice young lady from the Park Service said it would be at least 20 minutes before the first boat would arrive. Everyone had a camera along and we went crazy taking photos and looking around before the place would be crawling with strangers. Deanna even brought her good Sony DSLR camera for the event. The Park Service people said the flag flying over Ft. Sumter is an exact replica of the flag flying there in 1861 when Maj. Anderson was defending the fort. The flag will be flying there alone until March 1, 2011 when it will be rejoined by the other flags.



After spending a few hours at Ft. Sumter and watching the boats change out the tourists twice, we headed back for the kayaks and took a little time for snacks and beverages. Then, we dragged the kayaks back into the water, which by this time was only about 10 yards away. The trip back was a little tougher with the wind whipping up a bit. We stopped along the way at a beach on the James Island side of the harbor and left our boats on the sandy beach. The tide was rising much faster in this shallow beach and it quickly send us running back for our now floating boats. We dragged them up the shore a bit and tied them to a hitching post before resuming our beach combing. This proved to be a good idea as they were soon afloat again.



We then headed back across the last remaining tidal creek opening before our landing spot. The rising tide pushing water into the tidal creek made this part of the journey especially challenging. With a lot of work we arrived back at the launching spot at about 5:30pm. We loaded up the boats with the help of our new kayak wheels. These low pressure tires made the walk up the beach a breeze and I highly recommend them for anyone who has to portage great distances with your kayak. Everyone was a bit exhausted, but after a celebratory beer on the shore we wrapped it up before heading to Folly Beach for dinner.

01/29/2011 - Edisto River from Springtown Landing to Weeks Landing

(Tide listing for Canaday Landing on Edisto River)

Low Tide: 4:11 PM EDT (0.10 ft)

High Tide: 8:23 AM EDT (0.89 ft)
High Tide: 8:34 PM EDT (0.77 ft)
Sunrise: 7:18 AM

Sunset: 5:51 PM

(USGS Gage at Givhans Ferry State Park on Edisto River)

Gage Height: 3.73 feet

Discharge: 1,110 ft3/sec

Saturday Jan 29, 2011 - Edisto River Trip - Springtown to Weeks Landing
The tides don’t really affect your trip much this far up the Edisto River, so this a one way trip down the river. A check of the USGS river gauge at Givhans Ferry State Park before our trip showed the gage height at 3.7 feet and the flow at 1,110 ft³/sec. The water was about a foot higher and the flow rate almost double what it was on out last trip here. Our nephew, Bryce, was visiting from Ft Jackson and he went with us on this trip. We staged our vehicle at Weeks Landing, our take out point, across the river from Colleton State Park. We left the boat landing in Springtown on the Edisto River at 12:30 PM. There were no other vehicles parked there at the time. We launched our kayaks off the end of the ramp with no trouble at all. We expected the river to look much more swift than our last visit here, but it didn't look like we were correct. The Edisto was still flowing at a nice pace for a leisurely paddle down the river. It was a sunny day with temperatures approaching 68° F. We were so glad to have such a nice January day after what was an abnormally cold January to this point.

This was Bryce's first kayaking trip and he started the journey in our sit-inside. We agreed that he would try out both the sit-inside and sit-on-top during this paddle, so that he could form opinions as to which type best suited him. He took to the river like an old pro and we quickly found ourselves at the I-95 bridge. The current, it seemed, was moving along at a good clip. We estimated that what was a 4 hour plus trip last time would only take us about 3 hours on this paddle. Of course, this trip did not include the fishing along the way to slow us down and we were hoping for less trouble with the trees lining the banks of the river.

We stopped at a sandy bank along the way for a cold Dr. Pepper / Mountain Dew and the awesome jalapeno potato chips that Deanna brought along. There were actually several sandy banks on this stretch of the river and we stopped to stretch on two of them. On the first beach stop Deanna switched kayaks with Bryce to allow him to experience the sit-on-top kayak. He loved it and seemed to think that it tracked just fine for him. There were less submerged logs and stumps to avoid on this trip than the last, but we were ever vigilant lest one sneak up and dump us into the cold river water.

Near the end of the trip, we passed by the SCE&G plant that was close to Colleton State Park. As we approached the plant, we were so busy checking it out that we neglected to see the log sticking out of the water. Ok, Bryce said he tapped it with his paddle, but Deanna and I somehow missed his sign. Deanna took an exciting ride over the top of the log, but managed to keep her balance and avoid a dip in the less than attractive waters near the plant. We stayed as far from the banks as possible as we passed the plant.

After we passed the plant, but before the Colleton State Park, we stopped for a stretch at another sandy beach. Bryce was becoming quite confident with the sit-on-top by this point and during a hasty dismount he took a little dip in the waters of the Edisto River. I guess this was his baptism into the ranks of Lowcountry yakkers. As we prepared to leave this beach we noticed the look of snow on a sunny day. The "snow" that we were witnessing turned out to be ash falling from the power plant. The acid snow and Bryce's now chilly clothing convinced us to get back on the river and make the short journey on to our takeout point.

We arrived at Weeks Landing around 3:30 PM. We paddled up to the boat ramp, rather than the dock this time. It made for a much easier dismount than our last trip where we used the dock. We loaded the gear into the back of our SUV and I stayed with the kayaks while Deanna and Bryce went back for his truck at the launch point. We loaded the kayaks into the back of Bryce's truck and we were on our way. In the future, we want to be sure to invite Bryce to every trip that he can make. His company made for a pleasant Edisto River trip and his truck make the logistics must easier than picking up the kayaks to the top of our SUV. We still hope to get him into the salt water of the Atlantic before he leaves the state!

08/07/2010 - The Venice, Florida Kayak Fossil Dive Trip

Saturday August 07, 2010 - The Venice, Florida Kayak Fossil Dive Trip

We arrived in Venice on Friday afternoon and stopped by the Florida West Scuba dive shop to pick up a few tanks for the dive. The people at the Florida West Scuba School were very accommodating and helpful. Our plan was simple. We were going to load up the kayaks with scuba gear, paddle out a half of a mile or so, and do a fossil dive using the kayaks as a dive platform.

We had been by the Brownie factory in Fort Lauderdale on the previous day. We picked up a 60’ kayak dive hose kit there which Deanna had planned to use on the Venice dive. She removed the 1^st and 2^nd stages from her dive regulator setup and installed them on her new kayak dive hose. This allows her to leave the tank strapped to the kayak and do a fossil dive with just the low pressure hose. The only down side to this method is the air pressure gauge stays up on the kayak as well. Since we were planning a fairly shallow fossil dive in some 20’ -25’ of water and since I was around with a standard BC and regulator we felt this was an acceptable risk.

We arrived at the beach near the 3 condo buildings in Venice at 10:00 AM. We unloaded the gear from the vehicle and started hauling it down to the beach. We moved the kayaks, one at a time, and then carried the tanks down to the beach. This was no small endeavor as the beach was quite wide and sandy. When we had all of the gear stowed on the kayaks and were ready to hit the water we were already getting quite hot. The air temperature was climbing past 90°F on this beautiful summer day. There were at least 4 shore divers in the water, as was evidenced by floating dive flags that you are required to drag around when diving this fossil dive. There were also divers in the water a bit farther out who were using the Hammerhead dive boat as their dive platform.

The paddle out into the Gulf was amazingly easy. There were 2’ swells and the occasional boat wake to deal with, but it was no more difficult than our experience in the Wando River back in South Carolina. We were out among the shore divers in very little time and continued on toward the dive boats. When we were roughly half the way between the shore divers and the dive boat (1/2 mile offshore) we anchored our kayaks to gear up for our fossil dive. About this time my wife expressed concern about dizziness and high body temperatures. We thought about getting her into the water to cool down, but then decided that it would be most difficult for me to load her unconscious body back onto the kayak if things went wrong. We decided that it is always best to err on the side of safety and agreed to abort the dive portion of our trip. After all, we were successfully completing our first ocean kayaking aboard our sit-on-top kayaks at that alone would make it worthwhile.

We headed back to the shoreline with a little more haste than our leisurely paddle out. When we reached the shore we poured water over our heads and the cooling helped to keep the heat exhaustion at bay. Dragging the gear back up the sandy beach was an uphill battle. I had the lovely experience of dragging all of the gear back to the vehicle staging area by myself while Deanna recovered from the near heat stroke. This left me extremely hot as well.

We loaded the gear back into the vehicle in the hot Florida sun. Although the dive tanks were still full we did have a good time on the water. In the future, we should take Bonine before hitting ocean waters (although not much of an issue on this trip waves could create more of a problem) and we should start out earlier in the day before the temperatures reach their peak. We will definitely get our dive tanks from the nice folks at Florida West Scuba School.

05/30/2010 - The Hatchery Fishing Trip

Sunday May 30, 2010 - The Hatchery Fishing Trip

(Fishing report on Santee Cooper lakes)

(Map of The Hatchery from Berkeley Blueways)

We left the Hatchery Boat Landing on Lake Moultrie at 5:00 PM. There were a number of people fishing nearby, but for a Memorial Day weekend it wasn't overwhelming. We put in our kayaks from the unused little boat ramp to the right of the dock. It was a balmy day with high temperatures and humidity. We were joined by our friend Linda for this Memorial Day weekend fish-n-paddle.

We headed out to the right along the canal, parallel to the levee, and immediately faced a head wind. We thought being among all of those trees would stop the wind. We were wrong. Still, it was not as bad as the wind on a wide open expanse of water. We could comfortably paddle up the canal, but in the enclosed space we had rather large wakes from the passing bass boats. Almost immediately, I took a large wake wave over the bow that provided cooling water and required pulling the scupper plug to drain out water. My seat remained wet for the rest of the trip.

When we arrived at the first cut that leads out to the stump field, we stopped to fish for a while. It was drift fishing with the wind unless we dropped anchor to keep us in place. I caught 2 of the smallest bass known to mankind using yellow RoadRunners and released them (of course). We fished this area for a while and threw everything we had at them. We tried RoadRunners, top water baits, crank baits, RattleTraps, jigs, jigs with worms, and Texas rigged plastic worms. The fish were just not cooperating. We talked to several other groups of fishermen and all of them had similar stories. One group said that they had been there for 4 days in a row with no luck.

We did get to see an osprey family fly in with a fish to feed the youngsters in the nest near the cut. It was mesmerizing to watch them fly in from way up in the sky while screaming to the kiddos below. Ok, so who hasn't screamed at the kiddos from time to time? This was an awesome sight to see, but we had to move on down the canal if we wanted another attempt at catching the elusive large mouth bass.

We moved down to the next cut in the left side levee and while I changed bait the ladies paddled through the cut. I soon followed, of course, so as not to be seen as a girlie man. There was a 3 foot path through what was a solid expanse of lily-pads. This looks like an awesome place to pull out a few bass using plastic worms or other weedless hooks. It also looked like an excellent place for the local alligators to hang out while waiting for a tasty kayakker to drop in for dinner. Not wanting to be dinner, I paddled out the other end of the lily-pad field into the lake. The ladies were at the other side of the lily-pads casting away in an attempt to snag a big fish. We fished for about 1/2 an hour before the rapidly setting sun made us head back through gator country and back towards the takeout point.

The wind stopped blowing on the way back to the boat ramp. The water was flat as a pancake and we had to fight the urge to stay here fishing all night. The sunset was around 8:20 and we were on the water at that time with a bit more paddling before us. We kept up a nice leisurely pace as we paddled back and enjoyed the sunset at The Hatchery.

We arrived back at the landing around 8:35 PM. We were able to take out the kayaks at the same boat ramp that we had left from. We packed up the gear and loaded the kayaks with the headlights from Linda's vehicle. Although the fish were largely uncooperative, we still had a lovely time at The Hatchery! In the future, we need to come back around the April time frame and tear up those bass on the nest in the stump fields. There are no lights at this boat ramp!! It gets VERY dark after sunset and even the people in bass boats were having difficulty finding the dock after dark.

05/29/10 - Wando River Redfish Trip

Saturday May 29, 2010 - Wando River Redfish Trip

(Tide listing for Big Paradise Island on Wando River)

Low Tide: 4:30 PM (0.0 ft)

High Tide: 11:32 PM (7.6 ft)

We left the Claude M. Blanchard, Jr. Landing, (aka Paradise Island Landing) on the Wando River at 2:00 PM. There were less boats here today than 2 weeks ago. There were about 6 or 8 teenagers swimming from the boat ramp out to the sand bar nearby while their mother fished from the shore. We were able to put in our kayaks from the center of the boat ramp. It was a beautiful 87 degree day for a Memorial Day weekend fish-n-paddle.

There was a strong tail wind as we paddled with the ebbing tide. This made the paddling easy, but it created issues whenever we wanted to stop and fish the inlets of the tidal creeks dumping into the Wando River. Deanna brilliantly solved the problem when she whipped out her anchor and parked herself in the mouth of the creek inlet. The anchors proved to be the thing we were most happy to have brought along on this trip!!

There were a number of recreational boaters and jet skis based out of the docks on the opposing shore, but this was Memorial Day weekend. We were in the more shallow waters and this allowed us to get a great view of the dolphin that was feeding nearby. The dolphin swam right by us on his/her way back out to sea!!

We ended up near the mouth of the tidal creek marked on the map at low tide. We fished this area for about an hour. I tried brown jigs tipped with crawfish colored Zoom plastic baits and black jigs tipped with Gulp shrimp, but the redfish and sea trout were not biting either today. Deanna was using a silver RattleTrap. Deanna caught 2 flounder here with one coming in at 13", just one inch short of the legal minimum. He was a nice fish and looked yummy, but Deanna reluctantly released him back into the Wando.

The paddle back to the boat ramp was more work than we anticipated. The head wind was very strong and would push us down river if we stopped paddling. However, the rising tide was a beneficial thing and we did make the paddle back. We stopped at a few spots along the way back, but the baitfish weren't jumping much after the hour since low tide had elapsed. We did spot a redfish in the marsh grass when we neared the boat ramp. We were unsuccessful in getting him in our boats.

We arrived back at the landing around 7:30 PM. The boat ramp was deserted except for a few vehicles left with boat trailers attached. We were able to take out the kayaks in the center of the boat ramp with no company around. We packed up the gear and loaded the kayaks with plenty of daylight left. It was a beautiful day for a fish-n-paddle and we loved it!! In the future, we should always take the anchor on kayak fishing trips and we should recheck our lines after catching fish with teeth to avoid losing our tackle.

05/15/10 - Cat Island Trip on Wando River

Saturday May 15, 2010 - Cat Island Trip on Wando River

(Tide listing for Big Paradise Island on Wando River)

Low Tide: 4:26 PM (-0.3 ft)

High Tide: 11:17 PM (7.8 ft)

We left the Claude M. Blanchard, Jr. Landing, (aka Paradise Island Landing) on the Wando River at 3:30 PM. There were more than twice the normal number of fishing boats here because of the new moon, the associated astronomical low tides, and the redfish. Numerous boats were being taken out at the landing, but due to the new moon the tide was lower than many expected. I’ve never seen people struggle so much to take out boats in what was 12 – 18 inches of water. The end of the boat ramp was above the water line, so the boaters were backing their trailers down off the sides of the ramp. Trailers and vehicles were getting stuck in the pluff mud around the ramp. Of course, in our kayaks we were able to throw the boats in and paddle off with no trouble.

There was a strong head wind and it created a challenge getting down river. We looked forward to returning with a tail wind on the return trip. The baitfishes were jumping all around us in the shallows as we skirted the edge of the river. There were many fishermen on the water and they were having a great day catching large Redfish. One boat also reported catching a few Sea Trout. The local DNR officer said the reds love to be caught in the low tide. We saw the local DNR officer towing 2 kayaks up river because they were kayak fishing without PFDs, whistles, or even fishing licenses. We thought that this would be an easy, if not expense, way to get a tow back up river if we got into trouble.

We arrived at Cat Island at around 5:30. This was later than we had hoped, but with the head wind and the changing of the tides near the end of our trip this rate wasn’t too bad. There were about a dozen boats, jet skis, etc on the beach at Cat Island when we arrived. Some even had tents pitched above the tree line. We were a bit disappointed at the party going on at the site we had worked so hard to get to, but we still hit the beach to check out the fossil scene.

We went to the far end of the beach on Cat Island (towards Hwy 41) and began our search. We quickly started finding shark teeth, fish vertebrae, and pieces of stingray grinding plates. With only about 30 minutes to search the beach, we each found a handful of fossils. Of course, Deanna found twice as many as I did with some outstanding micro teeth. We had to tear ourselves away to make the trip back to the landing before darkness set in.

We left Cat Island at 6:30 PM and started back to the landing. The rising tide made the trip back much easier. The shifting winds sometimes came around to the side and front of us. Along the way we saw a boat near a dock on the East bank with a large Redfish they just caught. They were taking pictures of the angler and his fish from every possible angle.

We arrived back at the landing around 8:00 PM. The sunset was phenomenal and we still had plenty of light to get the gear packed up and the kayaks loaded before the mosquitoes started biting. All in all it was a great day out on the water and we had successfully scouted out Cat Island. In the future, we will leave a little earlier to let the ebbing tide help us get down river a little better. We will avoid extreme winds whenever possible and spend more time on Cat Island fossil hunting.

05/08/10 - Edisto River Trip - Springtown to Weeks Landing

Saturday May 8, 2010 - Edisto River Trip - Springtown to Weeks Landing

(Tide listing for Canaday Landing on Edisto River)

Low Tide: 4:16 PM EDT (0.39 ft)

High Tide: 9:04 PM EDT (0.84 ft)

Sunset: 8:08 PM

(USGS Gage at Givhans Ferry State Park on Edisto River)

Gage Height: 2.81 feet

Discharge: 735 ft3/sec

The tides don’t really affect your trip much this far up the Edisto River, so we decided to make this a one way trip down the river. Our friend Linda went with us on this trip. We staged her vehicle at Weeks Landing, our take out point, across the river from Colleton State Park. We left the boat landing in Springtown on the Edisto River at 3:30 PM. There were only two other vehicles parked there at the time. We launched our kayaks off the end of the ramp with no trouble at all. The river was low, but still flowing at a nice pace for a leisurely paddle down the river. A check of the USGS river gage at Givhans Ferry State Park showed the gage height at 2.81 feet and the flow at 735 ft³/sec. It was a balmy 90° F with a nice breeze cooling us on our trip.

We took our fishing gear and paddled (or floated) down the river in search of the mighty Sunfish. A short time down the river one of us got our fishing line tangled in the overhanging trees and the line would not break. We found out quickly that the line tension will pull you right up under the branches of the trees lining the banks of the Edisto. We managed to get the line to break and soon were on our way. We all ended up casting into a tree at some point along the trip. The yank hard and hope for the best method seemed to work best. We freed our fishing lure better than half the time this way. We did manage to catch the elusive Sunfish on this trip!

We stopped at a sandy bank along the way and ate the sandwiches that we brought with us. There were actually several sandy banks on this stretch of the river and we stopped to stretch on two of them. There were a few submerged logs and stumps to avoid since the river was low. The sweepers (low hanging tree branches) along the river banks could also be challenging if you end up under them and in swift current. Staying to the middle of the river was generally the best plan of attack.

Near the end of the trip, we passed by the SCE&G plant that was close to Colleton State Park. The river banks were a lovely rust color through this section of the Edisto. We stayed as far from the banks as possible. We also stopped fishing, because we didn’t want to catch any 3 eyed fish with feet.

We arrived at Weeks Landing around 8:00 PM. We paddled up to the dock on the upriver side and climbed out onto the dock. This was not an easy task. The dock was at least 2 -3 feet above the water level. We pulled the kayaks up onto the dock because the boat ramp was crowded with motorized boaters who might have had a beer or two. The light was beginning to fade as the ladies went back to get the other vehicle. We loaded up in the dark with the lights from Linda’s vehicle lighting the way. This was a very enjoyable trip with minimal effort expended in the water. In the future, we want to check the river gauges at Givhans Ferry again and to bring plenty of water. We might want to reconsider leaving the fishing gear at home if the river discharge level is higher, because it was challenging enough at 735 ft³/sec. We should also exit the boats on the ramp, instead of the dock.