I need to catch up

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DavidG
DavidG's picture
I need to catch up
<p>I have quietly been lurking around the site for the last few months without chiming in enough... but I HAVE stayed active. I finally got out of law enforcement and we have moved to Columbia, SC. The move has been great and I have been VERY pleased with the local fishing. There is a lot of diverse ecosystems around here providing some awesome fishing opportunity and we have managed to take advantage fairly well i&#39;d say. I was especially happy to move close to Lake Murray, where I caught my first gar ever some 15 years or so ago. The lake still maintains a healthy population of the fish, and they seem to be bigger on average than the Santee gar I am more accustomed to. <img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="493" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1050016And4more_tonemapped-1024x767.jpg" style="width: 552px; height: 426px; max-width: 100%;" width="659" /><img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="508" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1040844And4more_fused-1024x789.jpg" style="width: 550px; height: 435px; max-width: 100%;" width="657" /><img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="474" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1050023And4more_tonemapped-1024x738.jpg" style="width: 549px; height: 420px; max-width: 100%;" width="659" />The Saluda River feeds from the deepest part of the lake and is really cold water. Below the dam they have successfully stocked trout, but Ive not bothered to try to catch them. The water just below the dam is very clear, and though I have seen a lot of big suckers of some sort, ive not taken the time to really try to catch them yet either. There are also big beefy pickerel everywhere, and a lot of striped bass.<img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="494" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1040861And4more_tonemapped-1024x767.jpg" style="width: 558px; height: 427px; max-width: 100%;" width="661" /> <img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="493" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1040875And4more_tonemapped-1024x767.jpg" style="width: 555px; height: 405px; max-width: 100%;" width="658" />I have also done a good bit of fishing in local swamps and oxbows surrounding the Congaree river (and much further East on the PeeDee) where the fish are unspoiled and and plentiful.. I have gone deeper into the submerged cypress forests and swamps trying mostly for bowfin, but i&#39;ll welcome the bite of a big bucketmouth too. Bowfin have been a tough fish for me to find in good numbers for years in SC until now and I am most happy that the fish seem a lot easier to come by around here.<img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="493" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1060319And4more_tonemapped-1024x768.jpg" style="width: 594px; height: 433px; max-width: 100%;" width="660" /> <img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="494" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1060329And4more_tonemapped-1024x768.jpg" style="width: 564px; height: 423px; max-width: 100%;" width="659" /><img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="493" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1060305And4more_tonemapped-1024x767.jpg" style="width: 567px; height: 436px; max-width: 100%;" width="659" /><img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="494" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1060493And4more_tonemapped1-1024x767.jpg" style="width: 569px; height: 448px; max-width: 100%;" width="659" /><img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="507" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1060491And4more_tonemapped1-1024x789.jpg" style="width: 599px; height: 453px; max-width: 100%;" width="660" /><img alt="" class="thumbnail" height="492" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/P1060498And4more_tonemapped1-1024x764.jpg" style="width: 592px; height: 428px; max-width: 100%;" width="659" />Lastly, the carp fishing... having recently become much more enlightened on how to gather the interest of grass carp and catch them more consistently, ive had early success already in my pursuit of some of the big bruisers in Lake Murray. A coworker and friend had tipped me off on some big schools of grassies that frequent the shallows of the cove he lives on and on the first attempt at catching them we both managed fish of great size. Ive since been tipped off on a body of water near our home that supposedly has fish in the &quot;60-70lb&quot; range. I am always a skeptic first, but if someone swears fish of this size than im sure they are atleast half that size, and that aint bad!<img alt="" class="thumbnail" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/5And4more_tonemapped-1024x681.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /><img alt="" class="thumbnail" src="http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/22And4more_tonemapped-1024x855.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></p>
DavidG
DavidG's picture
Looks like some of the pictur

Looks like some of the pictures resized on their own and got sorta stretched and mushed, but you get the point!

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DavidG Blog:  http://www.boundless-pursuit.com

Corey
Corey's picture
Pics

Dave, all your pictures look perfect on my end! Those are some awesome fish. That fat chain pickerel is one of the coolest of that species I've ever seen.

andy
andy's picture
Wow

Yeah that chain pickerel is one of the best I have seen.  But everything is so awesome...love them grass carp too!  Kepp in touch with your catches down there, you know we love to see them!

Mike B
Mike B's picture
Nice to see your pics again D

Nice to see your pics again David. That chain pickerel is awesome!

mike b

Cast_and_Blast
Cast_and_Blast's picture
Nice catches especially that

Nice catches especially that exceptional Chain.  Thanks for the report.

the pyromaniac
the pyromaniac's picture
Yep, pics look amazing on my

Yep, pics look amazing on my trilobite of a laptop...  The fish look amazing too...  Your reports always make me jealous, and this batch of pictures is no exception...  I love a big largemouth too, and about everything else you shared would be a lifer for me, so this just has me motivated to drive down your way next summer (especially considering I'm only 6 hours up the road)...

 

 

 

Let there be fire!

Jason E.
Jason E.'s picture
Never saw someone grab a bowf

Never saw someone grab a bowfin by the lip before.  Nice pics!

DavidG
DavidG's picture
Thanks guys, I have seen a fe

Thanks guys, I have seen a few stubborn pickerel out there (the water is REALLY clear) that were absolutely massive... much much bigger than the one in this photo.  I saw one in particular that remained around a fallen tree for atleast a month, I guess they pick an area they like and sortof establish a territory... but that sucker was mindblowingly huge, I tried everything I could to coax a bite out of that fish but I guess they dont get big by being stupid.  

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DavidG Blog:  http://www.boundless-pursuit.com

Hengelaar
Hengelaar's picture
So many awesome photos! Man,

So many awesome photos!

Man, that is one big, gnarly looking grass carp.

Fishn sure is neat

CoolWater
CoolWater's picture
Nice!

Fantastic report and photos.  Glad the move is treating you well and it looks like you did awesome finding some 'fishy' places.

CoolWater's Blog:  www.coolwaterfish.com