After The Hurricane

Hurricane Florence - Adios!

David Hutton, Sept 16, 2018

Today, with the passing of Hurricane Florence, we in South Carolina breathe a sigh of relief. What was, at one point, the storm of the century, turned out to be, well... we didn't get it all that bad. A lot of rain and wind, a few trees down here and there. I think our power blinked maybe 3 or 4 times.
Others are not so lucky, of course; the folks in North Carolina got it bad. To those who have fared badly, I send my sincere hopes for a speedy return to normalcy.

Since Lori, my wife, is a photographer, she thinks in terms of light exposures, and imagery. And a stormy day offers untold chances along those lines, so we went out for awhile to see what we might discover in the aftermath of Flo'.

"Where's that place you took me to with the exposed tree roots?" she asked.
"You mean Boat Ramp #3? A few miles from here. You know where your hairdressers' shop is?"
"Of course."
"It's just past that," I told her. "Take a left up there at the light..."

A Gray Day

As you can see from the above foto, the wind was down to a few knots, maybe 5. The ceiling was low, heavy, and gray. 
A misty rain covered everything in a coat of wet diamond drops. After the oppressive heat of late summer, the brisk, cool breeze was welcome.

High And Dry - Shells Galore

Exposed Rocks and Shells

Lake Murray is a reservoir serving the Dutch Fork Shoals power generating station, above Columbia, SC. It was said that Florence had the rain capacity to fill Chesapeake Bay, so the power company was drawing down the lake in advance of the rush. From the look of it, I'd say it was about 5 feet low. Areas that were once inundated, just a few weeks ago, were now bare and exposed. The dry line probably extended a good 15-18 feet between the waters edge, and the normal high water point.

Of great interest, though, from an anglers perspective, were all the exposed rocky areas near shore. 

This is a fairly rare sight to see, and it revealed large tracts of freshwater mollusk shells that would otherwise be covered. 
Off the shore, in the deeper troughs, large beds of these shellfish exist, pretty much everywhere there is open water. It is one reason why Lake Murray is a good red-ear sunfish venue. These fish have the unique ability to crack open these mollusk shells, and they grow large on the tasty meat inside. They don't call these brutes, "shellcrackers" for nothing.
They are my favorite panfish to catch.

Something else that pleased me was a crayfish. As mundane as this sounds, I never think of this lake as a home to these little lobsters. But its mostly a rocky bottom, so they are here and I'm always a little happy to see them. 
I have found them as big as your hand, out around some of the islands, and today I heard a little splash while I was walking along the rocks. When I turned to look, I saw a 2 1/2" crayfish scooting away underwater. I can only guess the thing was half in, and half out of the water, and he dove in at my passing. 
I've never heard of them doing that, but I can think of no other explanation.  

Bad Battery

No trip to the lake would be complete without collecting some trash - its a ritual with me. 

"Never Leave Without Someone Else's Trash" is sort of my motto. 

I picked up the usual plastic bottles, chip wrappers, beer cans, plastic bags...and this battery. Now I know a lot of people are slobs and I can do little about it but clean up what I find. And there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation why this was in, what would otherwise be, 5 feet of water.

But this grates my nerve, right here.

Raccoon #1

Raccoon #2

Fungus Among Us

The local raccoons seemed not to be too bothered by the weather; judging by the tracks, they were out in strong numbers around the shoreline. I guess the wind and waves brought them something worth looking for....But it seemed toadstools were not on the menu. These were on a rotten section of a downed tree that us usually just above the waters surface. 

The Gleanings

I almost always find something worth scavenging around the shore. I'm an inveterate beachcomber, and I actively look for things to bring home. Today, the Shore Side Grab Bag provided:

Large Clam Shell
1 Vienna Sausage can
10' hank of 12# Red Cajun monofilament

1 fluorescent plastic bead

1 split shot

2 #6 Aberdeen hooks

1 paint can handle

The clamshell and Vienna sausage can went in the trash; I only show then for scale. And besides, here in The South, canned Vienna sausages are a near staple food. Every angler has a soft spot for the things, or at least a passing familiarity. I normally wouldn't eat them, but gimme some Saltine crackers and these tinned weenies when out fishing, and I'm into some high dining.

The paint can handle will provide some hard wire for repairing something here at home. I was wondering just what I'd use for this job.... and the Shore Side Grab Bag provides.

The hooks and other tackle items are another thing. I try to always tie a fly from whatever hooks and other items I find along the shore. It's a sort of challenge. 

The bead and shot will probably just go into the tackle stores.

But I've been reading a piece from 1936 about bucktail flies, and I think I've got an idea for the hooks an red monofilament along these lines. Stay tuned for more.

Thanks and Tight Lines,

David Hutton

Palmetto Fly N Fish 2018©

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