Bob heads to Lake Marion, part of the Santee Cooper lake system, for a laid-back day of catfishing with guide Stevie Pack from Pack’s Landing. Using the Santee rig and live bait, the trip drifts through calm waters in search of blue catfish. From setting up the gear to landing multiple solid catches, it offers a clear look at the techniques and scenery that make this fishery special with the help of a seasoned local guide.
Tag Archives: Lake Marion
Santee Summer Cats
Bob Redfern and seasoned fishing guide David Hilton spend a Summer day fishing for catfish at South Carolina’s Santee Cooper lakes. They demonstrate different techniques for year-round fishing while catching several cats throughout the day.
Book a Santee fishing trip with David Hilton – (843) 870.4734
Santee Cooper Catfishing
Santee Spring Stripers
Drose Cats at Santee
Bob heads to Santee, SC for some world famous cat fishing with guide Ricky Drose.
Ricky Drose at Drose Guide Service 803-460-7717
Drose Stripers & Santee Cooper Country
This is an update to a previous episode where Bob heads to Lake Marion to fish for stripers. Lake Marion is part of the Santee Cooper lake system in South Carolina. Joining Bob will be guide Ricky Drose, whose family has guided on Santee for over 40 years. Jane Powell of Santee Cooper Country joins Bob to talk Santee Cooper Tourism. Also on this week’s Sportsman’s Table we feature a South Carolina fried vegetable recipe.
Santee Stripers with Ricky Drose
Bob heads to Lake Marion in South Carolina which is part of the Santee Cooper lake system. Joining Bob will be guide Ricky Drose, whose family has guided on Santee for over 40 years. Also on this week’s Sportsman’s Table we feature a South Carolina certified grouper taco recipe.
Ricky Drose at Drose Guide Service 803-460-7717
Full Transcript
[Announcer] Coming up on this week’s Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine: Bob heads to Lake Marion in South Carolina which is part of the Santee Cooper lake system. Joining Bob will be guide Ricky Drose, whose family has guided on Santee for over 40 years. Also on this week’s Sportsman’s Table: We feature a South Carolina certified grouper taco recipe. All this and a whole lot more. And it all begins right now.
Yes, it’s been a great day.
Who shot this?
Look at that! Wow, let me hold that thing.
Nice.
Get’ em Ricky.
Got’ em hooked.
All right. Yes, sir. Hmm-mm. Man. You know, you do well stylin’ and profilin’ on that thing.
I’m learning.
Yeah.
You’re a good teacher.
Yeah, right. Now I don’t have a net in here so you get him over here and I’ll get him up, first.
All right.
How ’bout that? All right. Santee Stripe. Oh, yeah. Come here, now. I’m just gonna… We’re gonna take your picture. We’re just gonna take your picture. And yeah, uh huh. Don’t do that, ’cause I don’t want my hook in my hand. Hold still. Hold still. Hold still. Ah, there we go. We got it. Mmm-mm-mm. Okay, there. Nicely done, my friend. Man, that’s a good start right there.
They got a better fish…
Well, we’re gonna let this one go! Let me get’em. Whoo-hoo! Oh, that’s on the free line, Ricky.
[Ricky] Yes, sir.
[Bob] Well folks, welcome to our show this week. Here on Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine I have the distinct pleasure I have in probably if not the premier guide, the legacy guide on Santee, Mr. Ricky Drose with us, okay. And Ricky and his uncles, his dad, and I will tell you, they are just renowned guides here on Santee. And we are really very appreciative of having the opportunity to have him be on our show this week. He’s already pulled in one. Now, I tell you what, Ricky–
Yes.
[Bob] I really don’t…uh oh…
[Ricky] That’s all right, just gotta unhook the line.
[Bob] You got it? Okay. Ah, there we go, awesome. And I don’t mind dating this thing, ’cause to be honest with you, it’s December in South Carolina and it’s nice.
It is hot.
Yeah, it is. I’m telling you.
It is hot.
So, you know, you fish 200 days a year.
Right.
I mean, of course you’ve got all kinds of things, okay. I know you got two kids in college, bro.
I do, I do.
You know, so, you ain’t got any choice…
That’s exactly right. We’ve gotta work.
Thank goodness, I already got mine out.
Oh, mercy.
Tell everybody… Spend just a couple of minutes while I’m… I’m gonna let this fish dance a little bit. Everybody’s gonna say, “Redfern will you dial that thing in” But I really love striper fishing, okay. How exciting is it is for you to guide down here with these stripers that are coming back on Santee?
Striper fishing has gotten really good in the last couple years. We’ve had some good size limits as far as over the past few years, of getting the fish back to where they were years ago.
Yeah.
Catching some really nice fish now. Starting to, with those size limits. So they have helped tremendous amount. Caught some really pretty fish this week so hopefully it will continue… if the weather will cooperate.
Listen, I tell you, the weather’s awesome. It really is awesome, huh? Ah, there he comes. Okay. There he comes Ah, man. Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm. I tell ya, they’re difficult little hummers this morning. You know, we just passed over a bait ball and they just decided to hit.
That’s correct.
You know?
The bait… That’s what we’re doing now is hunting the big schools of bait. And fishing around those schools of bait.
Yeah. And…tell everybody. I mean, we’re rigged up, it’s not rocket science. I mean, of course we’ve got Abu Garcia and striper rods here with the ugly stick.
Right.
But I tell you what, that is picture moment on that fish. I gotta…let me get him up there. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, mm. Now, that fish is a good what? Twenty…
Twenty, twenty-one…
Twenty-six maybe, yeah. Well it maybe with the tip fish tail.
Of course. That’s a good fat striper right there.
Right, right.
You done good, okay.
Well, thank you.
Man, here it is. It’s foggy.
The fish did good.
The fish did good. Well, you did too, okay, all right. Here we go. We let him go, we’ll catch more.
[Announcer] Stay tuned. When we come back from commercial break, we’ll have more striper fishing from Santee Cooper.
[Announcer] Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by these following sponsors: The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Life’s just better outdoors. By Berkley. Catch more fish with Berkley fishing products. By Ranger Boats. Still building legends, one at a time. By Browning Ammunition. Browning, the best there is. By Southern Woods Plantation. Offering the best in southern comfort & quail hunting. And by Santee Cooper Country. Discover the natural wonders of South Carolina’s great lakes.
Let’s see, my knee hit. Let’s do a switch here. Up, that one’s up. Oh, man. Listen, this one here is a lively hummer. Oh. Mm-mm-mm. Listen, you know what is so enjoyable? To see these stripers come back on Santee.
Right.
Folks, listen, you need to pay attention to this ’cause what was on Santee is no more. And this guy can show you the way, okay? Listen, 60 years of family history guiding on this lake. Talk to me while I’m reeling this fish in.
Right, my family moved here, my granddaddy moved to the lake in 1948. And opened up a bait and tackle store called “Joe’s Place”.
Joe’s Place, wow.
Joe’s Place. And so he started guiding, renting boats and running that and my father and two brothers grew up here guiding. So it’s been a family tradition.
Oh my goodness, Ricky.
So, I’m third generation from…
And you’re not that old, man!
I’m not that old.
I’ll tell you, it’s some good water down here on Santee. You hardly got no gray hair!
But, uh…
Oh my goodness!
I should have some gray hair.
Oh my goodness. Well, listen. I will tell you, years ago this was such a great fishery.
It was.
And then it kind of took a decline. Let’s just be honest about it.
Right.
And then, the DNR and all of the conservationists back here have done such great work to bring back the fishing in this lake.
Right.
Both the upper and the lower lake.
The size limits have done really well on the fish and we have a lot of fish, a lot of small fish in the past few years.
Man, that was caught on the free line back there too. Okay, ha ha! You know, he ain’t done yet. That is a good looking striper. Wow! Wow, Ricky, I’m so glad you talked me into coming this morning, okay?
[Ricky] Even though it’s 80 degrees in the wintertime.
Yeah, there you go, ha ha. Oh my gosh, ha ha. I tell you what, man, that one I tried to get out of there a while ago, he just wasn’t having it. There you are.
Just doesn’t want to open his mouth!
He just wasn’t having it! Aw, man! Mm-mm-mm. Wow, let me get over here and then I’ll get ’em from you. Show everybody this beautiful Santee striper. Wow, now that one… Gosh, that would almost go to, what 26, 28?
Right?
Maybe. Good fat fish. Listen, they are back, folks. Santee, it’s here, okay. Log onto to Bob’s Top 16, come on down, we’ll have Ricky on there, if you want to fish with him. Alright, tell ’em how to get a hold of you, now. Give ’em a number. My number is 803-460-7717.
Please, put that in your dial. ‘Cause I’ telling you, you want to come fishing on Santee, this is the guy to take you, right there. All right, let’s put this one back in here, we catch some more, bro.
I’m gonna go under this one right here.
[Bob] All right, here, let me get it out of the way. You got it? Okay. How ’bout the back one?
He gone under all of those.
Okay, all right, you set. That’s a nice hit right there now.
He’s taking some line.
Yeah. Well listen, while you’re doing all the work, let’s talk a little bit about… This is a unique fish now to Santee. Not in all the lakes that they stock and put and take, but this one, they reproduce here.
That’s correct. They go up, all the way to Columbia and reproduce. They spawn there. And their eggs float and come down the river. And so we do have natural reproduction.
Oh, wow.
For stripers here.
Now, does DNR still supplement?
They do occasionally stock a few fish, it’s not every year, but they do stock some from time to time. But a lot of ours are just natural reproduced fish.
Well, they just kind of help fine-tune. Look at…
He’s got around that.
[Bob] Do we got it wrapped?
He is.
[Bob] Let me see if I can get it out of there. Where am I? Over? Are we good?
Yep, got it now. One of ’em.
All right. Go ahead, bring him in. Let me see if I can get this thing off here.
I’m just taking my time. He’s just…
He looks like a nice striper. At least he’s giving you a head nod that he is.
That’s exactly right.
[Bob] Yeah. Get ’em up here. Well see if we can get ’em. Oh, yeah. Tell you what, let me move this one up here. And some strategery here. Yeah, there we go, come here. We’re just gonna take your picture, that’s all we’re gonna do. That’s all we’re gonna do. Wow, come on. Come on. Ahh, there we go. Now look, he wasn’t comin’ off there, either. He had that thing. Okay, there’s your fish.
All right.
Hey, I’ll let you hold it for everybody. Man, now that one’s the biggest of the day! Look it there! Whoo-hoo!
Beautiful fish.
[Bob] Yes, they are. And I tell you, they’ve got some good weight to ’em. Look at that. Now one’s a good 26?
Yep.
Twenty-eight inch maybe?
Yep.
Yeah.
Nice fish.
Man. Ricky Drose right there. Drose Guide Service, Santee. It’s back, brother!
It’s back!
It is back. Alright, ha!
Well folks, listen. I have a special guest today and I want him to talk about how we got where we are with the stripers coming back that you saw us catch today. And none other than Buddy Jennings, the former Director of the South Carolina Parks Rec and Tourism. We’re gonna talk about the legislation that got us where we are today and just how important it’s been. Buddy, I want to thank you for all you do for the resources of this state. But tell me, in 2014, a big change happened.
Yeah, you know we had lost the fisheries due to drought and a lot of other conditions but in 2014, with the work of DNR and the Santee Cooper Country, working with the stakeholder’s group across the state, we were able to come up with legislation that would help bring that fisheries back. What we ended up with was a 23 to 25 inch slot and the striped bass grow through that slot in a matter of a year. And there’s three different classes in that slot. So we were able to catch three fish in that slot limit. One can be over 26, so if you catch a truly memorial fish, it’s good to keep that one. But we closed the season from June the 16th through October the 1st. All of those, plus the fact that we’ve had more rain and we’ve had more stocking, have brought this fishery back to the world-class status that we once enjoyed.
Well, you know, one of the other key pieces too. I mean, Santee Cooper Country has done a wonderful job down there with the tourism, but this even helps their job even more to get more folks to come down there now and enjoy the lakes.
Absolutely. Their job is to promote and advertise the Santee Cooper area. Mary Shriner and her board do a great job working with the legislative delegation in that area. So, I’m real proud of all the work that they’ve done.
[Announcer] When we come back, we head to The Sportsman’s Table for another great recipe from Deck 383 in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
[Announcer] The Sportsman’s Table is brought to you by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Whether you live in South Carolina or out-of-state, be sure to buy South Carolina grown meats, vegetables and fruits. Make sure your food is South Carolina Certified. It’s a matter of taste.
Folks, welcome to this week’s Sportsman Table. I tell you what, Carol Panagos, she’s a sous chef with Strand Catering here in Murrell’s Inlet in Myrtle Beach. She’s got a great fish recipe for you today. Carol, thank you for coming in, okay.
Thanks for having me.
Beautiful setting here at Wacca Wache Marina, Deck 383. And it’s all about fish.
It is.
Okay, well let’s get started ’cause I love fish.
Well, today we’re gonna be using grouper. We’re gonna do some beer battered fish tacos.
Oh awesome.
But it’s very simple recipe so everybody can use this. We got our grouper from a local place here in Seven Seas Fishmarket.
Oh, wow.
They usually get it in the day of.
Yeah, that’s right here in Murrell’s Inlet.
It is.
Certified South Carolina, right there.
Exactly. So all you’re gonna do, you’re gonna take your flour, and then you’re gonna take a little bit of baking soda with salt and pepper.
Okay.
And then, you can’t have enough Old Bay. You can’t go wrong. I like to use the Old Bay with the garlic in it. And then we’re gonna use our Nut Brown Ale New South Beer which is local here as well. You just pour a whole can in there.
Really?
Yes.
No kidding, huh. Well, I have to look at this beer. A New South Nut Brown Ale, right there folks. I’m telling ya.
Locally brewed.
A new use for beer. That’s local.
It’s local as well. The only brewery in South Carolina.
Okay, that’s certified.
And in Myrtle Beach I should say.
There you go.
There you go. Alright, so once you have this stirred up here, you want to have a nice pancake batter consistency.
Okay.
You set that aside. You’re just gonna take your fish and you’re gonna just drudge them in there.
Oh, wow. So you don’t even have to kind of pre-do it with an egg wash or anything, huh?
No. Everything’s right in here for you.
Oh my goodness.
Then you just drudge it, and you’re gonna stick it right in your oil. And that’s gonna cook for 5 to 7 minutes, real simple.
That is easy.
It is.
Okay, Carol, what do we got now?
Now you want to make your cole slaw. While your dish is cooking, you can quickly make your cole slaw and let that rest. We’re gonna use thin sliced red cabbage and thin sliced red onions. Combine those together.
Oh wow.
You’re gonna take some thin sliced green onions and then some lime zest, throw that in there.
Mmm.
You’re gonna take some olive oil, just enough, like two tablespoons, three tablespoons is fine. And then you want to take a lime and you want to squeeze over it. Remember we use the mesh screen over it.
Yeah.
So that way you don’t get your seeds inside there. And then, let that settle there. And then all you’re gonna do is just mix it around.
The lime just smells good.
It does. The lime with the lemon and then once you… You know, a little salt and pepper if you need to as well. Once you massage it with your hands, it’s gonna make the cabbage break down a little bit so it won’t be so crisp to it as well.
I gotcha. Well, I tell you what, let me move this plate over here and we’re ready to roll.
Okay Carol, now what’s next?
We’re gonna take our pre-heated taco shell.
Okay.
We’re gonna take our cooked grouper, beer-battered nice big piece there. You take your slaw and put it right over top of this with the red onions, and see all the color in there? That’s really nice.
[Bob] Oh, yeah.
And then you take a little bit of your sour cream. A good way to spice up some sour cream or crema, is to take a lime and squeeze in there or put some lime zest in there as well. So that’s another option. And then you can also take some pineapple, a little sweetness to the spice, little pineapple salt, and then also some fresh cilantro.
[Bob] Oh my goodness.
[Carol] And there you go.
[Bob] Wow, that is fantastic.
Fresh beer taco.
Fish tacos, okay. Carol, listen, thank you so much for being a guest on the show today.
You’re so welcome.
And folks I will tell you, what’s fresh on your menu? Check out certifiedscgrown.com. And you too can have great items just like we saw today on the show. And, the next time you’re down in Murrell’s Inlet, stop on by Deck 383. Come on in, enjoy this beautiful backdrop. I tell you what, fishin’, it’s all about that and comin’ in for a great meal. We’ll see you right back here again next time, on The Sportsman’s Table.
[Announcer] To find out more information on food that’s fresher and tastier, go online at certifiedscgrown.com. Buy Certified South Carolina grown products. It’s a matter of taste.
[Announcer] Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by these following sponsors: Chevrolet. The official vehicle of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. By the South Carolina Agriculture Department. It’s a matter of taste. By Browning. Browning, the best there is. By Wacca Wache Marina and Deck 383. Located in Murrell’s Inlet, South Carolina. By the Old 96 District of South Carolina. Come discover the Unexpected Wonders. And by South Carolina Embroidery and Screenprinting. Your source for all your promotional product needs.
Got ’em Ricky, got ’em! Let me Oh, man! You know, we just came across that bait pod.
That’s right.
The sun’s come out, the fog’s lifted.
The fish were right behind that bait.
Look at him, look at him go. Bam! You know, we’ve caught some great fish today.
We have.
I’m serious. And I know you’ve caught some bigger ones. And I tell you what, that’s okay. But what you’re doing as a guide down here and what we want to show today is… Okay, okay.
Gotta chase the fish around the boat!
Well, you know, we try to play it real, here. I don’t want to give the false sensation that everybody’s gonna catch, you know, a 35 pound striper down here. Now, can you?
Yes.
You bet you can.
You can.
But what we want them to do is to come down, stay active, catch lots of fish with you.
Right.
And you know, Santee is back.
Yes.
From striper. I mean, it is back. Look at that. Oh-oh-oh! Yes, sir! Well folks, while I’m reeling this fish in we’ve had a great day on the water. Ricky, tell these folks… Let me come on back down here. Tell these folks, ’cause they want to come. Again, you can on to Bob’s Top 16 on our website at Bobredfern.com. Ricky’s gonna be on that top 16 list. Tell everybody your phone number again, how they can come down and fish with you.
It’s Ricky Drose at Drose Guide Service. And my number is 803-460-7717.
And folks, listen: Santee Cooper country, this is a beautiful place to come. Again, I know I keep saying, Santee, it never left. But it’s really back in a big way. And our DNR and all these great folks and these conservationists like the guides that are down here, have helped do this and bring these stripers back. And I will tell you all the great work that’s been done here is just awesome. And it is awesome. And that–whoa! You know, I may have got the big end today.
I believe you did.
Why man, look at that. Well folks, listen, as I always like to say each and every week, the outdoor’s my passion. I want it to be yours too. We’ll see you right back here again next week on another great episode of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. Come on in here, striper! Yeah, man, look at here! Whoo! You got ’em Ricky?
I’m gonna get ’em.
[Bob] All right, Bo, get ’em. He’s not giving up!
He’s not quite ready yet.
[Bob] You know, you gotta be careful too ’cause not only do the teeth hurt, that fin hurts too. Oh, yeah. Oh my goodness. Look at there! Wow! Folks, we’ll see ya next week, on another episode. Ricky, you did good, my friend. All right. Alright!
Santee Spring Fishing (Extended)
This is an extended version of Bob’s trip to Santee with guide Stevie Pack from last year. Bob and Stevie hook several large striper and a fat catfish or two.
Full Transcript
[Narrator] Coming up this week on Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. Bob is striper and catfishing on Santee Cooper Lake system with guide Stevie Pack. Also on this week’s Sportsman’s Table we feature a duck breast recipe. Stay tuned for this and a whole lot more, and it begins right now.
This one right there! What I thought of this thing, he might have been a jake. Fish on!
[Man] Doubled up, doubled up, man!
There’s one right there, come on.
Hang on there.
There he is, right there.
Let me reel it.
Reel him out.
Let me get him outta there, Bo.
You got him?
Oh man!
Yeah, that’s him! That’s him! Look it there.
Woo, man!
Good start!
Well, folks, welcome to our show this week.
That’s a good start!
It’s our early mornin’. Stevie Pack from Pack’s Landing down in Santee. It has been a long time–
Oh, nice one.
Since we, oh yeah, look at that. Look at that, would you? Nice stripe. Now stripe are comin’ back.
Yep, they’ve spawned out.
In Santee.
[Stevie] Boy, they’re comin’ back down the river is what I’m saying, these have spawned out.
[Bob] I’ve referred to stripers are back in Santee!
[Stevie] Man.
[Bob] You guys have done a great job with the fishery down here. Look at that.
Look it here.
[Bob] Wow!
Huh?
Man oh man! Stevie, wow!
That little hook’s harder to get out than them big ones.
[Bob] Yes sir. Do you need my pliers?
[Stevie] I got him.
You got him? Now man, look at that. Oh my goodness.
He’s probably 25 inches.
Look at that, wow, let me hold that thing.
Get him in there right there.
Got ya, all right.
Oop!
And he’s gone. That’s it, let him go, man. That’s okay, he wants to go back out.
Let’s get rigged up and catch another one.
Here, man, here, wipe your hands. All right! Well, folks, listen, I tell you what. We have been on a lot of water. Haven’t been on Santee for probably 10 to 12 years, I guess, Stevie.
It’s time you come back.
Exactly, well, you know, and this guy right here, he has fished this his whole life since he’s been about, well, probably three or four. Started Pack’s Landing, his daddy did, back in the ’30s.
Grandpa.
When the lake was– And your grandpa, yeah. I mean, man, and when they built this lake in 1942, the Packs were here. And I will tell ya, you have been fishin’ it ever since. And I don’t believe I have ever heard of a reputation of a guide than the Packs family. You guide, your brother guides. Tell me just a little bit about, while we’re waiting on another hit here, tell me just a little bit about the landing and what you guys service the fishermen down here who come far and wide to fish not only stripe, but blue catfish, largemouth bass?
Well, the story there, we got a nice little tackle shop there. We keep the basics, just what you need. We can’t keep all that tackle everybody needs in there. But we got all the basics. So when you come, if you need something, we got it.
Got ya.
And as far as guidin’, it’s pretty simple, just call us up and come on. The main spawning run up here is March, April, May, June.
Okay.
So they’ll go up the rivers, 50 miles on up, either Camden or Columbia and they’ll spawn, then they’ll come back down. March you’re gonna catch a nicer fish. They got the big old bellies. That fish will probably weigh three more pounds in March.
Yeah, exactly, yeah.
Fat, probably been a bigger tug too. But it’s slow. If you catch three, four fish up here, most fishermen are happy.
[Bob] Oh sure, yeah.
And then you can mix catfish in with it. And of course we got shellcrackers, brown, and the bass have been off the charts here. But I’m just mainly striper and catfish.
I will tell ya, folks, listen, go to Bob’s Top 16 on our website, bobredfern.com. You will find this guy and his brother and all of the crew down at Pack’s landing at Santee, Pinewood, South Carolina. Okay, let’s do this.
Let’s see if we can catch another one.
A little less talk and a little more walk. Oh, look at that!
Watch that draw right there.
[Bob] All right, got ya, hang on.
That’s a good one right there, buddy.
Let’s dance.
He’s tangled up here.
Uh oh, okay, hang on now.
Might get the rods up in the a minute.
Hang on.
It’s gonna be a keeper here.
Yes.
Well, it’ll being that keeper size range.
What do we got?
Oh thanks. Got it?
Hang on.
Hurry up, he’s gonna come off. He’s goin’ upriver.
You’re gettin’ all excited this morning.
If this don’t get you excited–
Get on it, brother, get on it!
If this don’t get you excited… Look at that one right there, bud. Look at that jump.
Ooh, wow! Wow!
Look at him. They’re pretty.
[Bob] Stevie, that thing is awesome! Yeah!
That’s a hammer.
Listen.
[Stevie] You gonna lip him?
[Bob] I’ll lip him!
[Stevie] I can do it all!
I know you can! You’re just like Paul. Hang on, I gotta get my glasses off here, I’m gettin’ old. Come here, fish! Come here, man, come here. Hooked just the way he’s supposed to with that Fusion circle hook. All right, come here, come here. Ah, don’t do that. Nah, don’t do that, don’t do that! Nah! Don’t do that! Huh!
Too bad we’re not in a tournament. Just playin’!
Well I’m trying to take it easy! We’re gonna catch and release.
He wasn’t coming off anyway.
Hang on, get that thing off my–
Oh did they hook you too?
Oh you did, you’re gettin’ all excited. Look at that, he’s gone. Man, you did good.
All right, let’s get another one.
Woo!
[Narrator] Stay tuned! When we come back we’ll have more fishing from Santee Cooper. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine brought to you today by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Life’s just better outdoors. By Berkley: catch more fish with Berkley fishing products. By Ranger Boats: still building legends one at a time. By Browning Ammunition. Browning: the best there is. And by Southern Woods plantation: a place where the grandeur of times past can still be experienced today.
Fish on, Steve!
You got him!?
Fish on, brother!
You got him?
Yeah, man!
Let’s get him!
I got him, I got him! All right, Stevie, now look, tell me–
Look here, I’m getting ready to catch one, I got one too!
You got one, get it!
I’m comin’ behind you! I got one on too! Clear the room, give me some room.
[Bob] Oh I got you now, I got you.
I think mine’s bigger.
Oh!
Oh I gotta go under you.
[Bob] All right, go ahead, let’s dance.
[Stevie] Did the dance. Look it there.
[Bob] Let’s dance.
Oh they’re gonna try to cross all these lines up.
Goodness! And you know what’s so unique about this spot is this is just a little cut right here off the main river. Look at that, oh my goodness.
That one’s spawned out.
I’m just playing.
He went and did his job.
[Bob] I’m just playing mine.
I had to clear him before he tangled everything up.
Look at this, look at this, wow! Folks, we have literally been here 15 minutes and just got these four rods in the water, and they are just absolutely tearin’ it up. Okay, we’re fishin’ bait this morning. Blueback herring or shad?
Threadfin shad this morning.
Threadfin shad.
The saltwater herring are gone.
Threadfins?
That spawned out in March and took off.
Come here, come here.
While you’re doin’ that I’m gonna get a bait out.
Yeah, do that, Bo. Look at that. And folks I wanna show ya right here with this Berkley Fusion circle hook. It goes right in the upper lip and you can get ’em right outta there very, very easily. Doesn’t hurt the fish. At all. And I’m just gonna grab it just for the sake of… I don’t wanna hurt him. Come on, get outta there now. You are hooked very good. But… Okay. There we go. Stevie, I’m tellin’ ya. Man, you’re all business.
That’s a beautiful morning!
It is, look at that, catch and release. Mm, man. Santee stripers, wow! Now tell me a little bit. I know that Santee stripers have been, there’s a major effort by DNR and all the guys who fish here, like you, that have been behind restorin’ this fishery, okay?
It’s a tough job. It’s a little to deep to get into, but they’re tryin’, we’re tryin’, everybody’s tryin’.
Well I mean I think it’s good for the area but the stripers went away a little bit. Of course they’ve changed the limits and they’ve done all that they can do, so.
Yeah, there were other things too, like the Rediversion Canal, rerouting the water. There’s a lot of stuff that went into it, okay? These fish used to come through the lock doors, they were saltwater fish. All of ’em. We’re stockin’ a lot of fish now.
Got ya.
So it’s gettin’ a little bit like some of the other lakes, a put and take lake. But you see they’re doin’ well.
They are doin’ well.
Nice outcome.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about, yeah, man.
We’re getting some bigger fish coming through the lock doors too, so I’m saying, with that combination it could be back. ‘Cause Santee, you know, was one of the first lakes that saltwater fish would come into and they actually stopped the fish behind the dam and stocked all these lakes in the United States with fish from right here in Santee. Santee started it all. If you read the history on it, it’s there.
Well, and the history of the Packs family, you guys have been here since the beginning! That’s what’s so unique.
[Stevie] That’s why I can’t quit.
I know!
Gotta do the old drill.
[Bob] Yeah, man. Don’t do that!
Come back around here. Ah, he’s comin’ back this side.
[Bob] Yeah, I’m clear. I can get the others outta the way.
I think we’re good.
[Bob] You good? Make sure that thing is still alive.
Come here, baby!
[Bob] You got him? All right, man.
[Stevie] This is gonna be a nice one too.
[Bob] Yeah he’s a nice one. I can get that one outta the water if you want.
You might as well.
[Bob] Okay, hang on.
[Stevie] Well, if you go under me I’ll be good.
All right, yeah.
You might catch one while you’re holding onto that one.
I got you.
That’s gonna be a chunker.
Another double! Get another double.
It looks like a chunker.
Wow! I’ll tell you what–
I’ve seen babies roll better.
Mmhmm.
[Stevie] Oh yeah.
[Bob] That’s a good quality fish right there, wow!
[Stevie] That’s an old chunk!
[Bob] Yeah it is, oh, I’m tellin’ ya. Uh uh uh! Wow!
[Stevie] Come here, baby. Easy. I got ya. Yes sir! Oh, he gone!
[Bob] You did good, all right. Here, let me get ya some more bait here, brother.
[Stevie] That sucker was strong.
Yeah he was!
Thank you.
That was at least, a what, 20…
He was probably 25, 26.
26, yeah. You cannot argue with that in the least. All right. Get a fresh bait, put it on this one. Lift up. Hey, they’re goin’ in spurts here.
[Narrator] When we come back, we head to The Sportsman’s Table for a South Carolina-certified duck recipe. The Sportsman’s Table is brought to you by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Whether you live in South Carolina or out of state, be sure to buy South Carolina-grown meats, vegetables, and fruits. Make sure your food is South Carolina-certified. It’s a matter of taste.
Welcome to Chive Blossom Cafe. This week on The Sportsman’s Table, my guest chef today is Elvis Johnny. He is the chef at Bistro 217 in Pawley’s Island, and he’s got a great duck recipe that I know you guys are gonna wanna, well, they’re gonna wanna cook this at home, aren’t they, Elvis?
Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.
Yeah, okay! I can’t wait, let’s get started.
All right, so we’re using a different technique today. We’re gonna do a duck Seville.
Ah, okay.
So this is a piece of duck breast that we have seasoned, vacuum-packed. Over here we have this tool is called the Joule. A Seville machine. It’s very popular, people are buying those at home and using more and more. So hopefully this is a recipe they can play with at the house. So they take a vacuumed meat or the fish and then heat it up in the water.
Absolutely, so this is at 133 degrees. We’re gonna cook it for about an hour. Of course I have precooked this for us. So we’ll put that in there, it will cook for about an hour, it will be perfect medium rare. So afterwards we’re gonna take it out and then sear it in a pan over here so that we can get the nice colors on there.
Yeah, okay.
We definitely need that.
Okay.
Okay. Today we’re gonna serve some sweet potatoes, some baby bok choy, and a nice Asian sauce. I’ve had to use a little bit of ginger and soy sauce.
Oh, this is awesome.
All right.
Okay.
Let’s get started. So we open the bag. Over here.
And that thing’s already been cooked.
Oh yes, this is perfectly cooked. Put it in the skillet. We’ll add a little bit of butter there. Not too much, just a little bit.
[Bob] You know things taste so good in a cast iron skillet.
[Elvis] Absolutely.
[Bob] And I could tell that thing’s only been wiped out too, so all the flavors are in there!
Absolutely. Okay, so over here have some sweet potatoes. Very traditional from South Carolina. Little bit of sugar, butter, cook ’em in the oven for about an hour or so, they’re perfectly tender. We’re gonna put those in there too because we only– Whoop, there we go. We wanna take out the flavors from the duck.
Good flip.
[Elvis] Absolutely. It doesn’t happen all the time like that, but this time.
[Bob] Ah, there you go. And if you want a copy of Elvis’ recipe, folks, just log onto bobredfern.com.
[Elvis] Absolutely, okay, here we have some nice bok choy. That has been blanched. We’re just gonna sear it a little bit here. We’ll start with the sweet potatoes. Lay ’em on the plate.
[Bob] Oh wow. You know, and sweet potatoes are, really they’re good with anything.
Absolutely, I mean I never ate sweet potatoes before I came to South Carolina and let me tell you, they’re one of my favorite foods ever.
Oh wow!
I love sweet potatoes.
Well that’s a story in itself! And as we always say, folks, here at The Sportsman’s Table, Elvis is in the building, huh? There you go. Woohoo!
All right, here we go. I love the contrast of colors there, you know?
[Bob] Oh yeah.
And okay, the piece de resistance. Here we go. Nice duck. You can cut it in different ways, I like to do it this way.
You know, duck breast is just, well it’s a great dish. And a lot of folks really don’t like it because they think it’s too gamey, but the way you’ve cooked it, it takes all that out.
Yes, absolutely, and I tell you what, this duck from South Carolina farms that we have in here, actually Charleston area, which is very, very close to us here, it’s tremendous, it’s awesome. And I don’t think it’s very gamey either, you know?
[Bob] No.
[Elvis] Here we go, a little bit of sauce. Okay, all we have in here is soy, ginger, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar, with a little teeny bit of sugar. It’s great addition to this dish.
[Bob] Oh my goodness, wow. I tell you, you guys never cease to amaze me.
[Elvis] This is good stuff.
[Bob] That is good stuff.
[Elvis] All right, we have some black garlic here.
[Bob] Ah, the secret.
Absolutely. This will balance it a little bit. And you know, a little story in Japan, they use this for memory. People that have problems with their memory, they eat black garlic, helps them with it.
So I need to take some of that home.
That’s why I bought it. Because I needed it. Here we go, and ready to eat.
There you go, wow. That is a beautiful dish. I know it tastes as good as it looks. Elvis, I’m glad you came in the building.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, man, and listen, I tell you what, folks. If you’d like more great recipes, you can stop on it at Bistro 217 on Pawley’s Island. Stop in by the Chive Blossom Cafe, have some great South Carolina food, and logon to certifiedscgrown.com and you can see for yourself what’s fresh on the menu.
[Narrator] To find out more information on food that’s fresher and tastier, go online at certifiedscgrown.com. Buy certified South Carolina-grown products. It’s a matter of taste. Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is brought to you today by Chevrolet: the official vehicle of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine. By the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Buy South Carlina: it’s a matter of taste. By Pennington Seed: the leader in outdoor forage products. By Browning. Browning: the best there is. And by South Carolina Embroidery and Screen Printing. And by Back Woods Quail Club: offering Southern-style hunting, and an array of exciting and challenging clay target shooting sports.
He’s on!
Get him, Bob!
Fish on, Stevie! Fish on, Stevie!
Let’s finish up!
All right, man!
Let’s finish this deal!
Yeehaw! Oh, man! Oh my goodness.
I think it’s gonna be another cat.
I think it is. He’s kinda swirlin’ and twirlin’. Kitty cat, you hear him purrin’ coming to the top. That’s okay though, I’m tellin’ ya. Santee’s known, folks, for its blues and we’ve caught some very nice striper today, nice blue cats. And my guide and go-to guy, oh yeah! Man, that’s a filet or two right there, look at that. Man, listen, you clean him up, fry him there at the grill at Pack’s Landing.
[Stevie] We’re gettin’ ready to do that.
Ooh, wow! And them blues have been known to be caught outta here what, 75, 80, 90 pounds?
I think the record’s 110.
110, man!
We got a ways to go to get that.
Goodness! Yeah but that one right there’s a good eatin’ fish right there. You know what I like to hear about this? I just like to hear you grunt.
It might be old flathead.
I just like to hear you grunt.
Feels pretty good. Definitely bigger than that last one. Oh yeah.
Listen, I’m tellin’ ya, they’ve all been good today. All been good. You were able to get him?
I called it, flathead.
Let me just check, let me just check. Oh yeah! I think he might be the biggest kitty cat of the day.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah. I know the folks ain’t seen him yet but that’s okay, they will in a second.
That is how well we can get him up here.
[Bob] Mmhmm.
You gonna lip him?
[Bob] I’ll lift him.
[Stevie] I’m gonna put him right in your hand.
[Bob] Yeah, man, there he goes. Get him over here. Come here, kitty. Kitty kitty kitty kitty!
[Stevie] Told you it was a flathead down here.
[Bob] Yeah you did.
[Stevie] Grab in that bottom lip there.
[Bob] Yeah, man.
[Stevie] Get him in the bottom lip, he won’t get ya. Right there.
Oh man.
They pretty, ain’t they?
[Bob] Yeah, they are, mmhmm.
[Stevie] They got the coolest color to ’em.
Man, I’ll tell ya. Man, he is a fat too.
How about it!?
Bo, I’m tellin’ ya, huh! You did good!
I try.
Well folks, that’s Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine from Santee down here in beautiful Pinewood, South Carolina, Pack’s Landing, and one of the guys that owns this place, Stevie Packs, his brother Andy, they run this beautiful facility down here. If you haven’t come down to fish, you need to log onto bobredfern.com, go to Bob’s Top 16, logon and fish with this guy right here. ‘Cause I’m telling you, you will not be disappointed. If you haven’t been to Santee lately, it’s back, okay? Blues, stripers, bass, and we’re gonna do some more down here and I gotta thank you again, okay?
Absolutely. Absolutely.
And it’s just been a wonderful day. I know you’re gonna get back out on the water here soon, but you know, if folks do wanna come down here, what’s the best time? And let’s take just a couple seconds here. What is the best time to come down here for stripers?
For the stripers it’s generally March 1st through June 1st up here at Santee, on the upper end, as far as we can get up the river here.
[Bob] I got you.
We’re the last marina on the Santee system. And they’re goin’ up to spawn in March and then they’re comin’ back down and then they’ll move onto the lower lakes in March through June. Of course the shellcrackers, they’re bitin’ now. The bass has been phenomenal, largemouth, these tournament weigh-ins, it’s unbelievable. The catfish is awesome, always year-round. We catch catfish year-round, so. And it’s good.
Well folks, listen, I’ll tell you what. Again, as we always like to say each and every week, the outdoors my passion, I want it to be yours too. And I know you want it to be theirs.
Oh, absolutely.
Stevie, thank you so much. Folks, we’ll see you right back here again next week.
Enjoyed it.
On another episode.