DNR speckled trout/red fish watch

Just received this email:

As many of you are aware inshore water temperatures in the state are getting critically low. Speckled trout mortalities have been reported this week in Swansboro, NC and we want to utilize every resources we have to monitor the situation in our state. Below is a graph of temperatures measured by the USGS at the Customs House in Charleston as you can see, over the last week the temperature has continued to trend downward currently approaching 8.5 C (46.4 F). Of course this is only a single point measurement and conditions along our coast could vary widely that is why I am contacting ya’ll. The last significant speckled trout kill observed in our state was in winter 2000-2001 when water temperatures in Charleston got down to 6 C (42.8 F). Thereafter, trout catch per unit effort in our inshore survey dropped precipitously and it took two years to begin rebound. While our biological staff and law enforcement personnel continue to be vigilant and closely monitor the situation, any extra eyes and ears reporting pertinent observations would be helpful. In the event of a kill we need to document the magnitude and extend of the kill. If you observe dead fish either on the bottom or floating please provide the following to me including: number of fish observed, species, location, date and time. My contact information is below. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Wallace Jenkins

Program Coordinator

SC Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series

SCDNR

PO Box 12559

Charleston, SC 29422-2559

phone 843-953-9835

cell 843-297-2532

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-259-1374
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

Bob, I have not seen any floating fish, but did see one very nice spot-tail finning in the shallows of one of the ponds in Wyndham. I was working in a house and looked out the window and spotted it.

“I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.”

  • General George S. Patton

Did you get to “throw on it”? Cool pic.

Bob Sanders
FishingWithBob
Edisto Inshore Charters
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
803-259-1374
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com

No, I was working. Just enjoyed watching it move through the water and photographed it with my blackberry. The image does not do justice for what I witnessed.
Also saw your photo and quote in this months edition of SC Wildlife Magazine. My friend, Stewart, did the photography in the article about Starry Gazes in the same issue. He is worried about the DNR cutbacks coming within 6 months. I hope SC government gets their act together!

“I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.”

  • General George S. Patton