From 2/1/01</font id=blue>
About a month ago I was making some sales calls for work on the south side of Charleston County and decided I would swing into Swimming Rock Fish and Shrimp Farm located in the booming metropolis of Meggett South Carolina. The town has grown so much over the past decade that they have actually taken down the wow sign and installed a stop sign.
Swimming Rock was started by Rick Eager a retired Fisheries Biologist from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and his son, a good friend of mine and fishing partner since high school, Captain Derek. Mrs. Eager is a full time school teacher, but she also puts in her fair share of time working on the farm. The Eagers raise Tilapia (a.k.a. Florida Bream), Hybrid Striped Bass, and Red Drum. In addition to the fish they raise they are also into the bait business in a big way, supplying tackle shops from Georgia to North Carolina with shrimp, fiddlers, and mud minnows. When I first graduated from college, Mr. Eager was kind enough to give me a part time job helping out on the farm while I looked for a full time employment. I have to say many days I really miss working on the farm with Derek and his father.
As I stepped out my work truck and I was immediately met by two soaking wet Labrador retrievers that came running out of one of the acre ponds located on the property. I walked into the five thousand square foot fish shed and found Derek and his father tossing food into one of the 4,000 gallon fish tanks. I glanced in the tanks as I walked over to greet Derek and his father. Derek showed me a tank full of Red Drum and then another full of Hybrid Striped Bass. “What’s in these tanks?” I asked. Derek did not waste any time, he immediately rolls into his sales spiel, "Durability, it is a quality we look for in just about every product we purchase these days. Lets face it Tim if a boat did not come with a 10 year hull warranty, a testament to it’s durability, you would not even bother to look at it. How about durability in the bai