Coronavirus cuts season short, but student angler league celebrates best of youth fishing

On Feb. 8, the young competitors of the Student Angler League Tournament Trail faced chilly temperatures and murky water conditions following recent rains to complete the fourth event of the 2019-20 school year.

When public schools were shut down throughout South Carolina in mid-March due to COVID 19, the remainder of the trail, dubbed SALTT, was effectively canceled.

The SALTT features divisions for red drum and largemouth bass with elementary, middle and high school anglers competing against each other in six tournaments during each school year, meaning the trail finished two events short of a normal season. All SALTT events are held out of the Carroll Campbell Marine Complex in Georgetown.

“When kids cannot go to school, we have to honor the fact that while we are not a school-sponsored sport and don’t fall under the S.C. High School League, so we had to call the season to keep our kids and boat captains safe,” said coach Rayburn Poston, SALTT’s founder and director.

The leaders of each division after the four events were declared winners for the 2019-2020 school year.

The trail has grown exponentially since being founded by Poston in 2014, with an elementary division added this school year. The trail features numerous returning anglers for the 2020-21 school year, including a formidable cast of lady anglers.

“Adding the elementary division to include grades 1 through 4 brought in many new teams,” said Poston. “We only had two seniors so we are returning nearly 120 anglers next year with only a dozen of those being seniors.

“I’ve been impressed with our Lady Anglers placing in the Top 3 at most events and some have developed a following. The boys better figure it out before they take over.”

Poston is already planning for the 2020-21 trail with numerous community service and fund-raising events planned for the summer and fall, including the Murrells Inlet Fishing Charters summer camps for kids (www.mifcfishingcharters.com). A portion of the proceeds from the camps helps fund SALTT events.

With uncertainly surrounding the status of COVID-19 in the coming months, Poston will do whatever is necessary to keep his young anglers and other participants safe from the virus.

“Fishing is already safe for social distancing from others,” said Poston. “The process of launching and taking boats out only involves the boat captain and the anglers. We can spread out the anglers waiting to weigh in as well as encourage spectators to keep their legal distance. Whatever is mandated in the future by S.C. DNR and Georgetown County will be done by our SALTT staff and participants.”

• Following are the winners of each SALTT division for the 2019-20 trail:
• High School Bass: Dalton Hewitt and Brantley Todd of Georgetown won with an accumulative 46.89 pounds.
• Middle School Bass: Dalton Williams and Cody Wilder of Conway won with an accumulative 33.18 pounds.
• Elementary School Bass: Tucker Howard of Andrews won with 5.78 pounds.
• High School Redfish: Brandon Poston of Georgetown and Thomas Bodiford of Macedonia won with an accumulative 27.23 pounds.
• Middle School Redfish: Chappell Miller of Georgetown won with an accumulative 30.30 pounds.
• Elementary School Redfish: Jameson McCants of Andrews won with an accumulative 4.88 pounds.

Notes

Christa Edmonds, a rising senior at Carolina Forest High, was the trail’s top redfish angler based on the combination of GPA, community service and participation.

Noah Jones, a 2020 gradutate of Conway High School, was the trail’s top bass angler, also based on the combination of GPA, community service and participation. Jones will attend Coastal Carolina University this fall.

For more information, visit www.SALTTFishing.com.

Palmetto Kids Fishing Camps

Another option for youngsters this summer is the Palmetto Kids Fishing Camps, the brainchild of Capt. Patrick Kelly of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters in Little River.

Spots are filling up for the camps, which begin in mid-June and continue through the first week in August.

For more information, visit www.PalmettoKidsFishingCamps.com.