Waccamaw Chapter of CCA SC stages annual banquet; SALTT season-opener held in Georgetown
The number of artificial reef deployments and oyster restoration projects completed by Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina keeps on piling up.
CCA SC has been instrumental in establishing and enhancing marine habitat along the Palmetto State coast, from Little River to Hilton Head Island, both inside estuarine waters and in the Atlantic Ocean.
By the time the year 2022 rings in, CCA SC will have completed deployment of various reef material on 17 artificial reef sites off the South Carolina coast in the last 10 years. The reef material strategically placed on the ocean floor on the S.C. Department of Natural Resources-designated reef sites includes barges, shrimp trawlers, tugboats and concrete reef pyramids among other material.
The latest is a 48-foot tugboat dropped on the Cape Romain Reef located off McClellanville earlier this week.
“Tugboats we like in particular because of the relief they provide throughout the entire water column,” said CCA SC Executive Director Scott Whitaker.
The CCA SC Coastal Reefing Initiative has completed four artificial reef deployments in 2021 alone, with one to go in the calendar year. The initiative has a goal of deploying new reef material on all 43 permitted reef sites along the South Carolina coast by the year 2030.
Locally, the Waccamaw Chapter of CCA SC has completed six oyster reef restoration projects on three sites in Murrells Inlet alone. Three oyster reef locations have been the recipient of the used oyster shell in Winyah Bay.
“As an organization, CCA SC is doing amazing work to enhance our marine resources and the experience of recreational angling in the Palmetto State, much of it within easy reach of anglers along the Grand Strand,’’ said Chris Hawley, CCA SC state board member and Waccamaw Chapter Chairman.
The Waccamaw Chapter will stage its annual fundraising banquet Thursday at a perfect setting for the organization’s mission - Sunnyside Plantation under mossy oak trees on the banks of Murrells Inlet, located within a few miles of one of the inlet’s oyster reef restoration projects.
The banquet begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, starting with a social hour during which attendees can enjoy drinks, bid on silent-auction items and enter raffles. Dinner, catered by Debra G’s, is up next before the night is capped by a live auction, which will feature various hunting and fishing trips among other items.
Tickets are $75 for individuals, $100 for couples and include a year’s membership to CCA. For more information, contact Hawley at 843-455-0371 or chawley24@gmail.com.
SALTT Event
The Student Angler League Tournament Trail opened the 2021-22 season with the first event staged last Saturday in Georgetown.
The trail features three tournaments each semester of the school year with all six events based out of the Carroll Campbell Marine Complex on the Sampit River. The student anglers, from elementary to high school, can target bass or red drum in SALTT events.
With the biggest cold front of the autumn due to arrive the next day, the student anglers dealt with increasing winds throughout the day in the Winyah Bay vicinity. A total of 35 boats representing schools from Horry, Georgetown, Florence, Chesterfield and Williamsburg counties competed in the season-opener.
The division winners follow:
*Elementary School Redfish: No fish were weighed in.
*Middle School Redfish: Aden Day of Conway was first with 2 fish weighing 4.56 pounds including the Big Fish, a 2.60 pounder. No other student anglers weighed a fish in.
*High School Redfish: Chappell Miller of Georgetown was first with 2 fish weighing 8.55 pounds including the Big Fish, a 4.55-pounder. Oliver Bomar and Connor Strickland of Georgetown were second with 2 fish weighing 6.60 pounds. Brandon and Bryant Poston of Georgetown were third with 2 fish weighing 6.22 pounds.
*Elementary School Bass: Elijah Norris of Loris was first with a 2.48-pound bass.
*Middle School Bass: Branson and Tucker Howell of Conway were first with 5 fish weighing 7.48 pounds including the Big Fish, a 2.46-pounder. Bryson Gerald and Mack Hardee of Conway finished second with 5 fish weighing 6.32 pounds. Tucker Howard of Andrews and Wilson Hewitt of Georgetown were third with 4 fish weighing 5.59 pounds.
*High School Bass: Jacob Martin and Colton Ledford of Conway were first with 5 fish weighing 14.13 pounds including the Big Fish, a 3.66-pounder. Cody Wilder and Dalton Williams of Conway were second with 5 fish weighing 12.27 pounds. Mason Hardee and Will Hardee McGuirt of Conway were third with 5 fish weighing 9.86 pounds.
The next SALTT tournament is set for November 6. For more information about SALTT visit www.salttfishing.com.