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South Carolina’s Mr. Finlay
The fishingest Finlay in the famous Finlay tribe of South Caro
lina, Mrs. Finlay’s Eddie, returned to his desk at the Columbia
Record last week rested and reassured that angling is the greatest
of all sports. This time it was vacation channel
bass, off Pawley’s Island, that put new throbs in
the temples of Scribe Finlay. He took six, three
over 35 pounds and all over 25.
Ironically, Eddie is a fishermen of few words,
but he broke down and admitted that it’s “real
work when you’ve got one of those babies hooked
in a f strong tide.”
Our Carolina associate celebrated by acquir
ing a new light Heddon casting rod, a heavy
surf rod and a light boat rod. Next thing you
and going after salty bass.
hear he’ll have City Editor Jack Foster deserting bigmouth bass
Eddie is a thinking sportsman and active conservationist. He’s
the man to show the way for his state’s, long-delayed climb out of
the dark wildlife wilderness.
Biggest Holiday Race
It was Finlay’s outdoor page in the RECORD that provoked
the biggest July 4 races in the Palmetto state. Without thinking
of the consequences, he ran a picture of two Columbia fishermen
who had taken six striped bass from the Saluda, within a politician’s
holler of the Capitol building.
A ribbon story heralded the run of stripers in the nearby
river, and' a story told of a 19-pounder being beached by Colie
Schumpert. , ... , ,
That was all the Richland county anglers needed. Next day
they made the solemn Saluda look like a New Jersey trout stream
on opening day. The day afterward property owners were building
fences and painting “keep off” signs.
What few jointed pikie lures left at the sporting goods and
tackle shops, were sold but in a waiting line. This was the
lure used by Joe Watson and Jim Hook, whose pictures appeared
with the catch of six.
Finlay’s big fish contest, in which tackle dealers give monthly
prizes, promises to be a big success. The same Mr. Hook won the
May prize for bass with an 11-pound, 14-ounce bigmouth. Jack
Goodwin, of Columbia, won the June prize with a nine-pounder, taken
on a Dalton Special.
The prizes are donated by the following Columbia firms: S. B.
McMaster’s, Ruff Hardware, Lorick and Lowrance, W. A. Brown,
Hillman’s, Hiller Hardware and Gasque’s.
Personal Paragraphs
Hank Bruns, who authors piscatorial pieces for the mags, has
gone fishing for - keeps. This time it’s for South Bend. He’s got
Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Hank and the Mrs. are
dickering for an ante-bellum home near Atlanta. Like all other
tackle men, he hopes for early shipments, but offers little
encouragement.
Harold Bird and Brother Tom, of Atlanta, insist that Blue Ridge
Lake yellow jackets are the hardest-hitting bombers since the war.
On a recent fishing trip, Harold unwittingly placed his kapok cushion
over a jacket nest and sat down to eat lunch. Returning jackets,
blocked from their front door, lost no time protesting. Tom ex
plained to Harold that they were not bad actors if treated gently.
So he undertook to rescue the cushion. He got the cushion all
right, but the jackets covered him. Harold was out of sight and
didn’t see Tom’s tangle. I saw no percentage in arguing with those
striped B-29’s,” he confessed. “When yellow jackets get mad I like
to let somebody else do my fighting.”
Dean W. F. Gunn, of West Georgia College, is one of Georgia’s
outstanding conservationists. He heads up the Carroll County Sports
men’s Club, which is just beginning to baptize new- members. “We
must do something and do it fast to save our game and fish
resources,” says Dean Gunn. The Carroll Club will start rolling
late in July, and we predict it will make a success of its restoration
program.
Gus Russell, our Florida correspondent, says that Georgia’s polio
quarantine wrought havoc with the commercial fishing business along
Florida’s west coast. Charter boats at St. Marks were tied up with
nothing to do on the first week-end of the quarantine. Georgia fur
nishes a large percentage of the anglers at west coast camps.
Wildlife Ranger D. C. Long, in Georgia’s high hills, says black
bears have not disappeared from his area, as had been reported.
Long saw two cubs last week in the Blue Ridge area, and warned
trout fishermen to give them a wide berth.
Ranger W. M. Coheley, who compiled the highest score in activities
during the fiscal year ending June 30, has checked thousands of li
censes. But not until he encountered J. R. Hall, of Hampton, Ga.,
had he found a license with the same number backward and forward.
Hall’s fishing license is No. 67076.
J. L. (Jack) Elliott, Covington, Ga., bass killer and setter man,
comes up with one of the prize fish stories of the year. And has
the lure to prove it. He was fishing Jackson Lake when a big bass
struck and broke his short leader. The fish kept the lure only long
enough to swim around a stump and head toward Mr. Elliott’s boat,
into which he tossed the plug with a vicious lunge out of the water.
W. C. (Buck) Lewis called into praise Charlie Elliott’s “Game
Log” of the last issue, in which he paid tribute to the late Arthflr
Woody. Mr. Lewis, one of our most loyal readers, has been sidelined
by arthritis for several months and plans to retire from the insurance
game next month. He has our strongest wishes for an early re
covery and better bream fishing at Lake Burton, his favorite hangout.
CASTERS TO COMPETE
IH KNOXVILLE TOURNEY
You fishermen who have been
knocking the eyes out of bass at
50 yards will have an opportunity
to make your claims to casting
greatness official August II at
Knoxville, Tenn., in the first
Southeastern casting tournament
since 1942.
The tournament is open to any
caster and is sponsored by the
East Tennessee Rod and Gun Club
and the Knoxville Journal. It is
sanctioned by the National Asso
ciation of Anglers and Casters.
Officials in charge expect 200
fishermen and casters to compete.
There will be 14 divisions and ,
prizes and trophies will be award
ed winners in accuracy and dis
tance contests in fly and bait cast
ing.
Most of the entries are expected
to be from Tennessee, Alabama.
Kentucky, Florida and Georgia.
Write Ralph Watson or Walter
Amann, Jr., Knoxville, Tenn., for
particulars.
BLUEBILLES at juniper
JUNIPER LAKE, Ga.—G. F.
Johnson, of Buena Vista, recently
took 14 bream here that averaged
eieht ounces each.
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SOUTHERN OUTDOORS, JULY 15, 1946
