Bill Dance Fishing Bloopers - Dance fights trolling motor

Bass Tub demo featured at 25th Annual Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic in Columbia
- Fishing really comes alive when you get a close-up view of a big bass striking a lure in the Bass Tub demonstration at the 25th Annual Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic March 27-29.

The giant mobile Bass Tub aquarium stands over 9 feet tall, totally visible from both sides and is complete with rocks, stumps and other cover you normally find in a lake where you fish. The 5,000-gallon tub is stocked with live fish including bass, crappie, striped bass and others. The Bass Tub is operated by professional fishermen who stand on top in a small boat and delight in teaching you how to fish, passing on tips they have learned over the years. They present various types and models of lures so you can see their operation in the water. You’ll enjoy the reaction of fish to the lures and you will learn to better utilize each type for your favorite species.

The 25th Annual Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic will be held March 27-29. Doors will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, March 27; from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 28; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 29. more info -

Visitors may see peregrines from new Jocassee overlook

While the overlook known as Jumping-Off Rock is closed, a new vista has been created nearby with the same breathtaking view, with the added bonus of giving visitors the chance of seeing nesting peregrines displaying their incredible aerobatic maneuvers.

Also, Horsepasture Road in the Jocassee Gorges in northern Pickens County will be open in its entirety during the spring season of March 20 through May 10. Last year, a 5-mile section of the road was closed to protect the first year of peregrine nesting up there.

In February 2008, Jocassee Gorges Project Manager Mark Hall of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stumbled upon a significant find on Jocassee—the state’s second known pair of nesting peregrine falcons. Aerial acrobatics, unique perching behavior and protective calls were tell-tale signs that the birds were serious about the nesting site, and they had chosen near the key geographical feature in Jocassee: Jumping-Off-Rock.

Reel Art contest winners announced

A student from North Charleston recently took top honors as the overall winner in South Carolina’s 2009 Reel Art contest, a competition held annually by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources sponsored by Sportfish Restoration Funds, Harry Hampton Wildlife Fund and Duke Energy.

Entries were judged in Columbia at S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) headquarters on March 6. The originals of the winning art will be exhibited at the Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic March 27-29 at the State Fairgrounds in Columbia. Angelica Halvarsson from Charleston County School for the Arts in North Charleston received State Best of Show and a first-place award in the Grades 7-9 category for her color pencil depiction of a brown trout, which was titled simply "Brown Trout."

Reel Art is a component of the DNR’s SC Reel Kids aquatic education program, supported with federal Sportfish Restoration Funds. Contact Lorianne Riggin, DNR aquatic education coordinator.

DNR, federal agents crack case involving illegally imported deer

A three year investigation by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service involving the illegal importation of white-tailed deer into South Carolina has lead to the indictment of individuals in multiple states.

According to documents filed in the District Court of the Southern District of Ohio, individuals from South Carolina conspired with individuals from Ohio and elsewhere to illegally import 54 white-tailed deer into South Carolina in late 2005.

According to John Frampton, S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) director, "This case involved a conspiracy to import deer by falsifying records associated with the purchase and shipment of deer which ultimately led to deer being illegally imported in to the state. South Carolina law prohibits the importation of deer without a permit and since the case involved interstate commerce it resulted in a Federal Lacey Act violation as well."

According to court records, James Schaffer of Charleston conspired with Danny L. Parrott of Kimbolton, Ohio, and other unnamed individuals, to transport deer to South Carolina on several occasions in late 2005. About $70,000 were paid for the deer which went to Graham’s Turnout Hunt Co., a deer hunting service catering to hunters from South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, which is located in Bamberg County and owned by Schaffer.
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