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PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 7:45 am 
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Thank you for reading this, any help and guidance would be most gratefully received. We are a group of three anglers (in our sixties) thinking of coming over to do some fishing. Now, the back story to this, is that we have for many years managed to escape the cold, miserable winters over here in the UK and go fishing, early in the year, in South and Central America (www.johnpetchey.co.uk). However, one of the party suffers from MS and this is now having a material impact on his physical abilities, he can walk short distances, but is no longer able to stand in a boat and cast lures ( or scramble up riverbanks to jungle camps!) - so the option of coming over to the States to do some fishing, somewhere we can catch fish (that we have not caught before), and that is civilised and accessible, seems like a good plan to me at the moment.
So, looking for somewhere with fish, fishing primarily with bait, or trolling, and with accessibility!

My outline plan is this:

Mid March.
Fly to Charleston, hire a car.
Drive to the Santee Cooper system, find lakeside accommodations and a guide.
Fish for as many species as we can get for 3 days.
Drive to Lake Hartwell, find lakeside accommodations and a guide.
Fish for as many species as we can get for 3 days.
Drive for 3 days up the Blueridge Parkway (sightseeing!) to Smith Mountain Lake
Find lakeside accommodations and a guide.
Fish for Stripers :) for 3 days
Drive to Roanoak, drop the car off, fly back to Charleston.

Now, you have a BIG country over there with LOTS of lakes, I don't know if I have picked the best options? I think mid-late March is a good time to visit? I don't know how busy the lakes are at that time of year and how booked the accommodations and guides are going to be? I don't know how much risk we will be taking with the weather in March?

All thoughts and suggestions most welcome.

Thanks . . . John


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 11:45 am 
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Location: On the way to Tallahassee FL
I'll see if I can help you. Santee Cooper has Stipers, Huge Catfish and Largemouth bass. Make you reservations early as fishing tournament season will be in its prime. Contact Inky Davis he is a guide on Santee Cooper. Lake Hartwell will be close to a 4 hour drive from Santee area with most of the same species available to catch. Not many "on water" accommodations available best bet for lodgings would be in Anderson SC there a quite a few guides available on the lake contact Lake Hartwell fishing and marine for guides names and contact info. Can't help you much on SML as I've never been there but have man internet friends that live there. The The Blue Ridge parkway is a very beautiful drive very meandering but not a rapid tour for sure as the max speed is 45 MPH 72 KPH. You may want to rethink about returning the car in Roanoke and make the drive back to Charleston and enjoy the sites of the city. Probably one of the nicest cities in the States. Great food and history. It's not that bad of a drive from Roanoke to Charleston maybe 8 hours and all interstate highways. Just make sure you drive on the correct side of the road. LOL.

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 12:34 pm 
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You might also try lakes Murray or Thurmond. They're both closer to Charleston than Hartwell and have very good largemouth bass and striped bass fishing in March. Check out some of the current fishing reports for Murray and other lakes on charlestonfishing.com. Also check out midlands striper club.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 6:26 am 
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Thank you 'ChampionMan' and 'Spoonmaster' for taking the time to respond to my request for help, much appreciated. Lake Thurmond is now on my radar, and the suggestion of driving back from SML to Charleston needs consideration. It's supposed to be a fishing trip - but . . Charleston, especially the 'Historical Quarter' deserves our attention, as does the aquarium . . and then I note that the USS Yorktown is there, and for our generation it would be verging on the disrespectful not to visit such an encapsulation of the war in the Pacific. Thanks again, John


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:04 pm 
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Only down side with Thurmond/Clarks' Hill (same lake) is it is just about devoid of on lake accommodations, about the only place I would recommend staying would be the state park http://southcarolinaparks.com/hickorykn ... ction.aspx otherwise you'd have to stay in Augusta GA. Lake Murray is a short drive from Santee and is on the way to SML right off I-26. There are some good guides there an you could take a side trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. You could also make a stop on the way to SML in Charlotte NC and fish Lake Norman which is right on I-77 Or you could stop in Rock Hill SC (just outside of Charlotte) and fish Lake Wylie. I would plan my dates for late March/early April though. March can be a bit dicey in the Blue Ridge mountains. You may want to think about a day trip when in Roanoke to one of the many Caverns there also.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 10:49 am 
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Location: Lake Murray SC
You can spend hours walking around Charleston. Tons of history there. USS Yorktown is impressive, as well is downtown and the history tours they have. Aquarium is very nice as well as the Charleston museum.

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