Barbie rod and reel lands record catfish

Bits and pieces from the great outdoors...

--So much for telling someone you really need a high-dollar rod and reel outfit to help you improve the quality of the fish you catch.

From North Carolina comes word of a man who landed a state record channel catfish while using a Barbie rod and reel — one of those inexpensive little outfits you buy to introduce youngsters to fishing. The Associated Press reported that David Hayes and his granddaughter, Alyssa, were fishing in a pond behind his house in Wilkes County when Alyssa handed the rod and reel to her grandfather and informed him she had to go to the bathroom.

Hayes took the rod and reel and that's when a big catfish took the bait. Hayes carefully battled the fish and eventually landed a 21-pound, 1-ounce channel catfish. The reel was spooled with 6-pound test line and the rod measured 30 inches, two inches shorter than the big catfish. The fish has since been certified as the North Carolina state record for the species.

--Lowcountry deer hunters are reminded that deer harvested on state Wildlife Management Areas in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, including the Francis Marion National Forest, must be checked at the nearest deer check station. Deer check stations can be found at local retail businesses near all WMA hunting lands.

Operating hours of the local voluntary check stations will vary. Check a 2008-2009 Wildlife Management Area Map for specific times and check station locations. Maps and the South Carolina Rules & Regulations information can be obtained online, www.dnr.sc.gov/regulations, and also where most hunting and fishing licenses are sold. For information, call the DNR Columbia office at (803) 734-3886.

Also, site-specific check stations have been set up during the either-sex deer hunts with dogs on the Francis Marion Forest. In order to gather biological information, all harvested deer on those days may only be checked in at the following locations: Northampton WMA, either-sex deer hunt with dogs (Oct. 18) (P&C Grocery or Kangaroo in Jamestown); Santee WMA, either-sex deer hunt with dogs (Sept. 20) (Bonneau Ferry WMA entrance or M&B Alvin Community Mart); Wambaw WMA, either-sex deer hunt with dogs (Nov. 1) (Awendaw check station or Honey Hill Lookout Tower); and Hellhole WMA, one day either-sex deer hunt with dogs (Dec. 12) (Hellhole check station off Hwy 41). Deer harvested from the Francis Marion National Forest on either-sex deer hunts with dogs must be checked in prior to one hour after legal sunset.

--A series of youth draw deer hunts conducted jointly by Santee Cooper and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources will continue this fall. Applications are now available and must be submitted by 5 p.m. Sept. 19. Call the Dennis Wildlife Center in Bonneau at (843) 761-8820 or (843) 825-3388 to request an application.

Participants must be 17 or younger and capable of safely handling a firearm. They must also be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old. While the youth and adult sit together in the stand, only the youth may actually hunt. All hunts take place in the afternoon from 2-person stands located along the edges of wildlife openings that have been planted in oats, wheat, soybeans, or peas. The areas hunted on youth draw hunts are located within Sandy Beach and Cross Generating Station, both part of the Santee Cooper-owned Moultrie Hunt Unit.