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South Carolina’s win-win on the water

Yachts for Tots continues to bring in much-needed diners for waterfront restaurants and much-appreciated toys for kids. The 25th annual Intracoastal Christmas Regatta, a traditional Thanksgiving weekend lighted boat parade, was witnessed by some 10,000 people watching from restaurants, homes and condos along the route. The six-mile-long boat parade begins in Little River Inlet and ends at Dock Holidays in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
For many, like Pete Phillips and his family, the event is an annual happening. The Phillipses, from North Carolina, have attended for the last 13 years. “We have eight to ten friends that normally come with us, and we have a good time down here,” he said.
Spectators bring toys to donate to Horry County schools for the Yachts for Tots program. The event always fills restaurants with hungry spectators who enjoy the show on the water. While official numbers weren’t available yet for 2009, the 2008 event provided toys for nearly 900 families.

Pimp my PWC

One day in 2002, avid angler Brian Lockwood decided to try his luck fishing the Chesapeake Bay aboard his three-seat Polaris PWC. He found it worked well for catching croaker, spot, flounder, and striped bass. It didn’t take long for him to venture out as far as 15 miles offshore beyond Virginia Beach. After a couple of years, he upgraded to a larger PWC, a used Yamaha SUV 1200, and rigged it for fishing with the help of Albert Martin of Martin’s Custom Structures in Gloucester, Virginia. The modified 1200 now carries up to six rods or a combination of rods, gaff and net. Brian can troll, drift or dive off his rig for spear fishing. He’s added a GPS/fish-finder combo, VHF, navigation lights, and an additional battery to support the electronics. He says he has fished his Yamaha up to 60 miles offshore and has enjoyed a lot of angling success. You can see for yourself on Brian’s Web site at jetskibrian.com.
Stay warm in class
If you’re looking for a class to improve your boating knowledge and skills until warmer weather returns, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is a good source of educational courses. The Class Finder link for the auxiliary’s 5th District, which includes Maryland, D.C., Virginia and North Carolina, recently changed. The best way to find it is to visit uscga5sr.com and click on the Boating and Navigation Class Schedules link on the right side of the page.

Fall rockfish winners

More than 1,000 anglers competed in the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s Association Fall Rockfish Tournament November 21-22. The 17th annual Chesapeake Bay rockfish (striped bass) tournament drew 180 registered boats that plied bay waters from Sandy Point to Point Lookout in search of the weekend’s largest rockfish. The tournament targets large migrant stripers that have returned to the Bay after summering off the New England coast.
Robert Harris, Jr. of Solomons won first place and $44,703 in prize money by landing a 47.95-pound rockfish, caught on a crippled alewife lure near Buoy 72A. Complete results and more information are available at mssa.net.

Indoor show time

January and February offer a great opportunity to see what’s new and old in fishing and boating. Major Mid-Atlantic shows include the Baltimore Boat Show, January 21-24, at the Baltimore Convention Center, and the Atlantic City International Power Boat Show, February 3-7, at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center. Maryland’s State Fairgrounds hosts a huge fishing show, January 14-17 this year, with an incredible amount of fishing supplies as well as fishing boats, outboards, charter service information, seminars, and boat club information. Nearby, the Pasadena Sportfishing Group hosts its 18th annual Fishing Flea Market & Show February 13-14. Great deals on used fishing gear are always available at the event, which takes place at the Earleigh Heights Fire Hall in Severna Park, Maryland.