Fishing tournament season arrives at the Pier
By Warren Cobb | Managing Editor
The Folly Pier is a great place to go fishing year-round. But summertime brings an element of competition to the dock as Charleston County kicks off its annual Cast Off Fishing Tournaments, which began on May 23, and the Folly Beach Anglers Kids Tournament (part of Take A Kid Fishing Day) descends on the pier on Saturday, June 6.
The Cast Off Fishing Tournaments began several years ago as a fun way to encourage anglers to try out the Folly Beach Pier. Stretching out 1,045 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, the pier is one of the best destinations in the Lowcountry for pier fishing. This summer’s upcoming tournament dates are June 20, July 18 and Aug. 15. The cost to enter the tournaments are $13 ($10 for Charleston County Parks members) for ages 13 and up, $8 for those ages 3-12 and seniors 60-plus, and $5 for Fishing Pass Holders
Online registration ends the Thursday before each tournament. On-site registration is available at 6 a.m. on the morning of each event. Tournaments end at 2 p.m., and prizes are awarded at 2:15 p.m. Tournaments are held rain or shine. An adult chaperone is required for participants ages 15 and under. Register online through www.ccprc.com/2038/Cast-Off-Fishing-Tournaments, or call 843-795-4386.
Folly Beach Anglers Kids Tournament
The annual Folly Beach Anglers Kids Tournament (Take A Kid Fishing Day) has been held at the Folly Beach Fishing Pier for the past four years and is hosted by the Folly Beach Anglers and it’s volunteers. The kids fishing tournament has grown from 53 kids participating in 2009 to 220 in 2014.
Take a Kid Fishing Day is an effort sponsored by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that seeks to introduce children to the sport of angling. Its stated purposes are to teach kids and their parents so that they can fish and enjoy the great outdoors with out a boat; to teach kids how to fish and train them to respect DNR rules; and to target inner-city kids who may not ever have seen the ocean.
The Folly Beach Anglers Kids Tournament runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, June 6. (There is no rain date.) The event is free and pre-registration is not required. All kids 16 and under are invited. Fishing Rods, reels and bait are provided (while it lasts). Trophies and prizes are awarded to the biggest fish caught per age group, which includes Boys 12 to 16 years/7 to 11 years/and 6 and under; and Girls 12 to 16/7 to 11/and 6 and under. All fish weighed in must be legal by DNR rules, and sharks and stingrays don’t count.
For more information, contact Daniel Culpepper at 743-9567, or big1sheephead@yahoo.com.
