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Tag Archives: Fontana Lake

Florence, SC, So Many Ways To Enjoy a Visit and So Many Venues For Tourists and Others!

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Yes, great Kayaking and WOW do you get hungry after getting some prime, upper body exercise! SEE BELOW

APtravelnews-November 16th—Florence, S.C.—We met Holly Beaumier on a drive up  I-95 towards our ultimate goal of visiting Vermont again. We stayed and played in her dog-friendly city enjoying great foods and fine accommodations, but most importantly: very friendly caring locals.

Last week,  we had occasion to meet up with her again at the 5oth Anniversary of SEOPA held at Fontana Lake in N.C. She was in attendance to assist in spreading the word, along with other Counties CVB’s from all around the South about their respective excellent travel opportunities for tourists and other visitors.

Holly is a true professional and very passionate about Florence, S.C. and surrounding locals ability to offer great travel opportunities to everyone and anyone “stopping to smell the roses” off I-95 and from all around the USA and the world!

She introduced us to a whole set of opportunities that should encourage us all to make a reservation and head to Florence when possible. Here are some of them:

  • Farm to table and what’s in season? The SC climate lends itself to agricultural produce year round. Local restaurants (we agree having enjoyed many of them) often change menus to serve locally sourced, in season foods.
  • Middle Sparrow Ranch, SC’s only producer of farmstead cheese. Crafted on site from grass fed cows. The cheese has its own unique flavor. Other products are dairy and whey-fed pork.
  • U-Pick farms offer strawberry, muscadine grapes, blueberries are ready from April through October.
  • Tours are available at Ovis Hill Farm where they graze 250 sheep and provide high quality, natural foods.
  • Fishing in local rivers how about giant catfish? Shad are caught in Hoop nets and even drop lines for “cats.”
  • Hog Hunting on horseback? Inquire and Give it a go in SC.
  • Cooper Black Recreation Area has National Sporting Dog field trials: there are equestrian trials in endurance and runs in this 7000 rolling acres of longleaf pine forests and the fields provide the ultimate venue for these and much more events.
  • Birding: More than 100 species of migratory birds to spot at. Take your binocular to Woods Bay State Natural Area.
  • There are so many other things to see and do: Camp, be an Archeologist, check out enigmatic Carolina Bays, the Darlington Marathon races, Marsh Tacky Horses, a South Carolina Horse with stripes dating to Revolutionary times, Heart of Carolina’s 3-day horse competitions, The Kings Three Trails with great jockeys, Lancing tournament on horseback started in 1899. These opportunities and too many others are in and around Florence, SC. For more info. Go: visitflo.com  843-664-0330
    As pet friendly a city as you can find!
    As pet friendly a city as you can find!
    Lamb Chops from Colorado, Risotto, goats cheese. Unreal tastes!
    Lamb Chops from Colorado, Risotto, goats cheese. Unreal tastes!

    New York Cheesecake and strawberries. Terrific!
    New York Cheesecake and local strawberries. Terrific!

New Fishing Lures, Lines and Terminal Tackle For 2015

Lures, line, quick attach fishing floats for 2015.
Lures, line, quick attach fishing floats for 2015.

APtravelnews & AP Product News-January 2nd,–Crossville, TN–Recently we had the opportunity to join in as members of SEOPA’s (Southeastern  Outdoor Press Association) 50th Anniversary Conference at Fontana Lakes Resort in North Carolina. During the conference, media types have a chance to visit with various outdoor products manufacturers and view, test and enjoy items, active outdoor sportsmen and women would use in their hunting, fishing and boating life-all kinds of items, from game and fish seasonings, duck and turkey calls, to tree-stands, guns, fishing rods and even hand warmers for those who ice fish, or stay out in the cool and cold of fall and winter.

A little known fact by anglers gleaned from a visit to the Chattanooga Aquarium, probably one of the very finest in the world is that the Tennessee River has more freshwater species than any other body of water in America. I have lived in TN. for 10-years and I have never fished the river OK!, please don’t ask why! Yes, this is going to change, as I am heading for the river today! Stay tuned.

The following fishing items are all I may be using during my forays to the river: Berkley makes a wide variety of baits both soft and hard baits and the new Flicker Minnow Pro in Slick Purple Bengal in size 7, is one I will try first. It dives to from 14-17 feet in depth and I know if G-D is with me, a perch, bass or hopefully a trout is going to commit to a whack at it!  Sebile Action First, provided a neat looking floater called the Squarebill Sunfish. I am fairly confident a sassy bass will strike this on a first cast to the water lilies in a bend in the river. If they don’t bite on the floater, I’ll try their Lipless Sinker with rattles; who knows? Fortunately, these companies make these lures in different sizes and colors and just like my fly fishing excursions with my fly box full of you name it in color and size, my tackle box gives me the arsenal of possibilities that persnickety  fish might like!

From catfish mono line, to crappie and the rest of the gang, new lines appear to be just that, new! I’ve got Gamma Touch Flourocarbon, Stren, Berkley IronSilk in green, and all in weights that will fill my old reels with fresh ammo presentations in abrasive resistant styles. Something I always thought would be a good idea also fell into my bag; “Frog Hair Adjustable Single use EZ-On float indicators from Gamma. No rubber bands, just quick-attach little threads and ready to fish little Bobber’s in several sizes and coloration styles. If I were you, I’d at least check out all this in the big box stores and mom and pops too!

 

 

 

 

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 Another face to face meeting with "Mr. Brown."
Another face to face meeting with “Mr. Brown.