The locals go nuts over only a little fish called “spots,”, and the long anticipated spot run finally came and went. Spots turned up in great numbers on October 12th, and for around 6 days merry mayhem ruled on the pier. Anglers stood shoulder to shoulder, lead weights and spot rigs flying through the air. Absolutely everyone caught spots, whether they certainly were fishing for them or not. One number of 5 fishermen proudly boasted catching over 700 spots between them, and individual anglers who grumbled that they simply caught a couple of realized too late that those big catches stumbled on people who were standing in the proper location on the pier where in actuality the huge schools of spots were at a given time.
Meanwhile, back at pier “central,” which can be the bait and tackle shop at the front end of the pier, a dauntless but harried, efficient but tired pier crew answered over 300 telephone calls daily during this period, with nearly each call beginning with,” Would be the spots biting yet?” Always the exact same question, too! Some of the callers included demands for weather predictions, wind direction, specific time predictions for the initial spot to latch onto a land, and so on. One caller even asked Ronnie the way the fish were biting a week ago, exactly when they certainly were anticipated to bite in a few days, and which specific dates he, the caller, should arrange for his vacation so that he might be certain to catch fish. Ronnie’s answer, perfected over time, suited the caller: “Mr., a week ago is history. In a few days is a puzzle, and if I really could answer your third question, I would be in Las Vegas right now.”
From then on busy week, the spots had shifted, and spot catching wasn’t so prolific-none of the record numbers that people saw the last week. However, what makes angling, certainly life at Cherry Grove Pier, exciting is that there is a constant know from 1 day to another location what will happen snowbee. Just when the spots stopped biting, they started again. The 2009 Saturday turned out to be one of many busiest with record-number catches exceeding the last numbers. Based on previous history with fishing for spots, we can expect the next many weeks to be like these past two-lively, then slow again. You only never know! We’ve seen some nice catches beyond spots, too-king mackerel, black drum, red drum, blue fish, and some Spanish mackerel.
At the same time that the spots kept the anglers hopping, Saturday, October 25th brought our adults and kids for the “Take a Kid Fishing” Tournament, hosted by the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. Held from 8 am to 12 noon, the event saw a large attendance, regardless of the damp, windy weather. Each child received a goody bag with a “Take a Kid Fishing” tee shirt and many other items donated by area merchants, plus at mid-morning each received a treat, soft drinks, and water. Although the fish tended to remain in the water as opposed to allow themselves to be caught, the children had fun, and the adults delighted in aiding kids go through the joys of fishing.
In addition, the Cherry Grove Pier has a resident celebrity: Pete the Pelican! Because he’s discovered the true luxury of receiving free fishy hand-outs from people fishing over the pier, he’s adopted the pier as his “turf,” so to speak. He usually sits near the end of the pier and enjoys posting for pictures for the customers and even allows being touched now and then if the daring human agrees to maneuver slowly. Fast movements cause the pelican to peck the offending hand. Just when the fishing weather moves from the balmy breeze to raw bone-piercing chill, we will most likely see this self-appointed pier monitor drift off along with his pelican mates to get warmer shores and wait to return to Cherry Grove next spring.