Sumter Elks Lodge 855 to host June 8 fishing tournament

Sumter Elks Lodge 855 will host its first ever fishing tournament on Saturday, June 8, at Pack's Landing. Tournament chairman Harold Butler said the open fishing competition will focus on pan fish only, with crappie and catfish specifically excluded.

The tournament will begin at the landing at "first safe light," which Butler said means that visibility on the lake must be clear. "We don't want anyone running into stumps or posts or floating debris," he explained.

Butler will be at Pack's Landing at 4:30 a.m. to accept late registrations, but registration forms are already located at Pack's Landing and most other marinas and landings in the area, as well as several local businesses. Find them at Second Mill Restaurant, Simpson Hardware stores on Wesmark Boulevard and Pinewood Road, and Wally's Hardware.

Bream, bluegill and shellcrackers are among the most popular pan fish in the Santee Cooper system, according to S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Fee for competing in the tournament is $50 per boat, with two fishermen per boat. Butler said the limit for two people is 60 fish. "When the boats return to the landing (by 2 p.m.), they will enter their best 30 fish in the tournament. These will be weighed, and the boat with the highest weight will win first place."

Individual fishermen can enter but will still pay $50, as the fee for entry is per boat. Butler said this will limit the individual, as he or she can only take 30 fish. Second- and third-place boats will also be recognized and receive prize money. In the case of a tie, Butler said the winner will be the boat having the highest weight for the least number of fish.

Sumter Elks Lodge 855 will award half of the registration fees to the winners - 50 percent for first place, 30 percent for second and 20 percent for third place. The Elks request that registration be completed by Saturday, June 1, but Butler will be at Pack's Landing by 4:30 a.m. the day of the tournament to accept registrations.

For information about current fishing conditions in the Santee Cooper System, visit the SCDNR website, http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/freshwater.html.

For more information about the Sumter Elks Lodge 855 fishing tournament, call Butler at (405) 210-2212.