The Etiwan District of the Boy Scouts of America held their inaugural Sea Spot Run fishing tournament at the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Mount Pleasant Fishing Pier this past Saturday. At least 116 area Cub and Boy Scouts participated in the daylong event, which provided a fun and informative way for the boys to earn their Cub Scout fishing belt loops and Boy Scout fishing merit badges.

"It's great to see so many youth participate and be excited about fishing. I was really impressed by the fact that so many of them were receptive to releasing their fish, as more anglers wanted to release their fish rather than take them home or use them for bait. This event was a great representation of good stewardship of our state's marine resources," said Robert Wiggers of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Wiggers and SCDNR provided the official scales, updated fishing regulations information and an aerated tank for the boys to safely hold their creatures whilst deciding whether to take their fish home or tag and release. Five boys tagged and released their fish: Ronnie Hutto, Blu McMichael and John Peterseim each tagged a Bluefish, Jack Harrington tagged a Black Sea Bass, and Declan Condon tagged a Southern Flounder .

Laird Staley of Lowcountry Anglers fishing club served as the official weighmaster, accompanied by Tony Kozloski and many volunteers from both Lowcountry Anglers and East Cooper Fishing Clubs. "Weighing in close to two hundred fifty fish was a rewarding challenge," said Staley.

Jim Koenig from Kingfish Environmental roamed about the pier, identifying species and opening the eyes of the boys to the fascinating world of our coastal marine environment.

Lynn Able, of Haddrell's Point Fish and Tackle and the East Cooper Fishing Club, made three trips back to the shop to get more bait for the boys, who were thrilled that the fish were biting. East Cooper Fishing Club volunteers helped the boys with their rigging and bait throughout the event to assist in keeping their lines in the water. In all, the boys caught more than 300 fish during the course of the event.

Winners for the event include: for Biggest Fish: a 1.24 pound Toadfish, caught by Cal Frame of Pack 502; the Fish with the Most Spots was a Spot Tail with two spots caught by Avery Scott of Pack 9. Joey Bokern of Pack 11 won the award for Most Fish Caught, hauling in an amazing 21 fish during the tournament. The Most Unusual Catch was determined to be a Weakfish, caught by MacGregor Stilley of Pack 31. The Scout Sportsman award for the event went to Boy Scout Gil Rios of Troop 700 for his dedication, enthusiasm and respectful manner whilst working towards his fishing merit badge.

During slack tide, Scouts were fortunate to be able to participate in the annual Scouts Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). JOTA is an annual event in which Scouts from all over the world speak to each other by means of Amateur (ham) Radio. Volunteers Roland Crane, Bob Ramos and Bob Meyers arrived at five in the morning to erect a 30-foot radio tower and ham radio station in order for the boys to participate in this year's event, which was themed "Peace, Environment, Natural Disasters…focusing on the strength of Scouting: to act and support in unforeseen circumstances."

The Sea Spot Run event was presented by Scout Boats and Sea Ray of Charleston.

The Etiwan District serves as the first tier governing body of the Coastal Carolina Council of Boy Scouts of America, overseeing the activities of some 1,200 youth in 30 Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, Venturing Crews and Sea Scout Ships in the East Cooper area. For more information or to find a Pack, Troop, Crew or Ship in East Cooper near you, contact William Etheridge at the council office at 763-0305 or via aetherid@bsamail.org.