Volume 3 - October 2009

Lake Murray Fishing! 05-09-09

Matt got up early this morning and took the boys on a father son outing. They went to Lake Murray and went fishing. They caught several and we even got a picture of Ethan's very first fish he reeled in himself! Great job guys! (& thanks for letting me sleep in!)

Picking Strawberries!

We went to the Strawberry Farm in Gilbert, SC on Friday. The boys picked and picked until their little bellies were full! Boy, were they yummy!!

Beach trip 4/10-4/13/2009

Here are a few pictures from our beach trip. The one above was taken on our day trip to Folly Beach on 4/2. Ethan wanted to go fishing so, we had to indulge him...



4/10/2009


We came back with plenty of crab and 2 fish. The boys had a great time with their crab lines on the dock. Maybe we will have better luck next time. It was just so windy that it was hard to enjoy being in the boat... Until next time!






The oyster beds on the shore. Matt gathered some from the public harvesting area. He also sliced his hand up on them. That why they wear gloves!




Look at all these conch's that Dane found!




Do you see the 2 crabs hiding among the cluster of oysters?

Getting ready for the beach trip!

Ok everyone! Here we going... Let the packing begin and in the morning, we are off to blue skies and noooooooo worries! I will post when we return. I am sure I will have plenty of pics to share! Love you all!

The Grissom Family

I just wanted to post the new video I finally finished for Scout, our lab. He has been with us on most of our hunting trips and this video is dedicated to him and all of his hard work... Enjoy!

Saltwater fishing in Mount Pleasant, SC 3-7-09

Here is The Grissom Family Adventures vol. 2 "Saltwater fishing in Mt. Pleasant"




We had to drive down to Mount Pleasant, SC on Saturday morning because Matt had some work to do there... So, of course, it was only natural that the boat tag along for the journey. We checked the fishing reports and the word was that the trout and sheepshead were biting.

After launching the boat at Buck Hall Landing in a little town just above Mt. Pleasant, we traveled to some of the little creeks just off of the Intercoastal Waterway. There were very few boats on the water because it was 10-20mph winds. We tried casting in a couple of creeks and then we saw the most AMAZING site... BOTTLE NOSE DOLPHINS!

They were so beautiful! It was breath taking to watch them just swim around the creek... but before long there were at least 5 of them in the water. They began playing and barrel rolling on the top of the water! Splashing around and creating such a scene! I grabbed the camera and could not really get a good shot... So I gave the camera to "the master" and Matt got several pics. I wanted to video them playing in the water because it was just unbelievable! They didn't seem to be scared of us at all. The stayed at least 50 yards away until one became extremely curious. I missed it but Matt said one of them came VERY close to the boat. He said it lifted it's entire head out of the water, turned it's head from side to side checking us out. Matt said he looked the dolphin square in the eye! Then he went under and came back up with his pod. It was absolutely amazing! We were so excited...

But you know what it means when there are dolphin in the area you want to fish in... NO FISH! They are scared away... We ended up only fishing for a few hours that day but it was nice to be able to get outside and enjoy the warm temperatures. Until next time!

Ethan's 1st soccer game 2/22

This is for those that missed Ethan's soccer game. It was cold and windy... Ethan has never played soccer before and he only had 1 practice before today's game. We were so proud of him. He played all 4 quarters and he never once complained that he was cold. Our little man is number 4. Hope you can make it next time if you missed. btw- Thanks to Cyndi for sharing some of the pics she took... They turned out great!

Catfishing in Bamberg 2/21

On Saturday we headed down to our hunt club "Maysferry" in Bamberg. SC. The club is on the Edisto River and it is very pretty. There is an old 1970's bus that has been converted into sleeping quarters with an attached kitchen and living room. It's still roughing it, in my opinion, but the boys think it is the coolest thing ever!

We road around the club for a little bit and Dad let Ethan do some driving... That was fun! Then we decided to park and actually take a walk down one of the logging trails in hopes of getting a few squirrels. I guess the boys shooting the BB gun scared them all away because the woods seemed to be very quite this afternoon...

When we got back to camp the boys took turns shooting a target while Matt chucked a catfish rod in the river and started the charcoal grill. It was not long and all the sudden the rod was doubled over and Matt was running to the rescue. I thought the rod was caught on a tree or something but Matt said "FISH ON!!" It was very exciting to see that Matt was not skunked after all... :o)

The fish weighed about 5-8lbs. It was funny how docile he was when Matt pulled him up. After we put him in the cooler, the fish seemed to come to life. He all but knocked the cooler off the truck tailgate. Ethan ran over with the BB gun and, of course, wanted to shoot it to make it stop beating around from inside the cooler. We explained that it was a bad idea to shoot the cooler... (HILARIOUS moment).

We started the fire pit to keep warm, since it was pretty chilly now that the sun was going down. We all sat around eating the hot dogs and waiting on the monster catfish to take the bait. While watching the fire, Billy said it was kinda like the burning bush in the bible. It was amazing to listen to Billy recall the story from his book almost word for word! After we talked a little more, Matt heard some racket in the woods across the river. It was a couple of owls. They were carrying on like crazy until Matt and Ethan tried to imitate their call. Who knows what they actually told the owls... ;o)

Shortly after 8pm we decided to head home. The fire was put out and the rod reeled in. We headed home with a few pics, a catfish, and some great memories that I think the boys will remember for some time... Until our next adventure... We hope to see you outdoors!

The Grissom Family
Matt, Nikki, Billy, Dane, & Ethan

Folly Beach Fishing 2/7/09

We woke up Saturday morning and it was beautiful outside!!! Matt and I started talking about how we have been cooped up in the house all week long and we were trying to decide what would be a great way to spend this warm Saturday. I thought maybe go to our other hunt club in Bamberg but then I thought FISHING!...

I checked the fishing report for Charleston and everywhere I looked the fish were biting! Whiting (my favorite!), Sheephead, and the occasional drum were biting on cut bait or shrimp. We loaded up the gear and headed to Folly Beach! The boys were so-o-o-o-o excited to be able to fish and play on the beach.


The ride was quick, only 1.5 hours. We had to stop at Walmart for a few snacks and drinks and then it was off to the beach. We found a spot to park which had very close beach access. The temp difference on the beach verses the temp. by the car was astounding!!! The forecast was SUNNY 73' but I don't think that was for actually being on the beach (at least not in the wind.)

Matt showed the boys what the line feels like against the current in the water verses the lake or river. They were amazed at the difference. They kept Matt on his toes by constantly thinking they had a fish when it was just the current.... but hey, that what little boys do right?! Ethan was so funny playing in the sand and running around like crazy! They actually complained about having to go to the car and warm up! I was freezing but they were excited to be there and didn't care how red their little hands were.




Needless to say I am convinced that the piers and tackle shops tell everyone that the fish are biting to lure us to the beach... We fished from 3pm-5:30pm and not even a nibble. I mean we didn't even have a shark bite the bait! Dane spotted a pair of dolphins just beyond the breaking waves and that was pretty. I would have snapped a pic but I was holding a rod and could not get to the camera quick enough. Maybe they scared the fish away! hmmmm.....

Anyway! Until next time.... go enjoy some sun!

Duck Hunting 1/25

Last day of the 2009 duck season- We went duck hunting on Sunday afternoon. It was the last day of the season for adults and we chose Camden, SC. Matt and Dane were shooting and I manned the camera. I have some good videos and pics of the event. The boys got to wade around in the ponds and one time got really wet (that tends to happen when you go to deep and the water comes over the sides of your waders!) The temp must have been in the 40's. COLD COLD!

On the first shoot, we had a couple of guys walk (one floated in a canoe) from the opp. side of the flooded timber towards us. This way, they make the birds get up and fly out so we can take a shot. All went well and we got some shooting in. Mostly Wood ducks and a few Mergansers. Matt and Dane pulled the trigger and Matt actually got one down but the little devil went into the brush and we couldn't find it.







Then it was onto the second shoot. Same tech. used to get the birds out and we even had some flying before everyone was into position. All of the fellas who came out to the hunt got some shooting in. Matt made a great shot on a Wood duck and it splashed right in front of the camera. I got that on video. Scout did a pretty good job retrieving the duck once the shoot was over.

We got to sit the pond after the last shoot and boy was that interesting! Matt had to carry all of us, yes me included, into the blind. The blind was actually in the pond and this was when Ethan and Dane realized that their waders were not quite tall enough! The final hunt of the season was not a washout. Right about dusk, the birds started flying. Matt shot 2 more ducks before shooting time was up. We heard some woodys in the timber behind us and they kept "talking" back to Matt's call but never came out. Right after we got out of the blind several Canadian Geese flew into the pond. It was quite a sound. We had a great time and may take Dane on the youth hunt on Sat. depending on schedules. Stay tuned and until next time....

The Grissom Family Adventures Vol. 1

Here is the first official video of our adventures. It is a collection of photos and video over the past few years. We had so much fun with our family and friends! Thank you to those of you who helped make these memories!

Friends, Pals, Buddies

This is the first video I made of my beautiful family. It captures a few of the precious moments we have shared over the past 10 years. I hope you enjoy this small glimpse into our life.

Greetings!

Hello everyone! To those of you who are interested in any of our adventures, you have come to the right place. We enjoy the outdoors so very much and appreciate all that God has created for us! We choose to respect all types of wildlife and NEVER promote wasteful behavior. I hope you check back frequently as I will update the blog when we have a new adventure. If you are unable to go adventuring, maybe you can go there with the help of our camera! Hope to see you outdoors!