Lake Moultrie
Encyclopedia
Lake Moultrie is the third largest lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 covering over 60000 acres (242.8 km²).

Location

Lake Moultrie is located in Berkeley County
Berkeley County, South Carolina
Berkeley County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 142,651. The 2005 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 151,673. Its county seat is Moncks Corner....

, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, is fed by Lake Marion
Lake Marion (South Carolina)
Lake Marion is the largest lake in South Carolina, centrally located and with territory within five counties. The lake is referred to as South Carolina's inland sea. It has a shoreline and covers nearly 110,000 acres of rolling farmlands, former marshes, and river valley landscape...

 through a diversion canal. Nearby towns include Moncks Corner
Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,952 at the 2000 census....

, Bonneau
Bonneau, South Carolina
Bonneau is a town in Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 and St. Stephen
St. Stephen, South Carolina
St. Stephen is a town in Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,776 at the 2000 census.As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, St. Stephen is included within the Charleston-North...

.

Origin

Lake Moultrie was created in the early 1940s by the South Carolina Public Service Authority. Its effluent is the Cooper River
Cooper River (South Carolina)
The Cooper River is a mainly tidal river in the U.S. state of South Carolina. These cities are located along the river, Mt. Pleasant, Charleston, North Charleston, Goose Creek and Hanahan. Short and wide, it is joined first by the blackwater East Branch, then farther downstream, the tidal Wando River...

, and it is dammed by the Pinopolis Dam. It covers about 60000 acres (242.8 km²). It was named for Governor William Moultrie
William Moultrie
William Moultrie was a general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War.He was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He fought in the Anglo-Cherokee War and served in the colonial assembly before the advent of the American Revolution....

.

Fishing

Lake Moultrie offers a varied fishing environment. There are shallow swamps, black water ponds, thousands of tree stumps and live cypress trees, as well as large open areas of water. This lake does not form ice in winter months. A world record Channel Catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...

 weighing 58 lb (26.3 kg). was caught from this lake. The lake also holds the state record for Black Crappie (5 lbs). For fisherman that prefer the bank, the catfish tend to move up to shallow water near dusk and bite well at night. Large catfish are known to bite well on bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...

(live) and perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...

(live) off the bottom of shallow sand/mud flats close to shore. The catfish move in the shallow water to feed on small clams and bait fish found in the mud and cracks on the lakes floor. It is not uncommon for fisherman at Lake Moultrie to catch catfish over 20 lb (9.1 kg). Trotlines are common at Lake Moultrie as well as trolling and even arching with a bow and arrow by spotlighting catfish in the shallows at night.

Recent news

On September 16, 2007, 59-year-old Bill Hedden was snorkeling
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...

in the lake when he was attacked by a 12 feet (3.7 m), 600 lb (272.2 kg) alligator, which ripped off his left arm. Five nurses who were at a picnic nearby were able to stop the bleeding until help arrived. The alligator was killed and the arm recovered, but doctors at the Medical University of South Carolina were not able to reattach it.
In September 2010, Maryellen Mara-Christian, a 48-year-old former bank marketing officer from Fitchburg, Mass., bagged a 13½-foot 1,025-pound alligator in Lake Moultrie, it took about two hours to secure the gator.
http://www.thetandd.com/lifestyles/recreation/hunting/article_9c7ed19a-c2bb-11df-8f53-001cc4c03286.html
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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