Plumbers in Wando, SC

MOUNT PLESANT, S.C. (WCIV) — Wando Welch Terminal achieved an all-time record year, moving more than 1.2 million containers according to an internally conducted study.

South Carolina Ports finished the 2024 fiscal year with a 7% uptick in container volumes moving through the Port of Charleston last month, their prepared statement said. They handled 218,115 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) and 121,267 pier containers in June, marking the second highest June on their records.

In total more than 1.2 million containers were moved across the wharf in the fiscal year, even as active construction continued at the terminal, they reported.

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“The Southeast market is booming, with a growing population driving imports and new manufacturing investments spurring exports,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said. “South Carolina Ports is well-positioned for this growth with a 52-foot-deep harbor, efficient terminals, new capacity on the horizon and an impressive inland port network.”

SC Ports reported that, in the 2024 fiscal year the broader maritime community handled nearly 2.5 million TEUs and 1.4 million pier containers, which is slightly down from the previous year.

“SC Ports works alongside our maritime partners to provide highly productive port service and fluidity in the Southeast supply chains,” Melvin said. “We remain focused on providing the operational excellence that our customers have come to expect from us, while proactively investing in port capacity to efficiently handle their growth.”

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Both Inland Port Greer and Inland Port Dillon was reported to have handled record cargo volumes. In the fiscal year 2024, a combined 230,409 containers were moved on and off trains at the rail-served inland ports, which is up 24% year-over-year.

“Our rail-served inland ports have seen tremendous growth this past year as more customers move cargo by rail,” Melvin said. “We are expanding Inland Port Greer and building the rail-served Navy Base Intermodal Facility to provide more rail capacity in the Southeast port market and further support our customers’ supply chains.”

according to the port's research, inland Port Greer handled 187,638 containers in fiscal year 2024, a 28% increase from the prior year. Port Greer also had a record June with 16,450 containers handled, which is an 11% uptick from last year, SC Port says.

In addition, Inland Port Dillon also reportedly saw significant cargo growth in fiscal year 2024, handling 9% more with 42,771 containers moved. This is the first time Inland Port Dillon handled more than 40,000 rail moves in a fiscal year.

The S.C. State Ports Authority will pause construction along the wharf at its busy Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant next month to help clear a container ship backlog that hit double digits after a software malfunction shut down the Port of Charleston for about three days in May.

The SPA said the 10-day interruption will begin on the night of July 3.

The building project involves the creation of a "toe wall," is a structure that supports a stable slope beneath the wharf to maintain a 54-foot depth. Construction has limited Wando Welch, the port's largest terminal, to two berths at times. The pause will open a third spot beginning July 5.

That extra space will help the SPA clear a line of ships that have been waiting to load and unload cargo at the terminal. The backlog, which stood at nearly 20 vessels anchored off the South Carolina coast a month ago, was down to seven ships on June 24. It is is expected to remain between two and four ships until the construction pause and should be cleared within a few days afterward.

"We felt like, given where we are with vessels, plus the upcoming July 4 holiday that's always known as a no-work day to cause queuing on the East Coast, those 10 days right around the holiday was a good time to do it," said Barbara Melvin, the SPA's president and CEO. "That gives us a jumpstart on anything that might occur after the July 4 holiday."

The construction pause is one of several measures the SPA is taking to clear the vessel backlog. Some ships that were scheduled to visit Wando Welch have instead sailed up the Cooper River to the North Charleston Terminal while others have been offered 1 a.m. berth times at Wando Welch in addition to the normal daytime and early evening slots.

The vessel backlog was exacerbated by the software shutdown that was discovered on May 18. The maritime agency said the issue was not related to any hacking or cyber-attack, and the port reopened on the afternoon of May 21. The SPA extended its yard hours after the port reopened to help truckers move cargo in and out.

The Wando High School Choir has 61 students who were selected for the South Carolina All-State Choir this year. The number of students selected from Wando is more than any other high school choir program in the state. The All-State Choir brings together the top 10-12th grade singers throughout South Carolina, making it a great honor for students to be selected. These students spent three months preparing for their audition that took place in November 2017. Recently, these students traveled to Winthrop University for the All-State Choir performance weekend. They rehearsed and performed directly with college and university choral directors in order to enhance their musical knowledge and technique.

The attending students have shown their outstanding musical ability throughout the audition and performance preparation process. Being selected for All-State Chorus is a tremendous responsibility. These students practiced and prepared select repertoire in addition to their regular rehearsal schedules. Many of these students also recently performed Mozart’s Requiem at the Gaillard Center, and they were also featured in general session performance for the South Carolina Music Educators Association Annual In-Service Conference in Columbia, SC.

The Wando High School Chorus enjoys a long tradition of excellence in choral music. Director Eric Wilkinson and Associate Directors Matt Taylor and Lizzie Keene lead the program made up of 250 singers and five performance ensembles. The choir will be traveling to Orlando later this month in order to compete in a national choral competition.

Wando Chorus Students chosen for 2018 South Carolina All-State (in alphabetical order):

• Marguerite Baker

• Maggie Beauston

• Rebecca Boensch

• Alex Cameron

• Sophie Cuff

• Adam Cutright

• Ellie Fletcher

• Camryn Gamble

• Lydia Gardner

• Allie Gibbons

• Hannah Glass

• Grae Gosnell

• Zach Green

• Savannah Hunter Harder

• Joe Harder

• Jill Hethcox

• Alex Hodges

• Zoe Hricik

• Jacob Jacksa

• Meagan Jacobin

• Austin Jacobin

• Julia Jellema

• Thomas Johnson

• Maribeth Kern

• Abby Konen

• Priscilla Krewatch

• Patrick Lady

• Connor Leary

• Julia LeVan

• Yunuen Lupian

• Maxwell McCrary

• Julia McLaughlin

• Kyle McTavish

• Kale Miller

• Morgan Miller

• Kindred Moore

• Elizabeth Morris

• Clara Morse

• Colson Mosley

• Georgia Peaden

• Ansley Quinn

• Peter Ranney

• Lydia Ratliff

• Morgan Rodriguez

• Zara Rosen

• John Ryan

• Evan Sanders

• Jessie Schlotfeld

• Nick Seiffert

• Emma Smith

• Ashley Stewart

• Maddie Strickland

• Skylar Taylor

• Hannah Tompkins

• Hayden Turner

• Reagan Watson

• Reed Way

• Michael Davis Wiggins

• Ben Williams

• Anna Wilson

• Ethan Wright

Learn where South Carolina’s three top inshore species live and catch them all

“You’re gonna have to horse him out of there. Don’t give him any slack,” said Capt. Addison Rupert of Charleston’s Lowcountry Outdoor Adventures, coaching a client who was hooked up with a bull redfish around some wooden structure in the Wando River. A few minutes later, Rupert hoisted the 42-inch redfish aboard, then asked his client if she was ready to go for the speckled trout and flounder. They were after an “inshore slam.”

Rupert said the Wando is one of many places in the Lowcountry where a fisherman has a chance to catch a slam this month: redfish, speckled trout and flounder.

“Redfish love to hang out along grass lines and in deep holes near wooden structures. Speckled trout like moving water, especially areas with cross currents. Flounder prefer smooth sandy or muddy bottom with structure nearby,” he said. “The Wando has all of these, and it has them all close together.”

A moving tide is preferable for all three species, said Rupert, but he said flounder bite on a slack tide more readily than redfish or trout, so he concentrates on those two species when the tide is moving, then targets flounder at ebb tide.

This month, redfish are all over the Lowcountry, and they are feeding aggressively. Rupert targets them with live or cut bait.

“I know I’ll find some redfish near wooden structures, especially ones that are near deep holes, and the Wando is full of such structures,” said Rupert, who fishes with live mud minnows on jigheads, and with cut blue crabs. With a quarter of a crab threaded onto a 3/0 circle hook at the end of a Carolina rig, Rupert anchors down or ties up within casting distance of docks or old bridge pilings. He fan-casts a spread of several rods — some with blue crab and some with mud minnows — then waits for a bite.

If nothing bites in 15 or 20 minutes, Rupert moves, but sometimes it’s a very subtle move.

“Sometimes I’ll just move a few feet so I can reach another side of whatever structure I’m fishing. Other times, I’ll run downriver to another piece of structure,” he said.

When it’s time for trout, Rupert focuses on moving water. Points on the main river often feature different currents that collide, and Rupert targets them with popping corks and mud minnows. He casts into one current, lets the current carry the cork into the other, then reels the rig back in, making it pop all the way back, often drawing strikes from trout.

When using popping corks, Rupert likes to have an 18-inch leader under the cork; he said many anglers are too shy when it comes to popping the rigs.

“I want it moving the whole time. I let it settle, then pop it across the water. The trout come to check out the noise, see the bait, then hopefully bite it,” he said.

Flounder, Rupert said, are the most challenging of the three inshore slam species.

“They are more particular about where they hang out, and they are finicky biters compared to redfish and trout, especially this month when those two species are pretty aggressive,” he said.

But the Wando has plenty of spots where flounder like to gather, said Rupert, who looks for shallow water with a smooth bottom. A black, muddy bottom is good, but a white sandy one is just as good. He uses a Carolina rig with a 12- to 18-inch leader and a mud minnow for bait. He sticks with 12- to 15-pound test line and suggests casting the minnow out, then slowly working it back toward the boat. He cautions anglers not to set the hook too quickly.

“If they run away with it, then you need to set the hook right away, but if you just feel a slight tick, just be patient and let the fish take it in. Flounder don’t bite like other fish; they take longer to work the bait into their mouths,” Rupert said.

In the Wando, Rupert said it’s easy to find flounder spots. Some are between the docks of riverfront homes. Look for areas that have very gentle slopes from shore to deeper water. At low tide, some of this water is inches deep, even 30 or 40 feet from the shore. It’s flat and sandy, a welcome habitat for flounder. He finds other flounder spots with flat, muddy bottoms where undeveloped land meets the river, mostly along the left bank of the river heading upstream from Remley’s Point.

Rupert said other inshore slam hot spots this month include creeks around the Isle of Palms Marina and the grass-lined banks in the harbor out of Shem Creek’s public boat ramp.

Another Charleston-area guide, Capt. Amy Little of Fine Lines Charters, likes pursuing the inshore slam, often out of the Breach Inlet boat ramp on Isle of Palms. Many of her favorite redfish and trout holes are within sight of the ramp and include some of the old wooden pilings near private docks. She likes to tie up or anchor within casting distance of these structures, then uses corks to suspend her bait above the bottom. She also likes to target grass lines, especially ones with shell banks nearby.

“When I see a grass line near a shell bank, then notice a jut in the grass line that creates a hole or opening in the grass, I will give that area special attention. I expect to catch redfish tight to the grass there, and trout are usually hanging out just off the grass, between the grass and shell bank,” Little said.

When fishing these shell banks, Little almost exclusively uses corks, suspending her bait with 12- to 15-inch leaders.

“You want to keep your hooks off those shell banks to keep from getting hooked on the shells. The trout sometimes bite very lightly too, so the cork helps detect bites,” said Little, who doesn’t impart a lot of action into the popping corks when her bait — usually live mud minnows or live shrimp — is fresh. “Once the bait gets a little sluggish, I’ll start popping it some, but I usually let the bait do its own thing.”

Aside from areas around Breach Inlet, Little said the waters around the Pitt Street bridge are productive for the inshore slam.

“The bull redfish hang out along the pilings of the bridge, and the grass lines all around the bridge are good spots for redfish and trout,” she said. “Water flows under the bridge to the main waterway, and the bottom there is a combination of shell banks and smooth sand. Anchoring in one spot can be productive for all three inshore slam species.”

Castle Pinckney is another productive spot for Little. Letting her cork float along with the tide on the outskirts of the island is a good tactic for trout, but she also catches flounder on the bottom between the island and a nearby cluster of pilings. She said flatfish love hugging the bottom close to the rocks that line the island, looking for an easy meal to ambush.

“They like a flat bottom, but they like it even better if it’s near some sort of change in structure like rock piles or even shell banks,” she said.

Aside from live mud minnows, Little likes using artificial lures for redfish and flounder, especially soft plastics like Vudu Shrimp.

“These baits are really good. They work well and they stand up to abuse. You can catch dozens of redfish and trout on one of these without them tearing up,” said Little.

Like Rupert, Little prefers a moving tide for this type of fishing,and said the incoming is almost always best.

“At low tide, these fish are ready to move into the areas they haven’t had access to in several hours. They know food is waiting for them, and once the tide starts rising, these fish will come in and hit the shell banks, grass lines, and dock pilings to look for food that is only available on the incoming or high tide,” she said.

DESTINATION INFORMATION

HOW TO GET THERE/WHEN TO GO — The Charleston area is blessed with dozens of public boat ramps that allow great access to productive waters like the Wando River. The Remley Point ramp is on the Cooper River at the foot of the US 17 bridge in Mount Pleasant; it is close to the mouth of the Wando River. The Paradise Island landing is on CR 1453 off US 17 on the Wando. The Breech Inlet ramp is a pay ramp at Isle of Palms Marina. June is a great month to target an inshore slam because flounder and trout have arrived, and along with redfish, they are very active before water temperatures warm to true summer levels.

TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — Medium-action spinning or baitcasting tackle will get the job done on trout, reds and flounder. Carolina rigs are most-often used when targeting flounder using live bait. For trout, a live bait suspended under a popping cork can do the trick. Reds will also hit live bait on a jighead or under a cork, or crab chunks on a Carolina rig.

GUIDES/FISHING INFO — Capt. Addison Rupert, Lowcountry Outdoor Adventures, 843-557-3476, www.lowcountryoutdooradventures.com; Capt. Amy Little, Fine Lines Charters, 843-345-1310, www.finelinescharters.com; Haddrell’s Point Tackle, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-3644; Charleston Angler, Mount Pleasant, 843-884-2095; Isle of Palms Marina, Isle of Palms, 843-886-0209; Atlantic Game & Tackle, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-6900; Henry’s Sporting Goods, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-0465. See also Guides & Charters in Classifieds.

ACCOMMODATIONS — Hampton Inn & Suites, Mount Pleasant, 843-856-3900; Holiday Inn, Mount Pleasant, 843-884-6000; Seaside Inn, Isle of Palms, 888-999-6516; Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, Mount Pleasant, 888-856-0028; Shem Creek Inn, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-1000.

MAPS — Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, www.captainsegullcharts.com; Sealake Fishing; Guides, 800-411-0185, www.thegoodspots.com; Maps Unique, 910-458-9923, www.mapsunique.com.

Dutch Fork coach Reed Gunter hopes his team’s first state title trip isn’t its last one.

The Silver Foxes put up a fight against powerhouse Wando, but the Warriors’ depth and experience took over in the final two quarters in the 15-8 victory Saturday in the Class 5A state championship match.

It is Wando’s sixth state title and fourth in a row.

Dutch Fork finishes the year at 15-2, the most wins in the six-year history of the program.

“Even with the loss today, it is tremendous and so happy to be there,” Gunter said. “It shows the hard work we put in and all the effort. I don’t plan on this being the last time. We plan on being back.”

Jack Shipman and Logan Mitchell each scored five goals for Wando (12-4). The Warriors, who led 7-6 at halftime, took control in the third quarter by scoring four goals. They added four more goals in the fourth quarter.

Shipman scored as time expired in the quarter to give Wando an 11-6 lead after three.

“This means a lot to maintain some dominance in this state,” Wando's Lance Renes said. “We put a lot of work into the practices. And all that work gives us the confidence to do our best and paint a beautiful picture.”

“Really, in the second half, we let them get a lot of shots off in the crease,” Gunter said. “Too many times, they came out with a better offensive plan and decided to attack us in close. I guess we just weren’t prepared for it. And in the second half, their depth came into play and wore us down a little bit.”

Alex Walters led Dutch Fork with four goals, and Chance Hainey added two.

Dutch Fork trailed much of the first half but erased a pair of three-goal deficits. Walters had a hat trick in the first quarter, with his third goal tying it at 3 with 1:43 left in the quarter.

The Silver Foxes trailed 6-3 but goals by Jakob Lara and Austin Beasley cut it to 6-5 with 5:55 left in second quarter. Hainey tied it at 6 on a goal with 44 seconds left in the half.

Tommy Marcoon gave Wando a 7-6 lead 20 seconds later.

This story was originally published April 28, 2018, 4:58 PM.