Welcome to the SLV Rod & Gun ClubThe Savannah Lakes Village Rod & Gun Club is honored to be the largest sanctioned club in Savannah Lakes. We pride ourselves for offering the activities that our members request. These activities include: Sport target shooting, Skeet shooting, Sporting clays, Fishing charters (striper/bass/crappie/catfish), Fishing seminars, Dinner social programs and MANY more. Check our Upcoming Events section for more info.
The Rod & Gun Club is committed to 1) Connecting SLV members with common interests in fishing and shooting sports, 2) Providing opportunities for organized outings, guided trips, and sporting events, and 3) Building relationships.
Fishing
The Club is in the process of setting up various fishing charters as well as seminars. Fishing Charters are set up monthly, when possible. We do allow non-members if they are invited by a member on that charter. The charters will be first come first serve for members and guests.
Shooting
Pistol Range hours are 9:00-1:00 as of April 1, 2023. Skeet shooting is every Tuesday, weather permitting, at Hickory Knob Skeet Range at 9:00am (Summer; 3/14/23). Old and new Club members are free to join on Tuesday mornings to get an idea of what the shoot is like and speak with the Rangers and shooters. Members are responsible for their own equipment and ammunition. A round of skeet (25 ct) costs Club members $10.
Pistol Range Hours are now 9:00am-1:00pm (as of April 1).
Crappie Clinic on September 14 at the Rec Center has been postponed. A new date will be announced.
The SLV Rod & Gun Club will host Day 1 of a Fall Fun Shoot at the Range on September 23rd, at 9:30am. The Fun Shoot Day is a bunch of various targets, bowling pins, tops of bowling pins, clay targets, hanging and stationary, and two sets of new targets which allow bullets to pass through and not ricochet. No stress just fun. It will start at 9:30am and run until noon or so. No RSVP needed.
The LTB - Lake Thurmond Bassmasters is a 10-month long season and is looking for boaters to join our ranks. There are currently more co-anglers than boaters for the upcoming season which starts in October. This is a bass (black bass) fishing club that was formed with two objectives: 1) to have fun and 2) learn. There are fish 10 tournaments yearly, mainly on Lake Thurmond plus a couple of other nearby lakes. If you have a bass boat and are interested in a fun and learning fishing experience, this is a great club to join. The first club meeting of the new season is the first week of September, which is when we encourage new members to join the club. And remember, it is virtually impossible for a person to have too much fishing tackle!
Archery Competition: The SLV Rod & Gun Club is hosting an Archery competition on Tuesday, October 12th. The board will fund targets and signage if members (12 or more shooters) have interest in Archery. The winner will be crowned the 2023 Archery Champ at the annual dinner, receiving a $50 gift card. The event will be set up to mimic hunting, with cube style bagged targets approximately 20” square/10” thick, placed in different positions along a trail through the woods.
Save the Date! The SLV Rod & Gun Club Annual Fun Day and Banquet will be held on Monday, October 16, 2023. The day starts at the range in the morning with a Pistol Shoot, followed by an early afternoon Skeet Shoot at the Hickory Knob SP skeet range. The day wraps up with our Annual Banquet, awards dinner, raffles, and the announcement of 2024 Board Members & Officers at the Hickory Knob Red Barn. Members can participate in any or all of these events.
The SLV Rod & Gun Club will help members create groups to go on charters. Folks have enjoyed great success with these opportunities in the past. The boat leaves the dock (within one hour of SLV) about 7am and is usually off the water by 10am with 10 fish per person (based on the last several trips). Location changes as fish move around the lake. These trips go rain or shine, only being cancelled if weather or other circumstances make the trip unsafe (i.e. lightning, mechanical failure). Be sure to bring whatever you need to wear, eat, or drink, and a container/ice to transport your catch home.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District declared Drought Trigger Level 1 on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, for the Upper Savannah River Reservoirs in response to the pool elevation at J. Strom Thurmond Lake dipping below 326.0 feet above mean sea level (ft-msl). Entering Drought Trigger Level 1 activates the Corps’ Drought Management Plan of reducing the outflows from Hartwell Dam and Thurmond Dam to conserve water. Read more in the news release.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District J. Strom Thurmond Lake and Dam Project Office seeks individual and group volunteers for the annual lake cleanup campaign as part of the 30th annual National Public Lands Day, Sept. 23, 2023, with check-in at the Below Dam South Carolina Recreation Area beginning at 8 a.m. Below Dam Recreation Area is at 384 Power Plant Road, Clarks Hill, South Carolina. Volunteers can help with a variety of projects, including debris cleanup, brush clearing, landscaping and trail and park maintenance along the shoreline, islands, recreation areas, coves, old road ends, and bridge areas. A picnic for volunteers follows the cleanup. Read the article.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has two youth dove hunts scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16 and 23, 2023 at the Richard B. Russell Project Office. For both hunts, a parent or guardian must accompany youth participants, ages 9-16, and will be permitted to hunt along with the youth hunter. Hunters will be selected by random drawing until the capacity is reached. To enter the drawing, hunters must call Brandon Dickey at 800-944-7207, ext. 3408, at the Russell Project Office no later than 4 p.m. on Sept. 8. Read the article.
Corps tested spillway gates at Russell Dam, Thurmond Dam on June 13-14. The public was invited to come out to watch at both test locations. All visitors must stay out of the water downstream of the dams due to strong currents and heavy turbulence. Also, drones are not allowed near or above the dams, including in adjoining parks. Based on past tests, crowds are expected and safety precautions should be taken by all who go to watch or are driving through the area. Read the article.
Fisheries management at J. Strom Thurmond Lake is a vital mission, habitat enhancements at fish attractor sites are completed every winter. Fisheries habitat enhancements of attractors sites are for the obvious reasons of sustaining quality habitat and as well providing key areas for anglers to catch fish. As of last week, four bank fishing areas (Clarks Hill Park 1 & 2, Scott's Ferry Ramp, and West Dam Park), two deep water areas (Bussey Point Savannah River side and Shrivers Creek), and one fishing dock (Petersburg Campground) have been refurbished with 15 bamboo block fish attractors per site. Expect spring and summer time fishing activities at these sites to be excellent for crappie, bream, and bass. Areas can be found here using our Fishing Map Web Application.
The SLV Rod & Gun Club hosted a Casino Shoot on September 2nd at 9:30am. It consisted of 21 shots at 6 targets. The number of shots fired corresponds to the number of the individual symbol. There is a reload during the drill, depending on the firearm maybe two or three. This is a newer drill; it's fun but makes you focus.
The SLV Rod & Gun Club held a Bowling Pin shoot on Tuesday, June 27th at 9:30am. The Bowling Pin shoot consists of 5 pins 21 feet from the shooter. The shooter has 7 shots to knock the pins from the table. Pins must be off the table to count as a hit. It can be timed to break a tie. All calibers are welcome along with semi-autos and revolvers. Shooters using less than seven shots will score extra points. Shooters using a .22 cal pistol or revolver will get a surprise.
The SLV Rod & Gun Club Board Meeting was held on May 25th, at 3pm. All Rod & Gun Club members were invited to attend.
The SLV Rod & Gun Club held a Shoot or Don't Shoot on Saturday, May 20th, at 9:30am. This event consists of targets that have colors, numbers and shapes which must be shot in sequence. Remember not every target is the same so concentration is key. The event will begin with a safety briefing, then the shoot consists of 25 shots per target so extra magazines or speed loaders are needed.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a South Carolina state agency charged with regulating hunting, fishing, boating, duck stamp orders, and the conservation efforts of the state government. DNR documents are listed below: