Best Times & Seasons to Fish in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is one of the best fishing locations on the east coast and home to countless fishing opportunities inshore, nearshore, and offshore. Understanding the best times to fish in these rich waters will make a big difference in your success rates.
The best time to fish Charleston is summertime for wahoo, tarpon, tuna, seabass, and redfish. Flounder and sheepshead are available year-round but can be caught in abundance in the fall.
| Fish Species | Best Time of Year to Fish in Charleston Waters |
| Tarpon | July-September are generally the best months. The Tarpon population in Charleston is highest when the mullet are running which can vary from year to year depending on temperature. |
| Yellowfin Tuna | Year-round availability. August-October are the best months. Can be caught all day but they follow the baitfish schools which can be unpredictable. Off-shore. |
| Wahoo | Year-round availability. November-December are the best months however they are very active in the spring as well. Off-shore. |
| Black Seabass | Year-round availability. Can be caught any time of year, most times of day or night, and are delicious. Off-shore. |
| Redfish | Year-round availability. May is the best month. High tide. In-shore. |
| Flounder | Year-round availability. April-November are the best months. High Tide. In-shore. |
| Sea Trout | Year-round availability. September-November are the best months. High tide. In-shore. |
| Red Snapper | Limited season. Typically only open a few days in July depending on the year. Off-shore. |
| Grouper | Year-round. May-October are the best months. Best sought after early in the morning or late afternoon. Off-shore. |
Charleston is one of the premier vacation destinations in the United States. Whether it’s the fine dining or historical tours to shopping on the iconic King Street or just lounging on a beach, it draws crowds from anywhere and everywhere and for good reason.
With all that in mind, no trip to Charleston would be complete without experiencing the best that “The Lowcountry” has to offer: amazing fishing! It doesn’t matter if you’ve been fishing your entire life or if you want to try it for the first time, Charleston definitely has something for you.
Due to its unique geography that is the result of being the confluence of a number of rivers into the Atlantic Ocean, Charleston has an astounding array of places to catch a really wide variety of fish. Whether you’re at a beach house on the Isle of Palms or staying at a hotel downtown, premium fishing is never far away!
Best Time to Fish Charleston
There’s not really an offseason when it comes to fishing in Charleston, but some times of year are going to be more productive than others depending on the species of fish you’re trying to catch.
The heat of the South Carolina summer can be a force to be reckoned with, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind if you’re considering spending a full day out on the water.
Inshore species like the Redfish, Flounder, and Sheepshead are active year-round while off-shore you’re likely to catch Tuna, Wahoo, and Black Sea Bass at these times as well.
What might be worth noting is that spring and summer (March-August) are the peak of tourism and convention seasons in Charleston and this sees hotel occupancy skyrocket, the beaches get crowded and prices to be the highest of the year as well.
With that in mind if you want to experience all Charleston has to offer and avoid some of the crowds, heat, and high prices look to plan a trip towards the end of September through October.
The weather is as mild as you’ll see all year and you won’t have to be elbow to elbow with tourists and other anglers on the beaches, piers, or charter trips.
Recommended Fishing Charters in Charleston
These Charleston-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.
| Recommended Fishing Charters | Type of Fishing Offered |
| All In One Charters | Inshore & Nearshore |
| Captain Kaleb Charters | Inshore & Nearshore |
| Flood Tide Charters | Inshore & Nearshore |
| Tight Line Charters | Inshore & Nearshore |
| Captain J Hook Fishing Charters | Inshore & Nearshore |
I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic to create your combo.
Charleston Fish Species: Best Times
Red drum/Redfish
Year-round (No gig Dec. 1- Feb. 28) May is the best month. High tide. In-shore.
For a complete guide to the best water temperature to catch redfish at, please check out this helpful guide I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch redfish, this helpful guide will really help you.
Sea Trout
Year-round (No gig Dec. 1- Feb. 28) September-November are the best months. High tide. In-shore.
Flounder
Year-round. April-November are the best months. High Tide. In-shore.
For a complete guide to the best water temperature to catch flounder at, please check out this helpful guide I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch flounder, this helpful guide will really help you. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Beaufort, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Black Seabass
Year-round. Requires a saltwater license with a reef charter (your charter fishing guide should include this with the purchase of the trip). Can be caught any time of year, most times of day or night, and are delicious. Off-shore.
Yellowfin Tuna
Year-round. August- October are the best months. Can be caught all day but they follow the baitfish schools which can be unpredictable. Off-shore.
Wahoo
Year-round. November-December are the best months however they are very active in the spring as well. Off-shore.
Tarpon
Summer. July- September are generally best. The Tarpon population in Charleston is highest when the mullet are running which can vary from year to year depending on temperature. If the mullet are there the Tarpon will be close by. In-shore.
For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch tarpon, this helpful guide will really help you.
Red Snapper
Limited season. Typically only open a few days in July depending on the year. Off-shore.
Amberjack
Year-round. Closed in April. Can be caught any time of day. Off-shore.
Grouper
Year-round. May-October are the best months. Best sought after early in the morning or late afternoon. Off-shore.
Best Time of Day to Fish in Charleston
The best times of day for fishing as a general rule in Charleston are going to be right before and after sunrise and right before and after sunset. This can vary considerably depending on the type of fishing you’re doing and also by the timing of the tides.
If you’re just heading to a beach spot to do some surf fishing or one of the local piers however this is going to be the time when the most species of fish are the most active.
With that being said, you’re likely to catch fish throughout the day fishing the surf or the piers, just not quite as successfully.
Tidal impacts & Charleston Fishing
The tides play a huge role not just in fishing, but in the city of Charleston itself. It’s called The Lowcountry for a reason!
The height of the tide may prevent you from getting from where you are to where you want to go because the streets can often flood, so keep that in mind if you’re trying to make it to an early morning fishing rendezvous.
The tides also impact the type of fishing that will be available to you. For example, many in-shore fishing destinations are inaccessible or even nonexistent during low tide, they just dry up.
This should be kept in mind if you’re heading down a waterway for the first time without a guide because it may find you left high and dry until the next tide comes in.
For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish the Georgia Coast, please check out this helpful article.
Booking Charters in Charleston
While you can have an amazing experience fishing from shore or pier or even a dock in Charleston, if you really want to get put on to the hot spots where the fish are biting, a charter is going to be the way to go.
There are numerous charter companies available in The Lowcountry and they generally include any licensing necessary in order to fish both inshore and off-shore with the price of the trip, which is one less thing to worry about. Here are some handy tips to get you started on booking your next Charleston fishing charter adventure.
Best Season to Go
The best season to charter a fishing trip in Charleston is really going to be dependent on the species of fish that you’re after and whether you want to go in-shore or off-shore.
The warmer months are best for off-shore with summer being the busiest for bookings. If in-shore fishing is what you’re after the season doesn’t really matter as the most popular inshore fish species are active year-round in Charleston again with summer being the most popular.
With that being said, the iconic Redfish you may be after are most active in the early spring and May is the best month to catch those, so just bear that in mind.
Given that Charleston does stay warm later into the year than a lot of places and with such a long tourist season covering much of spring and summer, look for a trip in the early fall to beat the crowds and save yourself some money on bookings. As I said before, October is a beautiful month in Charleston!
Best Time of Day
The best fishing times in general in Charleston are right before/after sunrise and right before/after sunset. That’s not to say that fish won’t be biting other times of day, but depending on the time of year you may see significantly decreased activity during the heat of midday.
One thing to consider, especially if fishing during the summer months, is that storms often form in the afternoon. That’s not to say it may not rain all day sometimes, however you’re much more likely to have a dry morning and a wet afternoon than vice versa.
If you’re planning on booking a trip and only have one day to work with, you’ll ideally book a morning trip and give yourself the best chance of dodging the typical afternoon showers.
Morning vs. Afternoon
The time of day for your trip is going to be dependent on the type of trip you’re taking. In-shore fishing in Charleston is heavily dependent on the tides as many of the waterways simply dry up at low tide, so you’ll need to be in and out before this happens or risk being stranded on a mud bank until the tide comes back in.
Off-shore fishing is going to be active all day long. It can be a bit of a ride to get out to the best spots and waiting until too late in the day is going to put limitations on how many spots you will be able to get to and how long you’ll be able to spend at each one, possibly limiting your chances at landing a great catch.
Look to get started as early in the day as is possible to set yourself up for as many opportunities as possible.
Trip Length
The length of the trip is going to be dependent on the type of fishing you’re looking to do. For an in-shore trip, you can generally get out and have a great time in a half day. You’ll come in and go out with a tide and have plenty of opportunities to get in on the action.
Similarly, a half-day trip off-shore can be incredibly productive if you’re just looking to snag some fish of any species and have a good time on the water. The half-day off-shore trip will focus on natural and artificial reefs and give you a chance to catch some of the more common and easier-to-find species.
These trips are great for those looking to just have fun catching and not looking to spend hours riding on a boat looking for fish.
If you’re after the bigger and more elusive gamefish such as Wahoo, Tuna, or Billfish, you’ll want to book either a full day or a multiday trip. The larger game fish are highly active and follow the schools of baitfish typically miles offshore.
They can be harder to track down and they’ll take more time than a half-day can give you to try and get on them. These trips are generally more demanding as you traverse the open ocean in search of your quarry and should be booked aware that you may be spending hours at a time in pursuit of a specific species and not actually doing much fishing.
The payoff can be worth the wait though and if landing a big gamefish species is what you’re after then a full-day or multi-day trip is going to be the trip for you.
Top Five Fishing Spots: Best Times
For this section, we’ll assume you’re not going to charter a boat and just want to find a quiet spot to wet a line.
Folly beach
This is one of the premier hangouts in Charleston, but it is also a great place to do some fishing. If you drive to the north end of the island the road dead-ends into A sand walking path.
After a few minutes of hiking through the sand, you’ll come to a quiet beach with a great inlet between you and a lighthouse.
This is a great spot where the current gets funneled and many fish like to hang out. It’s also not as crowded as the more populous main beach. There’s a rock jetty there too where the locals come to catch some great fish for dinner!
Folly pier
If you’d like to do some fishing and still be in the middle of all the action that happens on Folly beach, the pier is the place to be. You’ll have to buy a license to fish the pier from the gift shop, but it’s only a few dollars per day and you can catch flounder, sheepshead, and many other species all day long.
There are fish cleaning stations along the pier as well, so it’s really a one-stop shop. There are even monthly fishing tournaments with cash prizes for the biggest catch of different species that you can enter.
Isle of Palms
This is a beautiful beach with some great fishing towards the southern end of the inlet. You can catch sea bass, flounder, and many other species here, just watch out for the kite-surfers that frequent the area!
Isle of Palms pier
Similar to the pier on Folly beach, the IOP pier is a less rowdy experience that still has great fish to be caught. It’s common to catch Redfish, Spotted Trout, Flounder, and Sheepshead here though there are many other species as well. You’ll need a pier permit to fish here but those are only a few dollars per day.
Ashley River
This is a great destination for in-shore fishing. Whether on a boat or from shore you’ll have a great time catching Redfish, Sea trout, and Flounder up and down the grassy marshes. Just makes sure to get out before low tide!
Mount Pleasant pier
This is a massive fishing pier that stretches beneath the iconic Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Mount Pleasant, just across the Cooper River from downtown Charleston.
It’s a great place to relax and enjoy some in-shore fishing without the worry of tidal impacts. You can catch a variety of fish here from Striped Bass to Flounder, Sheepshead, and Redfish.
Storms & Charleston fishing
The weather in Charleston can be a huge factor in whether you have a successful fishing trip or no trip at all. Hurricanes and tropical storms are a possibility from the end of May through November, with midsummer being the highest risk.
Even without the threat of a hurricane, the possibility of a severe thunderstorm is real almost every afternoon in the summer.
This is another big reason why getting out on the water early in the day is better than later. You really don’t want to be out on the water when one of these storms roll in. In addition to lightning, which is deadly, the wind and waves make most types of fishing impossible.
Winter fishing in Charleston
Winter fishing in Charleston can hardly be called winter fishing in comparison to most of the country. The weather is so mild that you can generally fish all year round aside from a few weeks in December and January.
That’s not to say that it’s not cold, but it rarely snows and the temperatures are generally above freezing. Most fish are active year-round and although they’ll be less active in the cooler months, they’re still there.
Night fishing in Charleston
Night fishing can offer a nice break from the summer heat and afford you the opportunity to catch some really great fish. If you’re fishing the surf many of the species that are active during the day remain active at night.
A popular local activity is to fish from smaller piers near the lights which attract Trout, Flounder, and many other species depending on the tide and location.
Shore/Surf fishing in Charleston
This is probably the most popular vacation fishing activity to do in Charleston, because it’s just so easy. The most difficult part is finding an area that’s not so crowded that you’re snagging swimmers. As I mentioned earlier the piers at Folly Beach and the Isle of Palms are awesome spots to fish and they eliminate the threat of getting tangled up with swimmers.
Similarly, the lighthouse and jetty on Folly Beach are great places for fishing because there are very few swimmers there and great water flow which brings in plenty of fish. If you’re going to fish the surf or from a pier, you want to get out early to beat the crowds, heat, and thunderstorms.
If the weather is cooperating then sunset is also a great time to fish the surf. When it’s all said and done, you really can’t go wrong with watching the sunrise from behind a fishing pole in Charleston!
For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Hilton Head, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Folly Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in South Carolina, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in North Carolina, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
For a complete breakdown of the average cost to fish in Charleston, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish for redfish in South Carolina, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
