Black Drum & Sheepshead fishing charters in Charleston, SC

Charleston is one of the best inshore fishing towns on the Southeast coast. The harbor is surrounded by miles of salt marsh, tidal creeks and oyster banks — classic Lowcountry water where redfish feed in water barely deep enough to cover their backs.

Inshore and the marsh

Redfish are the star: guides pole the flats on high tides when reds push into the grass to feed, their tails waving above the surface, and fish creek mouths and oyster bars on lower tides. Speckled trout, flounder, black drum and sheepshead round out the inshore menu, and big bull redfish gather near the harbor jetties in fall. In summer, tarpon and sharks move into the harbor and nearby waters.

Nearshore and offshore

Nearshore reefs and wrecks hold black sea bass, sheepshead, cobia and Spanish mackerel. The Gulf Stream runs well offshore, so offshore trips are full-day runs — but they reach mahi-mahi, wahoo, tuna and billfish, plus deep-water bottom fishing for snapper and grouper when seasons allow.

Good to know

Tides rule fishing in the Lowcountry, so good guides plan trips around them — ask yours what the tide will be doing. Licensed charter boats generally cover their passengers’ saltwater licenses; check with your captain. Seasons and limits for reef fish and some inshore species change, so check current South Carolina DNR rules if you’re after something specific.