Today 8 am to tomorrow 3 pmBluefish
The bite peaks at 75. Water is 68°, close to the 70° bluefish like best, and a solunar period lands on the window.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now
Bluefish range 60–80°
From the northeast
Sunrise 7:34 am
No rain expected
NWS hourly forecast
Full
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are South Carolina regulations for these waters.
Right in bluefish's ideal range. Bluefish prefers incoming tide. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 5–50 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. No minimum size. 5/person/day (7 on for-hire).
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: Mar–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on bluefish
Red drum prefers incoming tide. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside red drum's active range. Holds 3–20 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 18–25" slot, 1/person/day, 2 per boat (state waters), since Jul 1, 2026. No possession in federal waters; no gigging Dec 1–Feb 28.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: Apr–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on red drum
Spotted seatrout prefers incoming tide. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside spotted seatrout's active range. Holds 3–15 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 14" minimum, 10/person/day.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: Apr–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on spotted seatrout
Right in southern flounder's ideal range. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Southern flounder prefers outgoing tide. Holds 1–20 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Flounder (southern, summer and gulf): 16" minimum, 5/person/day, 10 per boat.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: Mar–Nov. More on southern flounder
Right in summer flounder's ideal range. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Summer flounder prefers outgoing tide. Holds 10–100 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Flounder (southern, summer and gulf): 16" minimum, 5/person/day, 10 per boat.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: Apr–Oct, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on summer flounder
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside sheepshead's active range. Sheepshead prefers slack tide. Holds 5–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 14" minimum, 10/person/day (max 30 per boat).
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: Mar–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on sheepshead
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
We only show reports an agency has published, with their date. South Carolina DNR publishes a report for the state.
Licenses and rules: state fishery agencies · fish-consumption advisories
A large sea island at the mouth of Port Royal Sound, with miles of hard-packed beach and marsh creeks behind it. Red drum, speckled trout and flounder in the surf and around structure (SCDNR puts summer flounder around inlets, jetties and beaches and southern flounder mostly in the estuaries), sheepshead on the pilings and rocks, bluefish in spring and fall.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Hilton Head Island you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website
Hilton Head Island is listed on this site for 6 commonly-targeted species: Red Drum, Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Summer Flounder, and 2 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Hilton Head Island against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Hilton Head Island has shoreline / wading access. There is no pier or boat ramp at this location.
state agency regulations apply at Hilton Head Island. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
Yes. Hilton Head Island sits on tidal water with a NOAA tide station nearby. Today's high/low timing is in the tide chart on this page.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
