Today, 2 pm–11 pmBluefish
The bite peaks at 85. Water is 67°, 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 7:29 am
No rain expected
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
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. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. 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: Apr–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on bluefish
Red drum prefers incoming tide. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. 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. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. 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
Black drum prefers incoming tide. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 2–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. South Carolina saltwater: 14–27" slot, 5/person/day, year-round.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: Sep–May. More on black drum
Spanish mackerel prefers incoming tide. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 5–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. South Carolina saltwater: 12" fork-length minimum, 15/person/day, year-round.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · South Carolina
Season here: May–Oct, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on Spanish mackerel
Right in southern flounder's ideal range. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. 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. Likes an outgoing tide. More on southern flounder
Right in summer flounder's ideal range. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. 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. Likes an outgoing tide. More on summer flounder
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside sheepshead's active range. 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. Likes slack water. 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
Surfside Beach — the incorporated "Family Beach" just south of Myrtle Beach in Horry County — is anchored for anglers by the 814-foot Surfside Pier, rebuilt in concrete and reopened in March 2024 after Hurricane Matthew destroyed the old wooden pier in 2016. The pier reaches past the inshore bar for whiting, pompano, spot, and croaker close in, with Spanish and king mackerel worked off the T-end in summer. Along the surf, reachable from 36 public beach accesses, shore anglers find red drum, black drum, flounder, bluefish, and sheepshead around the pilings year-round.
SCDNR saltwater regs. As of July 1, 2026, red drum tightened to an 18–25" slot at 1 fish/person/day (max 2 per boat). Spotted seatrout 14" min (10/day), flounder 16" min (5/day), black drum 14–27" (5/day), sheepshead 14" (10/day). The Surfside Pier fishing pass covers your license; surf and shore anglers need a SC Saltwater Recreational Fishing License. No shark fishing from the pier.
Also a beach: swim conditions and water-quality advisories on itsabeachday.com.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Surfside Beach (SC) you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website
Surfside Beach (SC) is listed on this site for 8 commonly-targeted species: Red Drum, Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Summer Flounder, and 4 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 Surfside Beach (SC) 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.
Surfside Beach (SC) has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp. SCDNR saltwater regs. As of July 1, 2026, red drum tightened to an 18–25" slot at 1 fish/person/day (max 2 per boat). Spotted seatrout 14" min (10/day), flounder 16" min (5/day), black drum 14–27" (5/day), sheepshead 14" (10/day). The Surfside Pier fishing pass covers your license; surf and shore anglers need a SC Saltwater Recreational Fishing License. No shark fishing from the pier.
state agency regulations apply at Surfside Beach (SC). 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. Surfside Beach (SC) 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.
