Tonight 9 pm to tomorrow 5 pmSouthern flounder
The bite peaks at 100. Water is 71°, close to the 70° southern flounder 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
Southern flounder range 58–82°
From the east
Sunset 5:28 pm
No rain expected
NWS hourly forecast
Waning crescent
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 southern flounder's ideal range. Southern flounder prefers outgoing tide. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. 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
Last checked 17 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Mar–Nov. More on southern flounder
Summer flounder prefers outgoing tide. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Inside summer flounder's active range. 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
Last checked 17 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Oct, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on summer flounder
Right in spotted seatrout's ideal range. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Spotted seatrout prefers incoming tide. Holds 3–15 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 14" minimum, 10/person/day.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · South Carolina
Last checked 17 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on spotted seatrout
Right in sheepshead's ideal range. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. 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
Last checked 17 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Mar–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on sheepshead
Right in bluefish's ideal range. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Bluefish prefers incoming tide. 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
Last checked 17 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Mar–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on bluefish
Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Inside red drum's active range. Red drum prefers incoming tide. 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
Last checked 17 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Nov, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on red drum
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.
