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Charleston Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lowcountry central: spartina marsh to the horizon, schooling winter reds in gin-clear shallows, and a harbor where three rivers argue with the sea.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 8:57 PM
Air / High
89 / 90 F
Wind
S 11 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8665530, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Charleston locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 90. Tides: high 1:32 AM and 2:17 PM, low 7:50 AM and 8:57 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

BluefishExcellent

Dawn and dusk metal: cast spoons and poppers where bait shows. Midday fish slide deeper off the bars.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 92 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8665530 (Charleston, Customhouse Wharf). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH1:32 AM5.0 ft
LOW7:50 AM0.4 ft
HIGH2:17 PM6.1 ft
LOW8:57 PM1.2 ft
Sat
HIGH2:41 AM4.9 ft
LOW8:56 AM0.5 ft
HIGH3:27 PM6.1 ft
LOW10:04 PM1.1 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp89 F
High / Low90 / 78 F
WindS 11-13 mph
Pressure1014.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain13% cloud, 24%
Sunrise / Sunset06:56 / 19:40
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 90/78 F, wind 12 mph, rain 24%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Charleston: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Dawn and dusk metal: cast spoons and poppers where bait shows. Midday fish slide deeper off the bars.

When to come: the Charleston calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Charleston today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 92 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

South Carolina requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

SC Saltwater Recreational Fishing License. Red drum slot 15-23 inches, 2/day: the schooling giants are all release. Check SCDNR.

Access

Shem Creek, Remley's Point, Wappoo Cut ramps; Folly Beach and Sullivan's piers; kayak launches throughout the creeks.

About this water

Historic port city where the Ashley, Cooper and Wando meet, Charleston County, SC. The Lowcountry's saltwater capital.

Fishing Charleston: the full guide

The lowcountry system

Charleston's fishery is the marsh: thousands of creek miles winding through spartina, draining across oyster bars into the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando. Redfish are the constant: schooled a hundred strong on winter's clear flats, tailing the summer flood tides, ambushing the drops in between. It is a sight-fishing town at heart: polarized glasses matter more than braid brand.

Harbor and the jetties

Charleston Harbor's rock jetties funnel the ocean exchange: bull reds in the fall channel, sheepshead and black drum on the granite, weakfish cameos, and summer tarpon rolling the color changes off the tips. The nearshore reefs (a short run out) add Spanish, kings, and cobia in season: a full saltwater menu launched from downtown ramps.

Trout in the bends

Winter drops speckled trout into the deep outside bends of the creeks: slow-rolled grubs and suspending twitchbaits produce until the first hard freezes. Spring redistributes them over the grass edges and shell: popping corks with live shrimp is the lowcountry's soundtrack from April through the fall shrimp runs.

Reading the big tides

Charleston's 5-6-ft tide range rules everything: the flood opens the grass (and the tailing game), the ebb concentrates every fish at the drains. The best anglers plan by tide stage, not hour: creek mouths on the last of the fall, flats on the first of the flood, docks and shade through the slack heat.

Common questions

When do Charleston reds school up?

December-March in the clear, cold shallows: schools of 50-200 fish sunning on mud flats. Long casts, small lures, and stealth: the water is transparent and the fish have been cast at all winter.

What is a Charleston flood-tide trip?

Summer big tides (new/full moons) flood the spartina and reds tail after fiddler crabs: skiffs pole the grass edges hunting waving tails at sunset. It is the Lowcountry's signature hunt: book moons months ahead.

Is fishing good at Charleston right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Moultrie37 miSantee River39 miLake Marion54 miMurrells Inlet74 miMyrtle Beach87 miSaluda River107 mi
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