“As a boy, in my own backyard, I could catch a basket of blue crabs, a string of flounder, a dozen redfish, or a net full of white shrimp.”
Late Summer Fishing on the Hammock Coast
When novelist Pat Conroy described his childhood on the South Carolina coast, he perfectly captures life on Pawleys Island. Visitors can grab a piece of string, swoop net, and raw chicken to go crabbing from a pier. Or grab a rod outfitted with a reliable Zebco Spincast reel to fish its shallow waters.
What’s a better way to spend a morning than watching a cast net open wide and pulling it in to discover the haul? Pawleys Island offers an array of spots where anglers can fish, crab, or throw a cast net. Look for flounders around jetties, oyster bars, and creeks. They’ll be in shallow water, lying in wait at the bottom. Red and black Drum can also be found around jetties and in muddy-bottom creeks. Big ones show up this time of year chasing shrimp.
Go surf fishing at the jetty area on the north end of the island. Park at the public access along Atlantic Avenue, then walk through the gate that says no car access. Anglers catch flounders, speckled trout, and blue crabs.
The Pawleys Island North Causeway Bridge is an excellent spot for speckled trout, flounder, and blue crabs. But it can be lined with anglers on busy weekends. Instead, head a few hundred yards east of the causeway to access the tidal creek at Pawleys Island Nature Park. You can park alongside the road.
Anglers also find spots along the bank near the parking area at the southern tip of Pawleys Island, where the marsh meets the Atlantic. The confluence of waters provides a hot spot for a range of saltwater species.
Up the road at Huntington Beach State Park, the jetty at North Beach provides some of the finest surf fishing you’ll find anywhere in the state. You don’t have to go to the end of the jetties. Try your skill about halfway down. Use rigs, shrimp, or mullet for black seabass, red drum, and flounder.
At Murrells Inlet, Morse Park Landing offers a crabbing dock, while Veterans Pier at the MarshWalk provides fishing access.
If you book a property with a private fishing pier, you’ll have exclusive access to the water during your stay. By Grace is a six-bedroom home with a private creek dock. The five-bedroom Down Time also has a creek-side dock, as does the seven-bedroom Dolphin View property.
Be sure to purchase a South Carolina fishing license, which is required for anyone 16 or older.