Finfish Size & Catch Limits

Name: eRegulations
Price range: $

TL = Total Length, FL = Fork Length; See below for information on how to measure a fish.

AIW = Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway; State Waters extend from the saltwater-freshwater dividing line to the 3-mile limit. Federal Waters extend from the 3-mile limit to 200 miles offshore (international waters).

Up to date fishing regulations can be found on the SCDNR website at www.eregulations.com/southcarolina/huntingandfishing/general-information/

Check out South Carolina saltwater fishing regulations on the Fish Rules App at www.fishrulesapp.com.

All species in this section must be landed with head and tail intact.

An operator or crew member onboard a for-hire or commercial vessel must have a valid Operator Card when underway fishing for Dolphin/Wahoo.

These species are also managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) in federal waters. Regulations may change. Please contact the SAFMC at 843-571-4366 or www.safmc.net to get the most up to date regulations on these species.

The harvest and possession of coastal migratory pelagic species by commercial and recreational fishermen will be limited to the recreational bag limit within the Special Management Zones. See “Special Information” section in General Information for information on SMZs.

Finfish: Inshore & Offshore
Species	Closed Season	Bag Limit	Size Limit	Restrictions
Inshore Finfish
American Shad	See Freshwater Nongame Fishing Regulations.	10 shad per person per day except in Santee River and Rediversion Canal (20 per person per day)		See Shad & Herring Fishing Regulations for licensing, permitting, and gear requirements.
Herring	See Freshwater Nongame Fishing Regulations.	1 US bushel of herring per person per day		See Shad & Herring Fishing Regulations for licensing, permitting, and gear requirements.
Black Drum		5 per person per day	14-inch to 27-inch TL
Bluefish		3 per person per day (5 per person in the for-hire fishery)
Flounders (Southern, Summer & Gulf)		5 per person per day not to exceed 10 per boat per day	16-inch TL	Bag limit applies to hook and line or gig.
Red Drum	May not be harvested by gig Dec. 1 - Feb. 28	2 per person per day (state waters) not to exceed 6 per boat per day Possession prohibited in federal waters.	15-inch to 23-inch TL	May only be taken by rod & reel and gig. May not be harvested from federal waters.
Saltwater Catfishes (Hardhead & gafftopsail catfishes)	Possession prohibited	Possession prohibited		If caught must be released immediately.
Sheepshead		10 per person per day not to exceed 30 per boat per day	14-inch TL
Spotted Seatrout	May not be harvested by gig Dec. 1 - Feb. 28	10 per person per day	14-inch TL	May only be taken by rod & reel and gig.
Striped Bass	Possession prohibited: June 16 - Sept. 30 except in lower reach of the Savannah River (2 per person per day year round; see Freshwater Fish Size & Possession Limits for details.)	Possession prohibited: June 16 - Sept. 30; 3 fish per person per day: Oct. 1 - June 15 except in lower reach of the Savannah River (2 per person per day year round; see Freshwater Fish Size & Possession Limits for details.)	26 inch TL except in lower reach of the Savannah River (27 inch TL; see Freshwater Fish Size & Possession Limits for details.)	May only be taken by rod & reel.
Hybrid Bass, White Bass, & Combinations		In lower reach of the Savannah River: 2 per person per day All other saltwaters: no bag limit	In the lower reach of the Savannah River: 27 inch TL All other saltwaters: no size limit
Tarpon		1 per person per day	77-inch FL	May only be taken by rod & reel.
Tripletail		3 per person per day not to exceed 9 per boat per day	18-inch TL
Weakfish		1 per person per day	12-inch TL
Atlantic Croaker, Spot, Whiting		50 per person per day aggregate bag limit		Bag limit applies to hook and line only.
Florida Pompano	No associated regulations
Offshore Finfish
Cobia	May 1 to May 31 in state waters south of 032° 31.0’ N latitude (Jeremy Inlet, Edisto Island)	1 per person per day and no more than 3 per boat per day in State waters south of 032° 31.0’ N 1 per person per day and no more than 6 per boat per day federal waters and state waters north of 032° 31.0’ N	36-inch FL	In state waters may only be taken by rod & reel and gig.
Dolphin		10 per person per day not to exceed 54 per boat per day. Headboats have no boat limit	20-inch FL	For-hire vessels must have a Dolphin Wahoo permit to fish for this species in federal waters. Sale of recreational catch is prohibited.
King Mackerel		3 per person per day	24-inch FL	For-hire vessels must have a Coastal Migratory Pelagics permit to fish for this species in federal waters.
Spanish Mackerel		15 per person per day	12-inch FL	For-hire vessels must have a Coastal Migratory Pelagics permit to fish for this species in federal waters.
Wahoo		2 per person per day		For-hire vessels must have a Dolphin Wahoo permit to fish for this species in federal waters. Sale of recreational catch is prohibited.

Measuring a Fish

How to Properly Measure a Saltwater Fish

TL = total length measure: From the closed mouth (snout) to the tip of the tail fin when pinched together. It is a straight line measure, not over the curvature of the body. FL = fork length measure: From the tip of the closed mouth (snout) to the center of the fork of the tail. It is a straight line measure, not over the curvature of the body.

Illustration showing how to measure the fork length and total length of a fish.