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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Gray snapper63
- Florida pompano61
- Summer flounder61
- Crevalle jack60
- Red drum60
- Black drum58
- King mackerel58
- Spanish mackerel56
- Red snapper55
- Southern flounder55
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Gag grouper52
- Red grouper51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Little tunny49
- Sheepshead49
- Weakfish48
- Greater amberjack46
- Cobia42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 534 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bird Island Shoal scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
90Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 8 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 83°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bird Island Shoal
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Bird Island Shoal
Bird Island Shoal is a bar in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Bull Harbor72
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Gray snapper 69
8 kt NNEH 5:40 AM · 5.0 ftL 11:44 AM · 1.0 ft
- Bulls Bay71
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Gray snapper 67
8 kt NNEH 5:40 AM · 5.0 ftL 11:44 AM · 1.0 ft
- White Banks67
Bar · 5.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
- Gray snapper 63
8 kt NNEH 5:48 AM · 4.9 ftL 11:52 AM · 1.0 ft
- Northeast Point65
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Gray snapper 63
- Spot 63
8 kt NNEH 5:40 AM · 5.0 ftL 11:44 AM · 1.0 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with SCDNR before you keep a fish.