Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bay · South Carolina

Bull Harbor

32.95°N · 79.60°W · Bay · Charleston Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass

79/100Great
Now
745 PM EST
Best window
5-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing5.1 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 17 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score73Great
Tide2.4 ft ▲Flooding
Wind6 kn ENEgusts 14 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy71% cloud
Water70°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 3 more weeks at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 3 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in South Carolina →

Spot profile

Bull Harbor

Depth
5-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Bull Harbor

Bull Harbor is a bay in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 5-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, Florida pompano and little tunny. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Florida pompano, little tunny and weakfish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and sheepshead. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November.

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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bird Island Shoal

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    76
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 76
    • Little tunny 72
    • Bluefish 70

    6 kt SEL 10:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:29 AM · 5.7 ft

  • Bull Breakers

    Bar · 5.0 mi

    76
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 76
    • Little tunny 72
    • Bluefish 70

    6 kt SEL 10:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:29 AM · 5.7 ft

  • Northeast Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Black sea bass 68

    6 kt SEL 10:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:29 AM · 5.7 ft

  • Bulls Bay

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    73
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 73
    • Red drum 73
    • Little tunny 71

    6 kt SEL 10:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:29 AM · 5.7 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.