Species guide · South Carolina

Summer flounder fishing in South Carolina

Paralichthys dentatus, a bottom species also called fluke, doormat and flounder. Listed for the South Atlantic region. Peak season, about 6 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in Charleston Harbor at 77, one of 4 South Carolina bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Peak season

Where it's scoring now All South Carolina waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

South Atlantic

Peak season, about 6 more weeks

Jan: Not present
Feb: Not present
Mar: Off season
Apr: Off season
May: Shoulder season
Jun: Shoulder season
Jul: Shoulder season
Aug: Shoulder season
Sep: Peak season
Oct: Peak season
Nov: Shoulder season
Dec: Off season

Peak: Sep to Oct. In season (shoulder or peak): May to Nov.

Research notes, South Atlantic region

NCDMF says summer flounder are most abundant from Delaware to Cape Lookout, so this region's fishery is mainly North Carolina nearshore reefs, inlets and high-salinity sounds; southern flounder dominate the inshore catch farther south. Fall catches peak as fish stage at inlets before moving offshore. North Carolina has held its recreational flounder season to a short fall window in recent years; check NCDMF proclamations.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 4

South Carolina bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's summer flounder score this hour.

77Great

Charleston Harbor

Best window today 7-8 PM (77) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 7 AM (78) · 37 named spots

75Great

Coastal waters from Edisto Beach SC to Savannah GA out 20 NM

Best window today 7-8 PM (75) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 7 PM (78) · 28 named spots

75Great

Coastal waters from Murrells Inlet to South Santee River SC out 20 NM

Best window today 7-8 PM (75) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 PM (78) · 6 named spots

64Good

Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM

Best window today 7-8 PM (64) · Best day Wed, Sep 23 at 8 AM (70) · 1 named spot

How and where it feeds

Water temperature: Feeds from 54°F to 82°F, best between 60°F and 76°F.
Water depth: 4 to 110 ft of water.
Structure: Inlet, channel, wreck, reef, bar, flat, bay and grass, in that order of preference.
Tide and current: Prefers moving water and incoming tide, with moderate current.Fluke face into the current and ambush bait carried past them, so a steady drift with the tide is what anglers need; slack water stalls the drift. In back bays the clean water of the incoming tide is the common choice. A VMRC archival-tag study found tide stage itself did not change fish movement, so treat this as a drift-quality factor.
Light: Some lift around dawn and dusk.
Pressure: Little response to pressure changes.
Wind and sea limits: 18 kt of wind and 4 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.

Methods: drift fishing, bucktail jigging, bottom fishing
Lures: bucktail jigs with teaser, soft plastic grubs and swimming mullet, spinner and squid rigs
Bait: squid strips, fluke belly strips, live killifish (mummichogs), spearing (silversides), live peanut bunker

Regulations

SCDNR saltwater regulations Buy a South Carolina fishing license License types

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Synced with SCDNR Sep 18, 2026.

No reviewed summer flounder rule for South Carolina is on file yet. Check with SCDNR before you keep one.