5 HR Inshore Fishing Trip - Charleston
Private Trip
Inshore Fishing
5-hour inshore fishing adventure targeting redfish and tarponLight tackle and fly fishing techniques for all skill levelsMaximum 2 guests with Captain Crawford in Charleston waters
Captain Crawford knows Charleston's inshore waters like the back of his hand, and he's ready to put you on some serious fish. This 5-hour trip gives you plenty of time to work the flats, backwaters, and productive wrecks where Charleston's best gamefish hang out. Whether you're throwing artificials on light tackle or working a fly rod, you'll have shots at redfish, spotted seatrout, tarpon, and more. With just two anglers max, you get personalized attention and prime fishing spots without the crowds. Pack your cooler, grab your lucky hat, and get ready for some top-rated Charleston inshore action.
You'll meet Captain Crawford at the dock ready to hit Charleston's most productive inshore spots. The boat's rigged with quality light tackle, but feel free to bring your fly rod if that's your style. We'll start the morning working shallow flats where redfish cruise in skinny water, then move to deeper grass beds and oyster bars where seatrout and black drum feed. The beauty of a 5-hour trip is having time to adapt – if the fish are crushing topwater early, we'll milk it. If they're holding deep near structure later in the day, that's where we'll focus. Captain Crawford reads the water conditions, tides, and fish behavior to put you in the best spots at the right times. The Lowcountry scenery is world-class, but the real show happens when your drag starts screaming.
Light tackle is the name of the game on Charleston's inshore waters. We're talking spinning rods with 15-20 pound braid, matched with reels that have smooth drags for those red drum runs. Captain Crawford keeps the boat stocked with proven artificials – DOA shrimp, paddle tails, spoons, and topwater plugs that Charleston fish can't resist. Fly fishermen will love working 8-9 weight rods with intermediate lines, throwing clousers and shrimp patterns to tailing reds. The key is matching your presentation to conditions – sometimes it's a slow sink-and-draw retrieve along grass edges, other times it's burning a spoon over oyster bars. We'll work everything from 2-foot flats where you can see every fish to 8-foot channels where big seatrout suspend. Captain Crawford will coach you through reading water, spotting fish, and making the right casts when it counts.
Tarpon are the silver kings of Charleston's inshore waters, and when you hook one, you'll understand why anglers travel from around the world to fish here. These acrobatic giants show up from late spring through early fall, rolling in deeper channels and around creek mouths. A 50-pound tarpon will test every knot and give you arm-burning fights with spectacular jumps. They're catch-and-release only, but the photos and memories last forever. Look for them early morning or late afternoon when they're most active.
Spotted seatrout are customer favorites because they bite consistently and fight hard for their size. Charleston's grass flats hold quality trout year-round, with spring and fall producing the best numbers. These fish love soft plastics worked slowly along grass edges, and a 20-inch speckled trout is a trophy worth celebrating. They've got delicate mouths, so keep steady pressure without horsing them. The beauty of seatrout fishing is the consistent action – when you find a good school, you can catch them all day.
Redfish are what put Charleston on the inshore fishing map. These copper-colored bruisers cruise shallow flats, tail in skinny water, and make blistering runs when hooked. Fall is prime time when big schools of slot reds move through the area, but quality fish are around year-round. A 25-inch red drum is pure muscle, and watching one explode on a topwater plug in 18 inches of water never gets old. They're smart fish that spook easily, so accurate casting and quiet approaches are key to consistent success.
Charleston's inshore fishing is renowned for good reason – consistent action, beautiful scenery, and fish that fight above their weight class. This 5-hour trip with Charleston Saltwater Guide Co. gives you the time and expertise to make the most of these productive waters. Captain Crawford's local knowledge and personalized approach mean you're fishing the right spots with proven techniques. Whether you're chasing your first redfish or trying to land a Charleston tarpon, this is your chance to experience some of the best inshore fishing on the East Coast. Book now and get ready for some serious bent rods and fish stories worth telling.
Jump aboard this nimble 18' Hell's Bay flats boat and get ready to chase redfish and trout through Charleston's shallow waters! With its 70HP Yamaha pushing you along, this rig moves fast and quiet – perfect for sneaking up on spooky fish in the backwaters. The shallow draft lets Captain Crawford slide into those skinny spots where the big fish hide. You've got an icebox to keep your drinks cold during the 5-hour hunt, plus a fish finder to locate schools and a GPS to navigate the maze of creeks and oyster bars. Whether you're throwing artificials or working a fly rod, this boat puts you right where the action is. Built for 2 anglers, there's plenty of room to cast without tangling lines while you target everything from flounder to tarpon in the Lowcountry's pristine waters.
Sciaenops OcellatusRed drum are Charleston's signature fish, and for good reason. These copper-colored beauties with black spots near their tails run 18-30 inches inshore, though big bulls can push 40+ inches and 30+ pounds. They love super shallow water - sometimes so shallow their backs stick out - around oyster beds, grass flats, and marsh edges in 1-4 feet. Spring through fall are prime time, but they bite year-round here. What makes reds special is their aggressive strikes and strong fights, plus they're fantastic on the table with sweet, firm meat. They're not picky eaters either - shrimp, crabs, small fish, you name it. Local trick: look for nervous water or tailing fish on low tide flats. Cast past them and work your bait back slowly - they spook easy in skinny water.
Salmo TruttaSpotted seatrout are Charleston's bread and butter fish, running 14-24 inches and 1-5 pounds on average. These silver beauties with black spots love our grass flats and shallow waters, especially around oyster bars and creek mouths in 2-6 feet. They bite best during cooler months and around moving tides, often feeding heavily at dawn and dusk. What makes them special is they're both fun to catch and excellent eating - mild, flaky white meat that's perfect for the dinner table. In winter, they school up in deeper holes and channels. The key to consistent trout fishing here is working your lure slow and low over grass beds. Try a soft plastic under a popping cork - the clicking sound drives them crazy and brings them up from the grass to investigate.
Megalops AtlanticusThe "Silver King" is what dreams are made of - these giants average 4-6 feet and 80-100 pounds, but can hit 8 feet and 280 pounds. Charleston's tarpon show up late spring through summer, cruising our shallow flats and channels in 2-8 feet of water. When hooked, they'll launch 10 feet out of the water in spectacular jumps that'll get your heart racing. Most folks target them for the pure thrill since they're bony and not great eating. Around here, look for them rolling on the surface early morning or late evening near creek mouths and grass flats. Pro tip: when they jump, bow to the fish by dropping your rod tip - keeps that line tight and prevents them from throwing the hook on those wild aerial shows.
Charleston, SC