Hilton Head Tide Chart

Hilton Head is a marsh island first and a beach second: the fishable water is mostly grass flats and tidal creeks on the inside, with the surf on the Atlantic side. Tidal range runs 6-8 feet, and the marshes flood and drain hard — timing is everything here.

What runs when

• Redfish (spottail bass): year-round, best in fall when they school on the flats. Flood tides push them into the grass; low tide concentrates them in creek mouths.
• Spotted seatrout: spring and fall in the creeks, around moving water and oyster bars.
• Flounder: summer through fall along sandy creek edges and inlet drops.
• Sheepshead: spring around dock pilings and the Cross Island bridge structure.

Where to cast

Fish the surf on the incoming tide along Folly Field and Burkes Beach, or work the creek mouths near Broad Creek and Calibogue Sound on the last two hours of the rise. Kayaks open the marsh; the surf is the no-gear option.

Tide timing here

On this island, the rule of thumb is reversed from open surf: the rising tide fishes better than the fall because it floods the flats where reds feed. Use this page’s daily windows — the two hours before high tide overlap the marsh push almost exactly.

Rules to know

South Carolina saltwater license required; redfish are slot-limited (23 inches and under stay in the slot rules change year to year). Check SCDNR regulations before keeping anything.