Coastal conditions
Inlet · South Carolina · Southeast Atlantic / Grand Strand / Murrells Inlet
Murrells Inlet is a Grand Strand estuary fishery built around salt-marsh creeks, oyster structure, tidal channels, and a jettied Atlantic entrance. Red drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead, and southern flounder are the principal supported targets.
Small Craft Advisory
Severity: Minor
Small Craft Advisory issued October 20 at 1:36AM EDT until October 20 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Wilmington NC
Begins Oct 20, 2026, 1:36 AM · Ends Oct 20, 2026, 8:00 PM
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.
Poor · 48
BetaConditions are poor, but confidence is reduced because some coastal inputs are partial or prediction-based.
Scores are model-specific and are not directly comparable across water types.
Trip conditions only. Target-species activity and seasonal fishery patterns are not yet included.
Wait
Trip conditions may improve later. Review the recommended window and the reason for waiting.
Medium confidence — The recommendation is usable, but one or more inputs are regional, proxied, stale, or incomplete.
Evaluates trip conditions using weather, tides, currents, waves, daylight, and active alerts.
Degraded
Coastal conditions are partial, stale, or predictions-only.
Tuesday · 11:00 AM–2:00 PM EDT
Window score
73
Coastal conditions can change quickly. Review official alerts and current conditions before heading out.
No recent observations are available.
No recent observations are available.
South Carolina · Southeast Atlantic / Grand Strand · Shore
Approximately 12.1 miles away
North Carolina · Southeast Atlantic / Brunswick / Oak Island · Shore
Approximately 62.3 miles away
South Carolina · Southeast Atlantic / Charleston / Isle of Palms · Shore
Approximately 66.1 miles away
Falling
Next low tide
Oct 20, 2026, 9:27 AM
In 3 hr 32 min
1.5 ft MLLW
Previous
High · Oct 20, 2026, 3:17 AM · 4.4 ft MLLW
Following
High · Oct 20, 2026, 3:39 PM · 5.1 ft MLLW
Tide prediction proxy
Garden City Pier, Murrells Inlet · NOAA 8661437
This nearby station is used for tide timing. Predicted height does not represent exact water depth or exposed-flat conditions at this destination.
Tidal-current predictions are not available for this destination.
Tidal-current timing can differ from high and low tide timing.
Murrells Inlet fishery
A bounded Murrells Inlet / Huntington Beach State Park south-jetty fishery.
Static seasonal guidance · Last reviewed Aug 23, 2026
Not a live bite forecast.
Red drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead, and southern flounder are representative Murrells Inlet targets. Seasonal timing varies by species.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency and editorial sources. About fish illustrations
Red drum
PrimarySciaenops ocellatus
Also called Redfish
Currently in a typical seasonal window
Typical seasonal window: AUGUST — NOVEMBER
May also be present outside this peak window.
South Carolina inshore and structure fishing.
Spotted seatrout
PrimaryCynoscion nebulosus
No seasonal pulse known
Sound, creek, and pier-adjacent water.
Sheepshead
SecondaryArchosargus probatocephalus
No seasonal pulse known
Pier piling and rock structure.
Southern flounder
SecondaryParalichthys lethostigma
No seasonal pulse known
Sand and channel edges.
Seasonal presence is general guidance and does not indicate current fish activity.
Typical October approaches include inlet jetty and current-seam casting for Red drum.
Inlet jetty and current-seam casting
Cast jigs and swimming plugs along jetties and moving-water seams.
Best for
Modes
Setup
Inlet casting setup
Shore or boat spinning tackle for inlet jetties.
Used for
Common lure and fly families associated with this month’s techniques.
Minnow-style swimming plug
LureShallow to midwater · Steady, twitch, pause
Cast across seams and let the plug track with the current
Soft-plastic paddle tail
LureShallow, Midwater, Variable · Steady, twitch, jig
Swim steadily through seams or hop lightly near bottom transitions
Bucktail jig
LureShallow, Midwater, Bottom, Variable · Jig, twitch, steady, drift
Hop, swim, or drift depending on depth and current speed
General seasonal guidance, not a live recommendation, product endorsement, or guarantee of success.
Public jetty access at Huntington Beach State Park. Confirm SCPRT hours, fees, and fishing rules. Garden City Pier is nearby overlapping ocean-pier context.
Inlet current and ocean swell on the jetty.
Size limits, seasons, and possession rules change. Verify the current official regulations before fishing.
Editorial and agency sources supporting this fishery profile. Live and predicted conditions use the separate Data Sources section.
South Carolina DNR
South Carolina DNR
Inlet · South Carolina
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Tide predictions (nearby proxy)
Tide prediction proxy
Coastal and marine hazard alerts
Planning limitation
Coastal conditions can vary over short distances. Predictions and remote observations are planning information, not guarantees of access or safety.