Myrtle Beach Fishing: Storm-Rebuilt Piers, Real Charters, Actual License Costs

The Grand Strand's Piers: Storm-Damaged and Rebuilt, Not Just Scenic

Myrtle Beach's fishing piers have real, dated storm histories, not just postcard views. Second Avenue Pier, on the Boardwalk at the south end of downtown, dates to 1936 and runs 906 feet out over water 12 to 22 feet deep at high tide. Its end section was damaged and boarded off after Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and in September 2022 a portion of that same damaged section broke off and fell into the ocean overnight, washing ashore near the Williams Street beach access; city crews cleared the debris the same week. The pier remains open and operating today (seasonal hours, closed late November through early March), with a $10 daily fishing pass ($9 with your own gear), $2 general admission, and rod rentals at $27.50 a day plus a refundable deposit, per the pier's own current fee page.

Springmaid Pier, near Myrtle Beach State Park, was heavily damaged by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 and stayed closed for repairs for nearly four years, finally reopening on July 3, 2020, rebuilt to a design intended to withstand a Category 4 storm. Cherry Grove Pier in North Myrtle Beach had it worse in the interim: Hurricane Ian (which made landfall near Georgetown, SC on September 30, 2022) split the pier in half. It reopened in a limited "soft opening" on March 22, 2024 -- roughly two-thirds of the structure, with repairs continuing on the remaining section -- and reached full public reopening by August 2024, per local TV reporting (WMBF, WBTW, WFXB). Pier manager Edgar Stephens described the partial reopening simply: "I'm so excited. Everybody around here are jumping up and down for joy."

Apache Pier, on the north end near Apache Campground, is billed as the longest wooden pier on the East Coast at 1,206 feet, per SC Picture Project. This research pass did not find a specific storm-damage/rebuild history for Apache Pier the way it did for the other three -- an honest gap, not a claim that it has escaped hurricane damage entirely over its operating life. Myrtle Beach State Park's own pier is smaller in scale but distinctive on price and rules: an $8 daily pass for ages 16+ ($5 for SC seniors and disabled residents, $3 for ages 6-15, free under 6), rod rentals at $25/day, and -- notably -- no South Carolina fishing license required to fish from the pier itself, even though a license is required for surf fishing from the open beach nearby.

Where the Charter Boats Actually Dock: Little River and Murrells Inlet

Myrtle Beach proper doesn't have its own deepwater harbor, and the charter fleet reflects that: operators cluster at Little River, near the North Carolina line, and at Murrells Inlet, south of the city -- both real, named, currently operating hubs, not just marketing geography. In Little River, the Little River Fishing Fleet runs four named vessels -- the Sundancer (40-foot fiberglass), Safari IV (45 feet), Blue Runner (35 feet), and Southern Tide (45 feet) -- offering half-day specialty trips, night trips, and an 11-hour Gulf Stream run, per the affiliated Captain Smiley Fishing Charters' own site (Captain Smiley recommends the Fleet but operates as a separate company). Night trips there target black sea bass, bluefish, flounder, ladyfish, porgies, sea bream, and sharks closer to shore; the Gulf Stream trip runs offshore for grouper, black sea bass, vermilion and grey snapper, triggerfish, and king mackerel.

Murrells Inlet -- home to the MarshWalk restaurant-and-bar district -- supports its own named charter operators (Murrells Inlet Fishing Charter, Carolina Guide Service, Reel Salty Fishing Charters, and Fishfinder Fishing Charters among them, per this research pass), running inshore trips for redfish, flounder, and spotted seatrout, nearshore trips for king and Spanish mackerel and cobia, and offshore runs for mahi-mahi and wahoo. This page names these hubs and the vessels/operators found to be real and currently marketed, not as an endorsement of any specific captain -- vet a boat's current license, insurance, and reviews yourself before booking, and confirm pricing directly, since none was published on the pages reviewed this session.

What's Actually Biting: Target Species by Zone

Inshore, in the marsh creeks and inlets behind Myrtle Beach's barrier strand, redfish (red drum) and spotted seatrout are the everyday targets, with flounder (an ambush predator that lies flat on creek and inlet bottoms) and black drum rounding out the list; sheepshead bite best around inlet structure in winter, per multiple Murrells Inlet charter operators' own species guides. Nearshore and reef/wreck fishing brings in king mackerel (described by more than one local charter as the area's premier nearshore game fish) and Spanish mackerel, plus cobia as a seasonal migratory target. Offshore, Gulf Stream trips run for mahi-mahi, wahoo, grouper, vermilion and grey snapper, black sea bass, and triggerfish. Treat this as a real, sourced target list, not a guarantee -- species availability shifts by season and year, and a captain's current report is a better guide than any static list.

A Real, Named Tournament: Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament

This research pass could not verify a Myrtle Beach-specific event called a "Small Boat Invitational" -- if one exists locally, it wasn't found in sources reviewed this session, and that's disclosed here rather than assumed. What is verifiable: the Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament, based out of Captain Archie's Restaurant & Marina in Little River, SC, is a real, currently running kingfish tournament held in mid-October, per the event's own site (rumblekmt.com) and multiple tournament-listing aggregators (Fisherman's Post, AllEvents, fishska.com points standings). It's part of the broader competitive king mackerel tournament circuit that runs up and down the Carolinas coast. This page did not independently verify the tournament's current entry fees, prize structure, or exact 2026 dates -- confirm those directly with the tournament organizers before planning around it.

The License You Actually Need

South Carolina requires a saltwater recreational fishing license to fish for marine finfish (with a narrow exception for handlines, fold-up traps, or drop nets), per the state's own dnr.sc.gov pricing pages. Current resident fees: $15 annual, $45 for three years, or $10 for a 14-day license. Non-resident fees: $75 annual, $35 for seven days, or $10 for a single day. No license is required for anyone under 16. Residents with a qualifying disability can get a no-cost three-year Disability Fishing License, and SC seniors born on or before July 1, 1940 qualify for a no-cost lifetime Gratis License; other residents 64 and older can get a Senior Fishing License for $9.

A detail specific to fishing in Myrtle Beach itself, per the City's own published fishing-rules summary: you do not need a state license to fish from a public fishing pier, but you do need one to surf fish from the open beach. The city also enforces real casting restrictions worth knowing before you set up: anglers must keep at least 50 feet of separation from swimmers, casting is banned in front of rented beach-chair and umbrella lines, and no fishing, surfing, or swimming is allowed within 75 yards of any pier. These are city rules layered on top of the state license requirement, not a substitute for it.

Surf Fishing and Public Shore Access

Beyond the piers, Myrtle Beach State Park itself is a real, named public surf-fishing access point -- its beachfront sits within a maritime forest setting and is open to rod-and-reel surf fishing with a standard state saltwater license (unlike the adjacent pier, which doesn't require one). Beyond the state park, this research pass did not compile a verified list of additional named public beach-access points specifically favored for surf fishing along the Myrtle Beach city coastline -- Horry County and the City of Myrtle Beach both publish public beach-access maps, and a local tackle shop or the City's own beach-access page is a better source for a current, specific list than this page can offer today.

A Professional-Consult Disclaimer

Fishing license fees, exemptions, seasons, bag limits, and size limits referenced above are set and periodically revised by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), and city-specific casting rules are set by the City of Myrtle Beach and can change. Confirm current license fees and statewide regulations directly at dnr.sc.gov and saltwaterfishing.sc.gov, and confirm current city beach-fishing rules directly with the City of Myrtle Beach, before fishing from a pier, the surf, or a boat. Nothing on this page is legal, regulatory, or fishing advice, and charter operator names, boats, and tournament details are presented with their sourcing made explicit rather than as guaranteed-current facts -- vet any operator and confirm any tournament's current dates and fees directly before booking or entering.