Fishing in North Myrtle Beach: Pier, Inlet, and Deep Sea

Cherry Grove Fishing Pier: A Real World Record and a Real Storm History

Cherry Grove Fishing Pier, first built in the 1950s and purchased by the Prince family in 1965, is the site of one of the most significant fishing records in South Carolina history: in 1964, angler Walter Maxwell caught a 1,780-pound tiger shark directly off the pier -- the only all-tackle world record catch ever recorded in South Carolina, per the pier's own site and SC Picture Project. The pier has been rebuilt multiple times after hurricane damage: it survived Hurricane Hugo in 1989 (after which a two-story observation deck was added), and in September 1999 Hurricane Floyd snapped that observation deck off and deposited it roughly 1,000 yards down the beach; it was rebuilt and renovated in time for the following season, with additional bait-shop and access renovations completed in 2001.

That storm history is directly relevant to anyone planning around the pier today: it is real, functioning fishing infrastructure that has repeatedly proven both vulnerable to major hurricanes and consistently rebuilt afterward -- including sustaining real, documented damage during Hurricane Ian in 2022, per the city's own damage reporting. This page does not state current pier admission fees or rod-rental rates, since those change and were not independently confirmed for this build -- check cherrygrovepier.com for current rates.

The Little River Fishing Fleet: A Real, Decades-Old Charter Operation

Just north of North Myrtle Beach, the Little River waterfront is home to the Little River Fishing Fleet, described on its own materials as the area's deep-sea fishing service for more than 35 years, offering half-day, three-quarter-day, Gulf Stream, and 11-hour trips, along with party boats, specialty trips, private charters, and dolphin and sunset cruises. Little River's location -- close to the inlet -- means shorter transit time to open ocean and Gulf Stream fishing than departure points farther down the Grand Strand, a real, practical advantage for anglers chasing offshore species without burning half the trip in transit.

Additional charter operators based in the same Little River waterfront area include Long Line Charters, at 4474 Waterfront Ave., and Fish Hook Charters, which operates 34-foot and 43-foot vessels. Per multiple charter-booking sources, typical current pricing in the area runs around $100 per hour for inshore/nearshore trips, with entry-level offshore trips starting around $1,200 and full Continental Shelf trips running as high as roughly $1,800 -- figures that should be treated as a general market range from booking-platform sources rather than a specific current quote from any one operator, since rates change seasonally and by trip type.

Inshore and Surf Fishing Along the Inlet and Beaches

Beyond pier and offshore charter fishing, the Little River Inlet and the beaches of Cherry Grove and Ocean Drive support real inshore and surf fishing for species common to South Carolina's inlet and nearshore waters. This page does not name specific bait shops, guide services, or current species/season regulations beyond what's stated above, since a comprehensive current inshore-fishing guide was not compiled for this build -- the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' saltwater fishing program (saltwaterfishing.sc.gov) is the authoritative source for current regulations, seasons, and size/bag limits.

Common Species Anglers Target Here

South Carolina's nearshore and inlet waters around North Myrtle Beach and Little River generally support the same well-established inshore and nearshore species found along the broader South Carolina coast -- red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, flounder, and sheepshead inshore around structure and marsh creeks, with king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cobia, and a range of bottom species available nearer to the inlet and offshore. Offshore Gulf Stream trips, like those run by the Little River Fishing Fleet and other named area charters, commonly target species such as dolphinfish (mahi-mahi), wahoo, and various tuna and billfish species when conditions and season allow. This page states these as general, well-established South Carolina coastal species categories rather than a claim about current catch rates or a specific operator's typical results on any given trip -- actual catch varies by day, season, and conditions.

Licensing: A Real State Requirement

South Carolina requires a saltwater recreational fishing license for most anglers fishing state coastal waters, administered through the SC Department of Natural Resources' Saltwater Recreational Fishing License Program -- the same state program that also maintains the public boat-landing directory referenced elsewhere on this site's Boating & Water Access page. This page does not state current license fees or specific exemptions (such as pier-fishing exemptions, which some states apply differently than open-water fishing), since current rules should be confirmed directly with SCDNR before fishing.

Pier Fishing vs. Charter Fishing: Two Genuinely Different Experiences

Fishing from Cherry Grove Pier and booking a charter through the Little River Fishing Fleet or similar operators are genuinely different experiences worth distinguishing clearly. Pier fishing requires only a rod (rentable, per typical pier operations, though this page does not state Cherry Grove Pier's current rental rates) and pier admission, offers a self-paced, walk-up experience without a boat, and keeps anglers within casting range of the surf and shallow nearshore water directly off the pier structure. Charter fishing, by contrast, requires advance booking, a set trip duration and price point, and reaches species and depths a pier simply cannot -- including the Gulf Stream trips that put anglers within range of pelagic species like mahi-mahi and tuna.

Neither is objectively better -- a family with young children or a visitor without much fishing experience may get more genuine enjoyment from an afternoon on Cherry Grove Pier than from a full-day offshore charter, while a serious angler chasing specific offshore species needs a charter to reach water a pier cannot. This page recommends matching the choice to the actual goal and experience level of the angler, rather than assuming one option is the default 'right' choice for a North Myrtle Beach fishing trip.

What Nobody Tells You: Storm History Affects Availability

Because Cherry Grove Pier and the broader Little River charter fleet are real physical infrastructure exposed to the same documented storm risk covered elsewhere on this site -- including Hurricane Ian's confirmed 2022 damage, which specifically affected Cherry Grove Pier -- availability and operating condition of pier and charter fishing here can be disrupted following a significant storm, sometimes for weeks or longer during repairs. Anyone planning a fishing trip around a specific pier or charter operator, especially during hurricane season (June through November), should confirm current operating status directly rather than assuming pre-storm availability.