Half-day inshore
Flat water, short run, constant bites. Redfish, trout and flounder. The trip to book if anyone in your group has never been on a boat.
$300–525/boatmost run $450–500Checked September 2026
Check ratesThe hub
Myrtle Beach fishing charters, sorted by trip instead of by price
Six trip types leave the Grand Strand. This page prices each one, says who it suits, and points you at the dock it actually sails from.
The Strand Guide is reader-supported. When you book through links on our site, we may earn a commission from our booking partners, at no extra cost to you.
Trip types
Which fishing charter should you book?
Start with how far out you want to go and who's coming. The price follows from that, not the other way round.
Full-day offshore
Bottom fishing over live reef for grouper, snapper and amberjack. Long enough to reach real structure, short enough to be back for dinner.
$600–1,200/boat8-hour average $1,198Checked September 2026
Check rates
Head boat
You buy one seat, not the whole boat. Rod, bait and license included. Crowded on summer weekends, so go on a weekday morning.
$49–60/personmost half-day seats are $50–55Checked September 2026
Check rates
Gulf Stream run
Mahi, tuna and wahoo in blue water. Leaves before dawn and it’s a long ride each way. Skip it if anyone gets seasick.
$2,000–2,600/boat12-hour trips start at $2,000Checked September 2026
Check rates
Shark trip
Blacktip and spinner sharks a few miles off the beach, June through August. Big fight, short run, and everyone gets a turn on the rod.
$445–650/boatmost 4-hour trips run $450–650Checked September 2026
Check rates
Private charter
The whole boat and the captain’s full attention. It costs more per head than a head boat seat at any group size, so book it for the schedule and the target species, not to save money.
$300+/boathalf day $500–750, full day $1,350–1,500Checked September 2026
Check ratesThe short answer
What kinds of fishing charters run out of Myrtle Beach?
Six, and they are not variations on each other. Head boats sell you a single seat on a shared boat, priced per person. Inshore charters stay in the creeks and inlet, $300–525 for the boat, with most four-hour trips running $450 to $500. Nearshore and shark trips run a few miles off the beach. Full-day offshore trips reach live bottom 25 to 40 miles out at $600–1,200. Gulf Stream runs go 50 to 70 miles and take twelve hours. Private charters are any of the above with the boat to yourself.
Pick by how far out you want to be and who is coming, not by the headline number. The cheapest trip is a bad deal if half your group is seasick by hour three.
Based on 155 Myrtle Beach listings on FishingBooker plus published rate cards from eight Grand Strand operators, checked September 2026.
Prices checked September 2026 · Murrells Inlet, Little River & North Myrtle BeachPrivate charters
Is a private fishing charter worth it?
A private charter means you book the whole boat rather than a seat on it. Nobody else is aboard, the captain fishes your group only, and you set the departure time and the target species inside what the season allows.
The maths is less flattering than most pages make out. Six head boat seats cost $294 to 360. A four-hour private inshore trip typically runs $450 to $500 for the hull, so the same six people pay $75 to 83 each. The private boat does not get cheaper per person, however many of you there are.
So book private for the things it genuinely buys. Your own departure time. The captain fishing your group and nobody else's. One target species instead of whatever the drift gives you. Room to come in early if a child has had enough, or if someone turns green an hour out. If your group is nervous on the water, that last one alone is worth the difference.
Book a head boat seat if you are one or two people, if the point is mostly to be out there, or if you would rather spend the difference on a longer trip. A Gulf Stream head boat seat costs less than a half day on a private boat.
What a private charter does not include
- Food and drink: bring a cooler, most boats have room for one
- The mate's tip, customarily 15–20% of the trip and paid in cash at the dock
- Filleting, on some boats: ask before you book if you plan to keep fish
- Fuel surcharges on long offshore runs, which a few operators add separately
On the water
What the day actually looks like
Inshore trips spend the morning in the creeks behind the barrier islands, which is quiet water with herons on the banks and dolphins working the same bait you are. Nearshore and shark boats sit within sight of the beach, close enough to watch the light change on the dunes. Offshore days start before dawn and give you a sunrise with nothing on the horizon to get in the way of it.
Whichever one you book, the boats come back in during the best part of the evening, and the docks are busy with families waiting to see the catch. That is a fair bit of the reason people do this more than once.
Departure points
Where do Myrtle Beach fishing charters leave from?
"Myrtle Beach fishing charter" almost always means a dock somewhere else. Here's who leaves from where, and how far you'll drive before sunrise.
Murrells Inlet · ~20 min south of Myrtle Beach
The deepest fleet on the Strand and the one most visitors end up on. Inshore, nearshore and offshore boats all tie up along the MarshWalk, so you can walk the docks and read the boards before you book.
Little River · ~35 min north
Head boats and the long Gulf Stream runs. It has the quickest ocean access on the north end, which is why the 12-hour trips tend to leave from here, so less of your day is spent in the inlet.
North Myrtle Beach · ~25 min north
Private inshore and shark trips, plus most of the family-boat operators. Good middle ground if you are staying on the north end and do not want a long drive before a 6am departure.
Myrtle Beach · In town
Fewer working docks than the name suggests. Most charters sold as "Myrtle Beach" actually sail out of Murrells Inlet or Little River. Check the departure address before you book, not after.
Before you book
Common questions about Myrtle Beach fishing charters
How much is a fishing charter in Myrtle Beach?
A private inshore charter runs $300–525 for the boat, and a full-day offshore trip runs $600–1,200. These are ranges across live Myrtle Beach listings, checked in September 2026. Head boat seats are sold per person and priced by each operator, so check the current seat rate before you book.
Do I need a fishing license for a Myrtle Beach charter?
No. Licensed charter and head boats in South Carolina carry a saltwater licence that covers everyone fishing aboard. You do not buy your own for a charter trip.
What is included in a Myrtle Beach fishing charter?
Rods, reels, bait, tackle and the licence are standard on both head boats and private charters. Food, drinks and the mate’s tip are not. Most operators will clean and bag your catch; some charge for filleting.
How far in advance should I book a Myrtle Beach fishing charter?
For a July or August trip, book in March. Search demand for Grand Strand charters spikes in March when families lock in summer dates, and again in July when everyone else is already here. Booking in March gets you first pick of captain and tide.
Is a head boat or a private charter better for a family?
On price, the head boat wins at every group size, because a seat on a shared boat is a fraction of a whole hull by construction. A private charter at $300–525 inshore buys you your own departure time, the captain's full attention, one target species and no crowd at the rail. Those are worth paying for with young children aboard, but they are not a saving.
What can you catch on a Myrtle Beach fishing charter?
Inshore in the creeks and inlet: redfish, speckled trout and flounder. Nearshore: black sea bass, Spanish mackerel and sharks in summer. Offshore over live bottom: grouper, snapper and amberjack. Out in the Gulf Stream: mahi, tuna and wahoo.
Go deeper
The rest of the guide
Myrtle Beach fishing charter prices
Every trip type in one table, with what's included and what isn't.
Deep sea fishing in Myrtle Beach
How far out "deep sea" really is, and what you catch at each distance.
Murrells Inlet fishing charters
The deepest fleet on the Strand, and how to book it from the MarshWalk.
When to book a Myrtle Beach charter
Twelve months of demand data. March is when the planners move.
Seasonal updates
Know what is running before you book
What is biting each month, what a trip costs then, and when to book it. A few emails a year, sent when the seasons turn.
Sign-up is not open yet. Nothing is collected here and no address is stored.