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Fishing at Edisto River

South Carolina · Colleton County, Dorchester County, Charleston County, Orangeburg County and Bamberg County · 94 river miles in South Carolina
State
South Carolina
Country
USA
Licence
State-issued
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South Carolina River 94 river miles in South Carolina Public river — navigable water 🌙 Night fishing

About Fishing at Edisto River

Edisto River is a public river in Colleton County, Dorchester County, Charleston County, Orangeburg County and Bamberg County, South Carolina, managed by State of South Carolina (public / navigable water). You can fish it on an South Carolina licence, but bank access is only at road crossings, parks, SCDNR access sites and other public land; riparian owners control the bank on non-navigable reaches. Public access confirmed via marquee water.

The Edisto — the longest free-flowing blackwater river in the United States, 250 miles with no dams. Redbreast sunfish are the signature ('robins'), plus largemouth bass, bluegill, bowfin, gar, chain pickerel and big flathead catfish. The Edisto River Canoe & Kayak Trail runs the length of it with sandbar camping.

It runs roughly 94 miles through the Lowcountry region. Anglers here mostly fish for redbreast sunfish, largemouth bass, bluegill, bowfin; longnose gar, chain pickerel, channel catfish, flathead catfish are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the Edisto River Below Canadys, Sc USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are SCE&G Ash Pond and Deep Creek.

County
Colleton, Dorchester, Charleston, Orangeburg, Bamberg
Region
Lowcountry
Length
94 river miles in South Carolina
Public access
Public river — navigable water
Managed by
State of South Carolina (public / navigable water)
Night fishing
Permitted
Boats
Generally unrestricted

Fish Species at Edisto River

Species from SCDNR public-access and species data.

Access & Rules at Edisto River

Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in South Carolina. Trotlines, jugs and set hooks are legal on most fresh water with a licence and gear tags. A few state lakes and reservoirs have posted hours; the Lower Saluda trout water and some WMA lakes close at night.

Boats: The big reservoirs (Marion, Moultrie, Murray, Hartwell, Wateree, Wylie) have no horsepower limit; idle-speed / no-wake zones are marked near ramps, marinas, bridges and dams. SCDNR State Lakes and Upstate water-supply reservoirs are often electric-motor-only or small-outboard only. A South Carolina boater-education card is required for operators under 16 running 15 hp or more.

Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at South Carolina state parks (SouthCarolinaParks.com), Santee Cooper's campgrounds, and Corps of Engineers lakeside sites on the Savannah lakes. The blackwater canoe trails (Edisto, Little Pee Dee, Lynches, Black) have a strong sandbar-camping tradition on the exposed bars. WMA camping is limited to designated areas.

Tackle: Statewide largemouth-bass daily limit is 5 (many lakes have a 14-inch minimum; some have a slot); black crappie 20 on most reservoirs; blue and flathead catfish have trophy-protection limits on Santee Cooper and the Savannah lakes (only 1 over 36 inches). Striped/hybrid bass limits vary by lake and season. Check the current SCDNR regulations for this water.

Facilities Near Edisto River

Boat ramps: 5 mapped — Weeks Landing, Simmons Landing, Boat ramp, Mars Old Field Landing, Long Creek Landing.

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.

River Conditions

Loading live flow & gauge height…

Live from USGS gauge 02174055 — Edisto River Below Canadys, Sc. Full gauge data →

Fishing Licence for Edisto River

Anyone 16+ needs a South Carolina fishing licence — resident annual is about $10, non-resident annual about $35, and non-resident 1-day (~$11) and 7-day (~$16) licences are sold. The freshwater licence covers trout — there is no separate trout stamp — but a Wildlife Management Area permit is needed on WMA trout waters and other WMA lakes and streams. South Carolina residents 64+ can get a free Gratis licence. Buy from SCDNR. A South Carolina fishing licence covers navigable rivers and the whole SC side of the Savannah, Catawba and Chattooga. WMA river reaches also need a WMA permit.

WMA permit & border waters

SCDNR State Lakes, the Upstate trout streams on Wildlife Management Areas, and many small public lakes need a WMA permit in addition to the fishing licence (it's bundled with most annual packages) The freshwater licence covers trout — no separate trout stamp The Savannah lakes (Hartwell, Russell, Clarks Hill) are fished lake-wide on a licence from either Carolina or Georgia; Lake Wylie on a SC or NC licence

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Frequently Asked Questions

More Fishing in Colleton County

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