The Hilton Head, SC marine forecast covers live wind speed and gusts, tide predictions, wave conditions, and major and minor solunar feeding times, updated continuously from NOAA and Open-Meteo. The strongest fishing windows usually line up with the moving tide and the solunar periods shown below — check current conditions before you head out.
By Steve Wilson, lifelong angler & founder of My Marine Forecast
Last updated: Aug 1, 2026, 8:01 AM
Winds 0–13 mph from the SE gusting to 22 mph. Air temperatures 75–89°F. The strongest fishing windows line up with the moving water around each tide change, roughly an hour on either side.
Today's Tides · Station 8663163
| Loading tide data… |
Wind
0–13 mph SE
Gusts
22 mph
Air Temp
75–89°F
Tides from NOAA Station 8663163 · wind & temperature from Open-Meteo. Open the live forecast for hourly charts and the 7-day outlook.
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Tide data sourced from NOAA Station 8663163
Hilton Head Island is surrounded by the Port Royal Sound, Calibogue Sound, and the May River, creating a diverse inshore fishing environment that rivals any on the East Coast. The area's world-class red drum fishery draws dedicated anglers from across the Southeast, with both juvenile redfish on the grass flats and bull reds in the sounds and deep channels. The grass flats behind Hilton Head are perfect for sight-fishing.
Spotted seatrout are abundant throughout the Hilton Head area, with the May River and Broad Creek systems being particularly productive. The area's flounder fishing is excellent, especially during the fall migration when flatfish concentrate near the inlets. Sheepshead are caught year-round on the many dock pilings, bridge pilings, and oyster bars throughout the sound system.
The nearshore fishing around Hilton Head accesses the productive waters of Port Royal Sound and the Atlantic, with king mackerel, cobia, and amberjack common along the bottom structure. The live tide forecast above is essential for Hilton Head — the area experiences some of South Carolina's largest tidal ranges, and planning your fishing around the tide is critical for success.
Spring: Redfish scatter from winter schools across the flats of Calibogue Sound and Broad Creek and feed steadily by April. Sheepshead return from their offshore spawn to docks and nearshore live bottom. Cobia is the fishery this coast is known for in May and June, when big fish ride the surface of Port Royal Sound to spawn.
Summer: Flood tides push redfish into the spartina to tail on crabs, prime sight-casting behind the island. Trout eat live shrimp over shell early in the day. Sharks, jack crevalle and tarpon work the sounds by midsummer, and bottom fishing on nearshore reefs produces black sea bass, weakfish and the occasional cobia.
Fall: Bull redfish school in Port Royal Sound to spawn, giving sight-shots at 20 to 40 pound fish on calm October days. Slot reds and trout feed hard on the shrimp flush in Broad Creek, Skull Creek and the May River. Flounder bunch up before leaving, and the weather between fronts is the year's most comfortable.
Winter: Low, clear water gathers redfish into big schools on exposed mud flats, stalked quietly on foot or from poled skiffs. Sheepshead bite fiddlers on virtually every dock, range marker and reef. Trout hold in deep bends of Broad Creek and the May River, taking slow plastics when afternoon sun warms the shallows.
Calibogue Sound runs the length of the island's south side, linking the marsh behind Daufuskie to the ocean and holding reds, trout and summer tarpon. Port Royal Sound to the north is deep, bait-rich water famous for spring cobia and fall bull redfish. Broad Creek cuts into the middle of the island with docks, oyster banks and grass edges fishable in nearly any wind. Skull Creek along the Intracoastal side holds trout and sheepshead, and the May River behind Bluffton offers classic Lowcountry flats a short run away.