Deep sea fishing in Myrtle Beach: the Gulf Stream fleet, ranked

Deep sea fishing in Myrtle Beach means a long run to the fish. The South Carolina coast sits over a wide, shallow shelf, so the Gulf Stream and the blue water pelagics are 55 to 65 miles out, far beyond the quick offshore access of a Florida pass. The Grand Strand answers that the way Galveston does on the Gulf: with a fleet of big walk on head boats that make a deep sea day cheap, plus a smaller set of private offshore boats that make it personal. This page ranks the boats worth booking on our published method, across North Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, and Little River, so you can match the boat to your trip and your budget rather than guess from a strip full of billboards.

What you catch and when

The fishing splits by how far you run. Close in, the nearshore reefs and wrecks hold black sea bass, vermilion (beeliner) snapper, and triggerfish year round, with king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia on the troll through the warm months, strongest from May into September. The long Gulf Stream run is the pelagic story: mahi mahi, wahoo, and blackfin tuna from late spring into fall, with sailfish and the odd winter wahoo for the boats that make the trip in the cooler months. The deeper bottom adds grouper and amberjack, each on its own federal schedule, so the open species shift through the year. Two season notes shape a trip here. Gag and the other shallow water grouper close January 1 to April 30, and red snapper has been shut across the South Atlantic since a federal court halted the planned 2026 state seasons on May 21, days before South Carolina’s expanded season was due to open on July 1. Confirm the current dates and limits with NOAA Fisheries and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources before you book a season specific trip.

The boats and operators

The Myrtle Beach deep sea fleet splits cleanly in two, by format and by town. The big walk on head boats sell a deep sea day by the seat, per person, on boats that carry dozens of anglers: Voyager out of North Myrtle Beach, Crazy Sister Marina and others on the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk, and Little River Fishing Fleet near the North Carolina line, which docks closest to the ocean and so spends more of the day fishing. They win on price and on the long range trips, including a 24 hour Gulf Stream run nothing else offers walk on. The private boats are six pack offshore charters, booked by the whole boat for up to six anglers and run by the captain who owns them, which buys a personal, consistent day at a private boat price. Myrtle Beach also has a large inshore and nearshore guide fleet working the creeks and the beachfront for redfish, trout, and flounder, but that is a separate fishery from the offshore fishing ranked here.

How the field ranks

The order is led by the one private boat that clears the bar, not because the head boats are bad, but because a single owner who runs every trip delivers a more consistent day than a crowded walk on deck. The Reel takes first at 7.8, the cleanest record in the port, a 4.9 average across more than 150 booking tied reviews behind an owner captain with clear posted prices, held back only by the top end rate, an open center console on the long run, and most trips capped at four anglers. Little River Fishing Fleet is second at 7.5, the head boat to book: running since 1985 from the dock closest to the ocean, with an air conditioned 90 foot boat and a local crew that puts the rail on fish, held just short by a crowded deck and a few reports of a day cut short. Crazy Sister Marina is third at 6.7, the widest trip menu on the coast and a well rated New Inlet Princess crew, pulled into the mixed band by packed decks and tangled lines on the popular trips. Voyager Fishing Charters rounds out the field at 6.3, the cheapest and biggest operation with a 12 hour Gulf Stream run for about $150, marked down for short trips that spend more time running than fishing and a recurring pushy tip jar. The cards below carry each boat’s verdict and score.

Trip types and what they cost

Myrtle Beach fishes three ways, and the price gap between them is wide. The cheapest is the walk on head boat seat, sold by the person: about $45 to $55 for a short half day on the nearshore reefs, $109 for a mid range run to the Continental Shelf, and $150 to $205 for a full 11 or 12 hour Gulf Stream trip, with the rod, reel, bait, and license included. It is the affordable, sociable way onto the water, traded against a crowded rail and a shared deck. A semi-private head boat seat, around $199 to $299, caps the crowd for more room, which directly answers the tangled deck complaint that runs through the head boat reviews. A private offshore charter is booked by the whole boat, from around $600 for a nearshore trip up to about $2,300 for a full Gulf Stream day for up to four to six anglers, which works out per person only when you fill the deck with your own group. The long Gulf Stream run, 55 to 65 miles each way, is what reaches the pelagics on any of these formats. Our cost guide breaks down what each tier buys, and the party boat versus private charter guide helps you choose between the formats this port is built on.

How to pick the right trip

Start with your budget and your group. If you are watching the cost, fishing with kids, or out for a first taste of saltwater, a walk on head boat seat is the call: the short half day for young children, the full Gulf Stream trip for bottom fish and a shot at the pelagics. Little River Fishing Fleet is the steadiest of the head boats and starts closest to the ocean, while Voyager is the cheapest and runs the only walk on 24 hour trip. If a crowded deck would spoil the day, pay up for a semi-private seat or book a private boat: The Reel for a named captain and the cleanest record in the port, or one of Crazy Sister’s six packs for a private deck out of Murrells Inlet. Match the trip length to your aim too: a half day stays on the nearshore reefs for bottom fish and mackerel, while only the full 11 or 12 hour Gulf Stream run reaches the blue water for mahi mahi, wahoo, and tuna.

Getting there and what to bring

The Grand Strand runs about 60 miles down the South Carolina coast, and the fleet docks in three places. North Myrtle Beach, at the north end, is home to Voyager at Dock Holiday’s Marina. Murrells Inlet, a half hour south of Myrtle Beach proper, is the historic fishing village, its Marshwalk lined with docks and seafood restaurants, where Crazy Sister Marina and much of the private fleet tie up. Little River, hard against the North Carolina line, sits closest to the ocean. Arrive 30 to 45 minutes before departure to park, check in, and board or find your spot at the rail. Bring food and drinks for a long day, since the head boat galleys are limited, plus sunscreen, a hat, polarized sunglasses, a soft cooler with ice for your fillets, and motion sickness medication if you are unsure of your stomach, since the Gulf Stream run is long and the Atlantic chop builds through the day. The boats supply the rod, reel, bait, and license, so sun protection and your own food are the main things to pack.

Myrtle Beach anchors the South Carolina coast and the wider Southeast Atlantic fishery from the Carolinas to Georgia. If the boats here are booked, Charleston and Hilton Head fish the lower South Carolina coast, and the Outer Banks to the north have the shortest run to the Gulf Stream on the whole stretch and the region’s best billfishing.