South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Nongame Freshwater Fishing

General Information

Nongame fishing permits and tags may be purchased from SCDNR only. Applications may be obtained by calling 803-734-3833.

Nongame fishing permits and tags are required, in addition to a valid South Carolina state fishing license (also applies to youth under 16), to use the following devices for recreational purposes: up to 3 trotlines with not more than 150 hooks, 3 to 50 set hooks, 3 to 50 jugs, up to 2 traps, 1 hoop net, 1 gill net no more than 200 yards in length or 5 gill nets, none of which exceed 30 yards in length, 1 skimbow net, 1 seine, 1 minnow seine, or up to 2 eel pots.

This requirement applies to all freshwaters of the state inland of the saltwater- freshwater dividing lines, except privately-owned ponds.

Nongame fishing devices are not allowed in certain waters. The maximum number of devices allowed per area is shown in the Areas & Limits Section on page 18.

A tag must be attached to the device for which it was issued, and each permit and tag identification receipt must be in the licensee’s possession while engaging in the activity.

Game fish must be immediately released if caught by net or trap or any other device used for catching nongame fish.

Commercial Fishing

A commercial freshwater fishing license must be in possession to take catfish by any method from public waters and sell or offer for sale such catfish, and/or fish with the following nongame fishing devices: 2 or more gill nets (or 5 gill nets not more than 30 ft. in length), 2 or more hoop nets, 3 or more traps, trotlines with a combined total of 151 hooks or more, or 3 or more eel pots.

All persons involved in commercial catfish fishing must have a commercial freshwater fishing license if they participate in any way in the actual fishing operation. This includes, but is not limited to, operating a boat, baiting hooks, removing fish from lines, traps or nets. No more than one blue catfish over 36-inches can be taken from Lakes Marion and Moultrie in one day.

To qualify for a resident commercial freshwater fishing license, one must have been a resident of this state for the past 12 consecutive months and furnish proof to the SCDNR.

Shad/Herring

To take shad for recreational purposes by hook and line, cast net, or skim bow net in freshwaters a person must have a freshwater fishing license. For other allowances and restrictions, see page 23. Commercial fishing for shad and herring in freshwaters, including for sale as bait and by use of gill nets, is regulated under saltwater fisheries laws regardless of location within the state (Sec. 50-5-1500 and 50-5-1550). Contact the Charleston License office at 843-953-9301 for commercial and gill net information.

Markers and Identification

Trotlines, traps, eel pots and gill nets must be marked with a floating marker with a minimum capacity of one pint and a maximum capacity of one gallon or equivalent size and must be made of solid, buoyant material which does not sink if punctured or cracked. The floating markers must be constructed of plastic, PVC Spongex, plastic foam or cork. No hollow buoys or floats including plastic, metal or glass bottles or jugs may be used except manufactured buoys or floats specifically designed for use with nongame fishing devices; these may be hollow if constructed of heavy duty plastic material and approved by the SCDNR. The floating markers must be colored white when used the 1st through the 15th of the month and yellow when used the remainder of the month. The owner’s name and address must be marked clearly on each floating marker.

Hoop Nets set on the Congaree River from the I-77 Bridge to the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree rivers must also be marked with the same floating markers as listed above.

Bait

No game fish, live bait or any bait other than bait listed below shall be used with trotlines, set hooks and jugs: soap, doughballs, cut fish (nongame fish cut into at least three equal parts), shrimp, grapes or meat scraps (shall not include insects, worms and other invertebrates).

On the Edisto, Black, Sampit, Great Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee, Lumber and Waccamaw rivers, live nongame fish and bream may be used with singlebarbed set hooks and trotlines that have a shank-to-point gap of one and three-sixteenths inches or greater.

On the Black, Great Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee, Lumber and Waccamaw rivers, live nongame fish and bream may be used on trotlines having not more than 20 hooks with a shank-to-point gap of one and three-sixteenths inches.

Game fish used as bait must be included in daily creel limit, 30 bream per day.

There are no restrictions on the type of bait permissible in traps or eel pots except that no game fish or parts thereof shall be used as bait.

Prohibited Areas

No nongame fishing devices of any kind may be used in SCDNR-managed lakes, or waters within Game Zone 1, except in Lakes Hartwell and Keowee and Twelve-Mile Creek.

Prohibited Practices

Possession or use on the freshwaters of this state of any device or gear designed or used to catch nongame fish not authorized by law is prohibited.

Possession of game fish or tackle designed to catch game fish is prohibited while fishing traps, trotlines, or other nongame fish devices except cast nets and bows and arrows.

It is unlawful for any person to tamper with, fish, or use in any manner the nongame fishing device or gear owned and tagged by another person, or to take from any such device or gear, any fish caught thereon. No fishing device shall be used, placed, set or fished so as to create a hazard to boating.

No trotlines, traps or eel pots shall be placed within 200 yards of any permanent man-made structure on Lakes Marion and Moultrie nor placed anywhere in the Diversion Canal connecting Lakes Marion and Moultrie, the Tailrace Canal nor the area known as the Borrow Pit (also known as “Bar Pit”) in Clarendon County.

Penalties

The boat, motor, fishing gear and fish of any person who is charged with unlawfully fishing, using or having in possession a gill net or hoop net on any freshwater lake or reservoir shall be confiscated.

Any person who tampers with any non-game fishing device with intent to damage or to make it ineffective for the purpose of taking fish shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $200 or imprisoned for not more than 30 days, and for stealing a device or fish caught in the device shall be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than 6 months or both.

Upon the conviction of any commercial freshwater fisherman of illegal possession of game fish or the sale or traffic in game fish, SCDNR shall suspend such person’s license or privilege to fish in this state for a period of one year.

Nongame Freshwater Fishing Methods and Devices

Some devices are not permitted on certain waters. See Area & Limits on page 18 for devices and limits allowed in each area.

Set Hooks
Description	A single hook and line attached to bushes, limbs, poles, sticks or similar structures.
Permits/ Regulations	A permit is required to fish 3 to 50 hooks (50 hook limit). Persons 65 years or older or under age 16 are not required to purchase a Set Hook Permit, but a label with their name, address and age must be attached to each set hook. A fishing license is required. A permit is not required for 2 set hooks with a valid state fishing license.
Hours/ Seasons	Must be removed prior to one hour after official sunrise each day and cannot be reattached prior to one hour before official sunset.
Jugs
Description	A single hook and line attached to a free-floating device with a minimum capacity of one pint and a maximum of one gallon. May not have more than one line.
Permits/ Regulations	A permit is required to fish 3 to 50 jugs (50 jug limit). Licensee’s name and address must be clearly marked on each jug. Jug fishing is legal only in Lakes Greenwood, Secession, Richard B. Russell, Thurmond, and Stevens Creek. A permit is not required for 2 jugs with a valid state fishing license. A jug permit is not required for residents assisting jug permit holders.
Hours/ Seasons	Must be removed from the water before one hour after official sunrise each day and not replaced prior to one hour before official sunset.
Trotlines
Description	2 or more hooks attached to a line which is rigged horizontally and marked with a white or yellow floating marker (See Markers and Identification on page 16). Stainless steel hooks are prohibited statewide. Hooks used in Lakes Marion and Moultrie ONLY must measure 7/16 inch or less between point and shank.
Permits/ Regulations	A tag is required for each trotline with up to 50 hooks. Trotlines with more than 50 hooks require a tag for every 50 hooks or less. No trotline shall be attached in any manner to another trotline or to the support or float of another trotline. No trotlines allowed within 100 feet of the mouth of any tributary stream.
Hours/ Seasons	Trotlines must be inspected and fish removed at least every 24 hours. From Apr. 1 to Oct. 1, no trotline is permitted in any waters from one hour after official sunrise to one hour before official sunset, unless the trotline is sunk to the bottom or a minimum depth of four feet below the surface. From Oct. 2 to Mar. 31, trotlines may be left in the water 24 hours per day at any depth.
Traps & Eel Pots
Description	A device marked with a white or yellow floating marker
Permits/ Regulations	A tag is required for each trap or eel pot. A permit is required for the harvest of eels in both freshwater and saltwater. Traps and eel pots may be suspended in water at a depth which does not create a hazard to watercraft. No trap or eel pot shall be placed within 100 feet of the mouth of any tributary stream. No crab pot or trap of like design may be used in the fresh waters of this state.
Hours/ Seasons	No closed season.
Trap Type 1	The trap may be made of wire or textile material and be cylindrical in shape of a length not more than 6 feet and a width of not more than 3 feet. The mesh shall not be smaller than 1 inch by 1 inch, and there shall be only one application of exterior wire to the trap. The muzzle shall have one of the following designs: A trap door on the second muzzle or catch muzzle which remains in a closed position and which only opens for the entry of fish into the trap; or constructed of netting so that the opening of the small end of the second muzzle or catch muzzle is held in the shape of a slit and the trap configuration constructed such that as the trap rests on the bottom, the slit shall be oriented horizontally with the greatest vertical opening being no greater than 1 inch.
Trap Type 2	The trap may be made of wood strips or slats and be cylindrical or rectangular in shape. The length shall not exceed 6 feet, and the width or diameter shall not exceed 2 feet. The throat opening of the catch muzzle in a resting position shall not exceed 3 inches measured in any direction. The sides, top and rear of the trap shall have a minimum of one inch opening between the slats to allow for the escape of small catfish. This shall apply only to the last 12 inches of the trap.
Eel pot	Pots no larger than 24 inches by 48 inches and constructed of wire with a mesh size no smaller than 1/2 by 1/2 inch, except for the throat or muzzle and the end opposite the throat or muzzle. The throat opening shall not exceed 2 inches measured in any direction.
Hoop Nets
Description	Nets with a mesh size greater than 4 1/2 inches stretch mesh. The maximum length is 200 yards and no net, cable, line or other device used for support of the gill net can extend more than halfway across the stream or body of water. Nets must be marked with a white or yellow floating marker (See Markers and Identification).
Permits/ Regulations	Hoop nets must rest on the bottom and cannot be placed within 100 feet of the mouth of any tributary stream.
Hours/ Seasons	No closed season.
Gill Nets
Description	Nets with a mesh size greater than 4 1/2 inches stretch mesh. The maximum length is 200 yards and no net, cable, line or other device used for support of the gill net can extend more than halfway across the stream or body of water. Nets must be marked with a white or yellow floating marker (See Markers and Identification).
Permits/ Regulations	Gill nets shall be placed on a first-come basis, and no net can be placed within 200 yards of another gill net.
Hours/ Seasons	The season for taking nongame fish other than shad and herring is Nov. 1 to Mar. 1 (where authorized) on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only. Fishing time begins at 12:01 am on Wednesday, and ends at midnight on Saturday.
Other Devices
Description	Devices described in this section may be used in any body of fresh water including tributaries of rivers or creeks except in prohibited areas. A state fishing license is required (Lakes & Reservoir Permits are not valid). Tags are not required.
Bows and Arrows, Spears, Gigs & Cast Nets:
Skimbow Net	A hand-operated dip net with the bow constructed of wood or metal with wire or textile netting with a mesh size not greater than 1 1/2 inches square. The bow shall not exceed 6 feet in any direction and may be used only from February through April 30 for shad or herring.
Minnow Seine	Must not be greater than four feet in width by 20 feet in length with a mesh size of not more than 1/4 inch square mesh. It is unlawful to have in possession a minnow seine from 10 PM to official sunrise.
Tires	Must not exceed 20-inch rim. Rules and regulations of power companies may not allow for the placing of tires.
Seine	A net having a stretch mesh of not less than 1 inch and not more than 1 1/2 inches which does not exceed 75 feet in length or 6 feet in depth. It shall be unlawful to anchor a seine and leave it unattended.

Information on Public Fishing Lakes

Freshwater Fishing Regulations information above is in the Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. Adobe® Reader® is required to open the files and is available as a free download from the Adobe® Web site.

 

 

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