Little River has been home to fishermen for many generations... and for good reason. Some of the largest and most prized fish can be caught in the waters off the coast of South Carolina.

The local fishermen work year-round, having two distinct seasons where the type of fishing they do greatly differs.

In the winter, with special rigging on the boats, they do commercial fishing, where the captain and crew catch specific types of fish, which they sell to various restaurants and wholesale shippers.

In warmer weather, especially during tourist season, they do charter fishing, where the captain and crew allow amateur fishermen onto their boats (for a fee) and help their guests haul in large catches, who usually take the fish home to their families.

There are different types of charters in Little River, and it helps to know the differences before planning a charter fishing trip.

There is party boat fishing, which takes individuals and groups out on very large boats, and usually does light rod and reel-type fishing.

And there are private fishing charters for the serious fisherman, which usually averages 6 fishermen per boat.

The length of fishing trips varies, too, and due to reaching warmer waters on longer trips, the type of fish caught usually depends on the length of the fishing trip.

There are half-day trips, where you choose between a morning or afternoon trip, with boats usually running 7AM to Noon and again from 1PM to 6PM.

The full day trips usually run from 7AM to 3PM daily; and the gulf stream trips usually run from 7AM to 6PM each day.

Special requests, such as night fishing, are also taken by the local charter fishermen.

The most common fish caught during these trips is black sea bass, snapper, grouper, larger sea bass, trigger, dolphin, wahoo, and king mackerel.

Fishing is an integral part of life for many residents of Little River, and visitors are encouraged to book a fishing charter to catch a glimpse of the unique lifestyle of generations of Little River fishermen.