# Horry County Ordinance



## Fishing_Hawk (Mar 19, 2008)

Sec. 5-7. Fishing from shore or pier.
It shall be unlawful for any person involved in attempting to catch or take, or catch or take any shark or other marine animals that may endanger the public from any fishing pier, or any beach within the unincorporated limits of shore or any coastal waters where one may fish within this county. Any person(s) who baits, fish for, or otherwise attract sharks or other marine animals that may in danger the public within one (1) mile of the beach or any coastal waters are in violation of this ordinance. All fishermen shall release at time of recognition any and all fish or other similar type animals that may pose any danger to any beach goers, sunbathers, swimmers or any other person where the fish or animal is caught. This prohibition is in effect from March 1st to November 30th each year.
(1) Any person(s) who surf fishes or fishing of any type from a pier or beach, at any time of the year, shall not fish in a manner that presents an unsafe condition to any beach goers, sun bathers, swimmers, or any other person and shall keep a safe distance from the for said.
(2) County jurisdiction extends to one (1) mile in the Atlantic Ocean and includes all beaches and Piers. (S.C. Code 1976, § 5-7-140 and § 5-7-150)
(Ord. No. 104-07, § 1, 6-19-07)


So i guess its better to say "i'm fishing for whatever bites" 

Do any of you locals ever have a problem with shark fishing and the law getting involved?


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## chumrunner (Nov 6, 2007)

I would not recommend shark fishing in Horry county at all. If you even land a shark they will slap a $500 fine on you. If you go to the end of Garden City you would be in Georgetown County and it would be legal. Much safer that way.


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## Fishing_Hawk (Mar 19, 2008)

what about the small ones? I mean if you catch a big'em u usually meant to catch a big one, but if i'm out there at night fishing with just my spinning reel, catching the small ones am i safE?


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## chumrunner (Nov 6, 2007)

You're probably all right. Just make sure you throw em back.


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## bad_angler (Jul 14, 2007)

Wow..I didn't know this but it does make some sense.


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## Danman (Dec 13, 2007)

Why does someone want to shark fish anyway??


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## chumrunner (Nov 6, 2007)

What other fish caught from the beach can reach length's over 12 ft and weights over 1,500 pounds? Oh yeah and can eat you


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## ffemtreed (Mar 29, 2007)

I think that town council watch one too many Jaws movies. 

Those sharks are going to be there regardless if people are fishing for them or not. 

Hmmm.... could blue fish be considered a threat? they have razor sharp teeth!


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## chumrunner (Nov 6, 2007)

That's the whole catch-22 with this ordinance. If they followed the ordinance based on the current wording, they would have to arrest anybody fishing period. Since the sharks are already there (a fact that they will not publicly acknowledge) any bait put in the water will attract them and probably catch them. We've all caught pup sharks by accident while targeting other species. They were attracted to the bait so we were attracting sharks therefore we were in violation of the ordinance. It's ridiculous :--|


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## aardvarkgraphix (Sep 30, 2005)

*Serious QUESTION...*

(1) Any person(s) who surf fishes or fishing of any type from a pier or beach, at any time of the year, shall not fish in a manner that presents an unsafe condition to any beach goers, sun bathers, swimmers, or any other person and shall keep a safe distance from the for said.
(2) County jurisdiction extends to one (1) mile in the Atlantic Ocean and includes all beaches and Piers. (S.C. Code 1976, § 5-7-140 and § 5-7-150)

(Ord. No. 104-07, § 1, 6-19-07)[/FONT]
Am I reading this right, it says they have jurisdiction on piers, and fishing in an UNSAFE manner for swimmers and etc. Then what about those @#!&* jerks that insist on surfing right next to the pier when you are fishing from the pier. They are known to get into your lines and then flip you off because of it. If the pomps are right behind the breakers, guess where I am going to be..... SURFERS OR NOT!!!! If I catch one and they get mad.... Then are they a threat to the others surfers, and that means I cannot fish for surfers either. MAN this seriously confusing.


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## chumrunner (Nov 6, 2007)

I believe there is also an ordinance prohibiting anyone from swiming/surfing within 100 yds of a pier so they broke the law first.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

those big 5 foot blacktips are always underneath piers during thje sumemr regardless of ppl hooking them or not. if someone cleans fish, the sharks are there.


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## Danman (Dec 13, 2007)

Hey chumrunner..if I ever see a shark in s.c. while surf fishing , near the 10 ft mark..this boy will never put his foot in the water again.


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## kingfisherman23 (Dec 14, 2003)

And so, we have breached one of my favorite subjects. The rather idiotic, IMO, Horry County sharking ordinance.

The Horry County ordinance is designed to prevent anyone from "baiting, fishing for, or otherwise attracting sharks or other marine animals that may endanger the public." The way the law is interpreted along the Grand Strand is as follows:

A person may not intentionally bait or chum for sharks. Let's face it, if it is after dark and you're fishing a filetted bluefish on a Penn 9/0 with cable and 14/0 hooks, you're not fishing for drum (though I did tell a very confused pier worker that one night). If you happen to hook into one on, say, a legit drum rig or a king rig, you may not gaff the shark and bring him up on the pier. As far as I can figure, beaching or netting are acceptable, though you'd be hard pressed to find someone who would net it for you. Sharks play hell with dropnets. Handlining the shark up is also acceptable, as long as the fish is released.

But handlining a pissed-off 4-5 footer isn't easy. So the clever pier fisherman in Horry County have developed a "Shark Elevator." This device consists of a bracket that fits on the pier rail, welded to a vertical pulley. The line is placed on the pulley wheel and the angler simply walks back from the rail bringing the shark straight up with less strain on the line than handlining creates. From what I've seen and heard, this solution is a perfectly acceptable one that fits with all regulations and is in widespread use.

Now with all that said, the law is not followed to the letter everywhere. If someone out on the end of the pier is fishing chunks of bloody bait on large hooks, and he happens to hook into some sharks, pier management will usually turn a blind eye. I've seen quite a few large sharks caught on king rigs, fought and then beached for measuring and pictures before being released alive. The management at one Horry County pier even gave approval (more like a "we know nothing, see nothing" deal) for a night-time "blue marlin tournament," with a pool for the longest fish. Winner was a large hammerhead that filled the distance between two of the pylons, probably close to 12'.

The $500 fines are handed out occasionally, especially when the pier owners want to kiss up to the DNR. Usually the fine is accompanied by the confiscation of the equipment you were using to catch the sharks. 

Tight lines, and toothy critters!

Evan


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## JFord56 (Feb 5, 2008)

I use to fish Springmaid a lot back when I was in school. That ordinance has been in effect for a long time. The only person I saw get some greef, and was only told to stop and leave or get fined, was dipping blood and meat trims and chumming out a 5 gal bucket got from the slaughter house in Conway. That is also what they were doing when that record tiger was caught off Cherry Grove back in the '60's. Chumming and manning a 12/0 reel will likely get you a ticket. Normal surf fishing you are safe. Just have to watch for some of the swimmers getting in your rigs. That's why at MB it's best to start fishing at sunrise. No water traffic and bite is better usually.

Many sharks use to be hooked off the pier - you were not suppose to bring one over 4' long over the rail. Happens a lot King fishing off the end. You were expected to cut off a big one. Some people fished baloons with live on chunk bait. I have see big'uns beached too in the off season to save a rig. Playing a chance - never know who might be around.


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## kingfisherman23 (Dec 14, 2003)

I actually saw a guy arrested off Apache a few years ago, can't remember his name but they ran a story about it in the paper.

And I love the whole "you have to cut off big ones" philosophy of the law creators. Let's hook up with an 8' blacktip or tiger, piss it off with a long fight, bring it back up to the pier, then release it within shouting distance of the beach 

As far as the off season goes, the sharking ban is only in effect from March 1 to November 30. The rest of the year you can do whatever you want to catch a shark. Which should tell you something about the law. It is purely a Jaws-shark attack-tourism thing. And as far as I can tell it hasn't helped. Wasn't it just two years ago that someone was attacked near Myrtle beach?

Evan


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## njreloader (Jul 21, 2005)

I usually fish Myrtle Beach early September and have had the black tips swim right past me when I'm standing in shin deep water. They are usually feeding on the mullet that is running the shore line. A little unnerving but I've never had them bother me. I have had a life guard tell me to move away from where the blue fish were blitzing once.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

On any summer night the past several years, you can see 2 or 3 4-5ft black tips circling the Garden City Pier. And I have seen them as close as 10 ft from the beach during the day around the pier. But I have never seen or heard of anyone getting bit.

Situation is don't swim near the pier especially at dusk or dawn


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## chumrunner (Nov 6, 2007)

I say tell people not to swim at dusk or dawn period.


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## JFord56 (Feb 5, 2008)

Dito - for sure!!!

That's when the big snag nasties come out to feed.


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## Big Tuna (3 mo ago)

aardvarkgraphix said:


> *Serious QUESTION...*
> 
> (1) Any person(s) who surf fishes or fishing of any type from a pier or beach, at any time of the year, shall not fish in a manner that presents an unsafe condition to any beach goers, sun bathers, swimmers, or any other person and shall keep a safe distance from the for said.
> (2) County jurisdiction extends to one (1) mile in the Atlantic Ocean and includes all beaches and Piers. (S.C. Code 1976, § 5-7-140 and § 5-7-150)
> ...


Just happened this week. Fishing from the pier and using an underhand cast. Told them they were in the firing zone. Flipped me off and said F' you. Sent 3 ounces over his head and told him to watch his mouth because eventually he would have to swim out and Europe was a long long way! After a brief standoff all of a sudden they were out of the way.


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## BeachLife (Nov 14, 2020)

Big Tuna said:


> Just happened this week. Fishing from the pier and using an underhand cast. Told them they were in the firing zone. Flipped me off and said F' you. Sent 3 ounces over his head and told him to watch his mouth because eventually he would have to swim out and Europe was a long long way! After a brief standoff all of a sudden they were out of the way.


Just some food for thought or fodder for your fight. There's designated surfing areas in Horry County. Theres also a rule about how many feet they (surfers, and fishermen) have to stay away from piers (its either 50' or 75')

Fishing from the beach it also kind of depends on the time of the year and at other times who was there first. A surfer dude walking up an hr after youve already setup and surfing across your lines isnt endangering the surfer dude, its him thats creating the dangerous situation. Hes also committing a misdemeanor:

"It is unlawful for a person wilfully to impede or obstruct another person from lawfully hunting, trapping, fishing, or harvesting marine species. Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished as provided by Section 50-1-130. In addition to the criminal penalty, any person convicted must have his privilege to hunt, trap, fish, or harvest marine species recreationally or commercially revoked for one year. Citation: S.C. Code Ann. § 50-1-137"

But if you on the other hand walk down to the surf and start chucking bait over peoples backs, then that would probably be frowned upon pretty much anywhere.


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## Papa-T (Sep 5, 2011)

The ones making that ordinance grew up in the era: No spanking, just time out. And! Everybody gets a trophy!


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