Redfish are getting a harder line in South Carolina. Starting July 1, 2026, a recreational angler may keep a single red drum a day instead of two, and no boat may land more than two, no matter how many rods are working. The keeper slot shifts as well, to a tight 18-to-25-inch band that replaces the old 15-to-23-inch range.
Lawmakers in the General Assembly signed off on the cuts after two separate stock reviews — one regional, from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and one specific to South Carolina — reached the same verdict: the population can no longer absorb the current harvest.
"Red drum are an important part of South Carolina's coastal resources and fishing heritage," said Blaik Keppler of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' Marine Resources Division. "This change is a proactive step toward rebuilding a sustainable fishery for the future."
The new law also rewrites terminal tackle. Bait fishermen using hooks of 4/0 or larger for red drum, cobia or tarpon must switch to non-offset, non-stainless circle hooks, which tend to set in the corner of the mouth and leave released fish in far better shape.
Angler-led conservation groups welcomed it. Tombo Milliken, who chairs the Government Relations Committee for the Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina, put the change in a longer arc. "Red drum management in the Palmetto State has consistently been a story about wise stewardship," he said, crediting cooperation among fishermen, scientists, agencies and legislators.
The timing stings because the same coast just lost a very different prize. In May, NOAA Fisheries issued Exempted Fishing Permits letting South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina run their own red snapper seasons of up to two months — a giant leap from the one- and two-day openers anglers had grown used to.
"WE JUST DELIVERED A HUGE WIN for our Great Fishermen and Anglers in FLORIDA, GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, and NORTH CAROLINA!" President Trump wrote on Truth Social when the permits cleared.
Then a federal judge intervened. Hours before Florida's season opened, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction freezing the state pilots. The American Sportfishing Association, which maintains the South Atlantic snapper stock is healthy, said anglers paid the price.
"This preliminary injunction was issued just hours before Florida's Atlantic red snapper season under their EFP was set to begin," the group said, "leading to immediate confusion, frustration, and economic disruption for anglers, for-hire operators, marinas, tackle shops, and coastal communities."
So South Carolina's saltwater regulars head into summer pinched from two directions — a snapper bonanza locked up in court and a redfish bag quietly cut in half by statute. One of those is settled. The July 1 red drum rules are not going anywhere; the snapper case still waits on the bench.