Where to go Crabbing in Charleston, SC

If you’re lucky enough to call the beautiful Charleston County area your home, you have an abundance of great crabbing spots for you and the family. I did a bit of research online, read every forum post, and asked local crabbers to find the absolute best crabbing spots right in Charleston, SC.

My top two crabbing spots in Charleston SC are the piers at Brittlebank Park and Waterfront park. Let’s look into both locations, what’s great about them and what isn’t, and how to plan the perfect crabbing trip.

Brittlebank Park

Brittlebank Park on Google Maps

Brittlebank park is a beautiful green escape from the busy city of Charleston, SC. Nudged between the Ashley River and Lockwood Boulevard, it’s a great spot to go fishing, crabbing, and shrimping with its fishing piers and easy access to shallow waters where South Carolina blue crabs like to look for food.  

It’s a great spot to spend the day with the family because of its playgrounds, walking trails, and green fields for playing. To the north, you can watch the South Carolina Riverdogs play at their home minor league stadium Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. The park is a very popular spot for events such as concerts, spring tournaments, and political protests.

The park has plenty of trails for biking, hiking, and exploring the 10 acre park. Best of all, the park has plenty of clean, public restrooms.

This is, in my opinion, the best spot to go crabbing in Charleston. It’s right in the downtown area, so you don’t have to travel outside the Charleston area to catch a delicious crab dinner.

My favorite part about this spot is that it has plenty of free parking available from dawn to dusk. No one likes paying a parking meter, like you would be if you chose the other locations on this list.

The park has a fishing pier that’s perfect for crabbing. It’s a bit too high off the ground to pull off hand lines, but the perfect size for ring nets, box traps, and pyramid traps. If you want to try handlines, you’ll have to do some exploring to find a spot with water that’s 2-4 feet deep near solid ground.

You may need to bring bots for wading along the muddy shoreline. Any type of boots that go past your shins would do fine, just bring a pair you don’t mind them getting muddy! Along with boot I would bring extra bait, a bucket or cooler to transport your crabs, and tongs to pick up those pinchy crustaceans.

The only thing I can find wrong with this location is how popular it is. On its busiest days, you’ll find plenty of competing crabbers and possibly run out of parking spaces.

Waterfront Park

Waterfront Park on Google Maps

Just 5 minutes from College of Charleston along the Cooper River lies approximately ½ a miles of beautiful, and romantic park grounds known as Waterfront Park. It’s truly a jewel to to the city, with its breathtaking fountains and incredible landscaping.

If you’re ever visiting the Charleston area, it’s a great spot to take a nice walk or have lunch. Be sure to bring the kids to wade in the park’s beautiful fountain.

The park has plenty of shaded sitting areas to relax and take a moment for yourself and relax, unless you’re like me. I’ll be spending my time at Waterfront Park crabbing on the pier.

Before we get into crabbing, let’s talk about parking. This has to be the only downside to this beautiful crabbing spot. Unlike Brittlebank Park, you have to pay for parking at Waterfront park. There’s a parking garage (Google Maps link) very close to Waterfront Park, but it can get very pricy at $1.00 for 30 minutes.

The park has a very nice fishing pier that stretches out over relatively shallow waters, perfect for crabbing. It, like the fishing pier at Brittlebank Park, is a bit too high off the ground for hand lines. You could pull it off at high tide, but getting the dip net underneath the crab can be a pain unless your dip net has a longer pole.

My advice, ditch the hand lines and use ring nets, box traps, or pyramid traps. Ring nets are my #1 option because they’re a bit cheaper than the other two. They’re also smaller, which makes them easier to transport and bring more of.

The park also has shallow marsh-like waters along the shoreline with plenty of grass, the perfect spot to catch shrimp. If you’re interested in catching shrimp to go along with your crab dinner, consider bringing a casting net or a shrimp pot. Be sure to check South Carolina’s DNR website for their shrimping regulations.

South Carolina Crabbing Regulations

Before you pull out the ring nets and hand lines, it’s important to know South Carolina’s crabbing rules and regulations not only for your safety, but also the blue crab population.

At both piers, you can use up to 3 ring nets without a license, more than that will land you some unwanted fees, especially when crabbing in the city. You can buy a Recreational Saltwater Fishing License at South Carolina’s DNR website at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/purchase.html. They cost about $11 for a two week license being a non-resident, and $5 for a two week license being a SC resident.

You are going to go crabbing for mainly blue crabs. South Carolina also has stone crabs, but they’re more common in southern Georgia and Florida. As of February 2019, you are allowed to keep blue crabs which span 5 inches across the top of its shell, or carapace. Be sure to bring a ruler, and measure the crab its two longest points. If it’s a female crab with a sponge, or orange eggs under its abdomen, it’s illegal to keep and you need to throw it back unharmed.

If you are lucky enough to catch a stone crab, you’re not allowed to keep the whole crab. You can take the crab’s longest claw, just as long as its forearm is 2 ¾ inches or longer. If it’s a female stone crab with an sponge, you’re not allowed to take any of the two claws.

Be sure to save up your stone crab claws, they’re best served in the dozens. If you vacuum seal the claws and put them in your freezer at 0 degrees F, they’ll last up to 6 months.

Here’s one of my favorite stone crab claw recipes. Send me an email of how you think of it.

For the most accurate and uptodate crabbing information, visit SCDNR saltwater rules and regulations.

Nearby Crabbing Spots in Charleston County, SC

Not a fan of these three spots? Or, if maybe you want to explore the rest of the Charleston area, be sure to check out these nearby crabbing spots.

James Island

Just south of Charleston across the Ashley River, you’ll find James Island. The island has plenty of tidal creeks, saltwater marshes, and rivers to go crabbing.

Click here to read our article: Where To Go Crabbing in James Island, SC.

Folly Island

Just south of James Island on the Atlantic coast, you’ll find a quaint spot named Folly Island.

The island has plenty of spots to go crabbing. On the north and south end, you’ll find county parks and reserves that welcome recreational crabbing. You’ll have more luck catching crabs in the saltwater marshes on the west side of the island.

Click here to read our article: Where To Go Crabbing in Folly Island, SC.

Mt. Pleasant

Mt. Pleasant, just across the Cooper River from Charleston, is home to plenty of saltwater marshes and tidal creeks. It’s the perfect spot to catch blue crabs in Charleston County Area.

Click here to read our article: Where To Go Crabbing in Mt. Pleasant, SC.