Do I need a fishing license on the Oak Island Pier?

No North Carolina fishing license is needed on the Oak Island Pier, but anglers must buy a pier fishing pass, according to the Town of Oak Island. The pier is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Do I need a fishing license at Myrtle Beach State Park pier?

No. Anglers on the Myrtle Beach State Park pier pay a daily pier fishing fee instead, per South Carolina State Parks. A South Carolina saltwater license is required to fish from the park's beach.

Where can I launch a boat in Myrtle Beach?

Horry County landings on the Intracoastal Waterway in Myrtle Beach include Peter Vaught Sr., Enterprise, Socastee and Rosewood landings, according to Horry County Parks and Recreation.

Are NC boat ramps free in Brunswick County?

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission says its boating access areas are free. Its Brunswick County sites include Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach and Oak Island on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Where is the public boat ramp in Georgetown, SC?

Georgetown County's Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex, 101 River Walk Drive, has a boat ramp, fishing and parking, according to Georgetown County. Phone: 843-545-3320.

Public boat landings and fishing piers in Horry, Georgetown and Brunswick counties

Horry County runs 27 public boat landings, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) runs free boating access areas along the Intracoastal Waterway in Brunswick County, and Georgetown County runs a boat ramp at its marine complex on the Georgetown waterfront, according to those agencies as of Oct. 30, 2026. Two publicly owned ocean piers on the Grand Strand let anglers fish without a state license: the Myrtle Beach State Park pier and the Town of Oak Island‘s pier.

Which public fishing piers are on the Grand Strand?

Publicly owned ocean fishing piers on the Grand Strand, as of Oct. 30, 2026:

Pier	County	Owner	License needed on the pier?	Hours	Phone
Myrtle Beach State Park pier	Horry	South Carolina State Parks	No SC license; daily pier fishing fee	Park 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. March to November, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. December to February; pier store 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.	843-238-5326 (pier store)
Oak Island Pier, 705 Ocean Drive	Brunswick	Town of Oak Island	No NC license; pier pass required	6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, year-round	910-933-6161

At Myrtle Beach State Park, fishing is not included in park admission, which costs $8 for adults, $5 for South Carolina seniors 65 and older, $4 for ages 6 to 15 and is free for 5 and under, according to South Carolina State Parks. An SC license is required to fish from the park’s beach.

The Oak Island Pier is 880 feet long and was the first municipally owned pier in North Carolina, according to the Town of Oak Island. The town sells daily, three-day, five-day, seven-day and annual passes, with discounts for seniors 55 and older, active military and veterans, and walking the pier is free. Pets, bikes and skateboards are not allowed.

Privately owned piers sell their own passes. In South Carolina, anglers on a licensed commercial public fishing pier do not need their own license, per the SCDNR; in North Carolina, the same is true on a pier that holds a blanket license, per the NC Division of Marine Fisheries.

Where are the public boat landings in Horry County?

Horry County lists 27 boat landings on its Parks and Recreation page. These landings reach the Intracoastal Waterway or the ocean side:

Landing	Address	Water
T. Craig Campbell Landing	148 Morgan Ave., Little River	Intracoastal Waterway
Johnny Causey Landing	2111 Little River Neck Road, North Myrtle Beach	Intracoastal Waterway
Peter Vaught Sr. Landing	10923 Schultz Way, Myrtle Beach	Intracoastal Waterway
Enterprise Landing	7999 Bay Road, Myrtle Beach	Intracoastal Waterway
Socastee Landing and Park	4299 Peachtree Road, Myrtle Beach	Intracoastal Waterway
Rosewood Landing	4698 Peachwood Court, Myrtle Beach	Intracoastal Waterway
Stanley Drive Landing	292 Stanley Drive, Garden City	Listed as Atlantic Ocean

The other 20 Horry County landings are on the Waccamaw, Pee Dee and Lumbee rivers, including Bucksville, Pitch, Peachtree and Reaves Ferry landings on the Waccamaw. The county page does not list fees or hours.

Where can I launch a boat in Georgetown County?

Georgetown County’s Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex, 101 River Walk Drive in Georgetown, has a boat landing and ramp, fishing, parking and restrooms and is accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the county, which lists the phone number 843-545-3320 for the complex.

Where are the boat ramps in Brunswick County?

The WRC operates 250 free boating access areas statewide, according to the WRC. Brunswick County sites named in a WRC rule on no-wake zones include:

Access area	Address	Water
Sunset Beach	101 Sunset Blvd.	Intracoastal Waterway
Ocean Isle Beach	67 Causeway Drive	Intracoastal Waterway
Brick Landing	1921 Brick Landing Road SW, Shallotte	Intracoastal Waterway
Holden Beach	99 S. Shore Drive	Intracoastal Waterway
Sunset Harbor	356 Riverview Drive SE, Bolivia	Next to the Intracoastal Waterway
Oak Island	4950 Fish Factory Road SE, Southport	Intracoastal Waterway
Rices Creek	797 Gordon Lewis Drive SE, Winnabow	Rice Creek
Pireway	9739 Pireway Road NW, Ash	Waccamaw River

The same rule lists the Lockwood Folly River boat ramp at the end of Fisherman Road in Varnamtown and the Dutchman Creek ramp in Southport. Boats must keep to no-wake speed near several of these ramps and near the Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Holden Beach bridges.

The WRC posts full and partial closures of access areas on its website and shows every site in its online Boating Access Area Locator.

Spotted a rule change or a closed ramp? Send it to the Grand Strand Dispatch through the contact page.

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