Little Back River Fishing Guides
A distributary of the lower Savannah River running through refuge marsh and rice field impoundments, where a striped bass and redfish fishery overlaps with freshwater bass in the upper reaches.
Guides on the Little Back River
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About the Little Back River
The Little Back River is one of several channels the Savannah River splits into as it works through the broad marsh above the city, and it runs along the South Carolina side through the heart of the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. The gauge at the freshwater dock near Limehouse reads temperature, stage, specific conductance and salinity, and that salinity record is the single most useful number on this water, because the position of the salt wedge here moves with river flow and tide and determines what an angler is likely to catch on any given day.
This is old rice country. The refuge marshes are laced with the remains of nineteenth century impoundments, dikes and trunk gates, and that engineered structure still shapes the fishery. Water moving through the old cuts concentrates bait, and the channel edges, points and creek mouths hold fish predictably. Cypress and tupelo stand along the fresher upper margins while cordgrass takes over downstream.
The mixed fishery is the draw. In periods of high river flow the salt pushes seaward and largemouth bass, bream and catfish move well down the system. When flow drops and the wedge advances, redfish, speckled trout and flounder push far upstream into water that looked entirely fresh a month earlier. Striped bass use the whole system and are a serious target in the cooler months. Spring brings American shad up the Savannah, and blue catfish have become abundant enough to be a reliable fallback when nothing else cooperates.
Access is mostly by boat and mostly from the Georgia side at Savannah, with refuge lands offering a good deal of bank and dike walking for anglers on foot. The refuge drive gives reliable access to the freshwater impoundments, and a strong inshore guide community works this water out of Savannah and Hilton Head.
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Access
Savannah - the city just downstream in Georgia, with full services, ramps and a large guide fleet.
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge - refuge lands, dikes and the wildlife drive along the river.
Hardeeville - the nearest South Carolina town, with basic services and highway access.
Hilton Head Island - resort town to the east, with inshore guides and lodging.
Savannah River - the mainstem immediately alongside, reached by boat.
Wright River and New River - adjacent tidal rivers in the same marsh system.
Calibogue Sound - open water toward the coast, a run east by boat.
Seasons
Spring: American shad run the Savannah and warming water spreads bass and bream through the fresher reaches.
Summer: low river flow pushes salt upstream and redfish and trout follow, while catfish stay steady throughout.
Fall: the best mixed bag of the year, with redfish schooling and striped bass feeding as water cools.
Winter: striped bass and blue catfish carry the fishery, holding in the deeper channel bends.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Little Back River?
Anglers target American Shad, Atlantic Croaker, Black Drum, Blue Catfish, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Red Drum, Sheepshead, Southern Flounder, Spotted Seatrout, Striped Bass on the Little Back River in South Carolina.
Where can you access the Little Back River?
Savannah - the city just downstream in Georgia, with full services, ramps and a large guide fleet. Savannah National Wildlife Refuge - refuge lands, dikes and the wildlife drive along the river. Hardeeville - the nearest South Carolina town, with basic services and highway access. Hilton Head Island - resort town to the east, with inshore guides and lodging. Savannah River - the mainstem immediately alongside, reached by boat. Wright River and New River - adjacent tidal rivers in the same marsh system. Calibogue Sound - open water toward the coast, a run east by boat.
When is the best time to fish the Little Back River?
Spring: American shad run the Savannah and warming water spreads bass and bream through the fresher reaches. Summer: low river flow pushes salt upstream and redfish and trout follow, while catfish stay steady throughout. Fall: the best mixed bag of the year, with redfish schooling and striped bass feeding as water cools. Winter: striped bass and blue catfish carry the fishery, holding in the deeper channel bends.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Little Back River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the South Carolina agency site: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/fishing.html