Southern Summers Charters 

Fished with Captain Rodney Summers of Southern Summers Charters on November 11 — four of us on his inshore trip. Great boat: clean, comfortable, and plenty of room for four anglers. Rodney really knows these waters — he suggested moving our trip to fish the outgoing tide, and it paid off. Between the four of us, we each caught probably 5–10 fish: redfish, speckled trout, and even a bonnethead shark. He kept us on fish the whole trip, handled all the rigging and bait, and made it easy for everyone. Would absolutely book with him again.

I booked a charter for my wife and I on vacation, it was my first one ever. Rodney is a great captain, professional, personable, got us to the spots in a timely manner and did it all except reel the fish in for us. His knowledge of the area was unbelievable, “cast between these trees between 2 and 6 feet from the shore for redfish, otherwise you’ll catch the pesky pinfish” and sure enough that’s what happened. We caught 9 fish, 6 reds, a spotted trout, a pinfish and an Atlantic sharp nose shark, in a 3 hour charter I felt that was exceptional. Unfortunately the only fish big enough to keep was the spotted trout but Captain Rodney filleted it up for us and even recommended a local place to cook it for us. Next time we’re in Hilton Head we plan to work with him again.

First off, I’ll start by saying our youngest daughter is on the spectrum. I was afraid of her reaction to this trip but when I say she had the absolute best time! We cannot thank Captain Rodney enough. He made it his business to make sure we all caught a fish. Even our six year old got the experience of making her first catch. We (parents) set out to get red fish and maybe a flounder, our girls had other plans. When asked by the captain, they yelled we want a shark. Well, they got their shark and we got our Red. A 26 inch red so big we couldn’t keep him but the experience of it was a memorable moment. Bragging right to say the least. We will absolutely be coming back to fish with Rodney again.

We had a half day trip and it was so much fun. We went out to the big water caught several sharks and man do the pull. As the tide moved in we ventured back towards the grassy low creek areas and we caught several 28” and 30” reds. Captain Rodney was very knowledgeable about the fishery and the geography of the low country. He kept fresh bait on the line at all times and was very good coaching my wife on how to land these beautiful fish. His gear was top notch, well organized and he definitely enjoys being on the water. We will definitely use Captain Rodney again in the future and I highly recommend him to others.

We had an excellent experience with Southern Summers Charters and Captain Rodney. From the moment we arrived, he was personable, patient, and incredibly hospitable. He struck the perfect balance of being friendly and helpful without being intrusive, allowing our family to enjoy quality time together while still benefiting from his expertise. The boat was beautiful, clean, and well-maintained. We also had a last-minute change to our group size when our son became sick at summer camp and had to come home early. Rodney was extremely accommodating and flexible, making the adjustment without any issues, which we greatly appreciated. His knowledge of the local waters, fish species, and the best fishing locations was impressive. Thanks to his guidance, we caught several sharks, a stingray, and a few drum. We even had bites from flounder, although we didn’t manage to land one this trip. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and we highly recommend Southern Summers Charters. We will definitely be booking another trip with Captain Rodney in the future!

I had a medical conference in Hilton Head in June. My wife and I brought our daughter and our 7 yr old grandson along for some beach time as well. Our grandson has had a couple of boating and fishing opportunities in NC and Florida before this trip. He really enjoyed them. We wanted to have a special fishing experience during this trip. Captain Rodney was an incredible host. He is very knowledgeable of the various fishing areas and where to find certain species of fish. He was very entertaining and encouraging for our grandson. We initially thought this would be all about our grandson fishing; but Captain Rodney made it so exciting, all 4 of us got involved. We caught six Red Drum fish, two Atlantic Sharpnose sharks and one Sting Ray! This adventure was the highlight of our trip; producing great memories for all of us, especially for our grandson. The best 4 hours of fun and beautiful scenery. Strongly recommended.

We had and Amazing trip on 8-22-26 with Captain Rodney. He was knowledgeable about where the fish were and we caught Black Drum, Red Drum, Trout, Whiting, a Blunt Head Shark and a Stingray. This was my husbands Birthday trip with me his wife and our niece. This was her first time and she caught the shark and the 32 inch red drum, she was so excited. I would highly recommend Captain Rodney to anyone looking for a great fishing charter. He has the knowledge, expertise and the boat was ideal for fishing. We liked it so much my husband booked another one for September.

Captain Rodney was great. He used his expertise to get us in areas that we had the opportunity to catch fish. We were able to try different methods for the best results. We caught trout, redfish, sheepshead, croaker and even a small sting ray. He had shrimp and small minnows as bait. We had wind, but it didnt stop the fishing.

We had an amazing 3-hour trip with Captain Rodney. The boat was spotless and comfortable for me, my husband and my 9 year old son. We visited 4 fishing locations and had some great catches including redfish, spotted sea trout, a couple sting rays, and, much to our surprise and my son’s sheer delight, a pretty large (bull?) shark! Captain Rodney was a joy - sharing his knowledge about the fish, techniques and the surrounding area and was incredibly supportive in helping us all to bait and remove the fish from the lines. He was super encouraging to my son, guiding him and cheering him on the entire time he reeled in the ~5ft shark!

We had an awesome inshore trip with Captain Rodney. He was knowledgeable, patient, and made the whole experience easy and fun from start to finish. He put us on fish right away and kept us in great spots all morning. Callie landed an inshore slam (red drum, flounder, and trout), and even with a slower start, Barrett got on some solid red drum too. Captain Rodney was great about adjusting and making sure everyone had opportunities. You can tell he really knows the water and wants his clients to have a great experience. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a laid-back, successful day on the water.