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The new law was passed in May and requires resident anglers to buy the $10 recreational saltwater fishing license from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
If you get caught casting from land without one, you could reel in a fine ranging from $105 to $465.
License dealers and bait shop clerks say they have been telling anglers about the changes since the law was passed, but is Beaufort County ready for the new rules?
Reviews are mixed.
"I don't think enough people even know about this," said Charles Smith, owner of the Driftwood Bait Shop on Seabrook.
"A lot of people are asking, and we're explaining the new rules, but I don't think most people are ready for this."
Mark Mole, an employee of Blue Water Bait & Tackle on Hilton Head Island, is more confident.
"Several people are asking and we're telling people about the new law -- where to buy the licenses and all that -- whenever they check out," he said. "I think people are preparing for the changes."
Officials with DNR and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have said they hope the new licenses will help them accurately track the number of anglers and the types of fish they're pulling out of the state's waters. Since 1992, the state has required only those fishing from a boat in saltwater to purchase a saltwater license. (Freshwater fishing requires a separate license.)
The start date for the new law comes just before the July 4 holiday, one of the biggest boating days of the year, DNR officials said.
DNR enforcement agents will be patrolling the rivers and beaches heavily during the weekend to check safety measures aboard boats and look for the new licenses.
"There is definitely going to be an education period where we will explain the new licenses to the public," said DNR Capt. Chisolm Frampton. "But this is something we will be checking for."
