Bowens Island Restaurant
1870 Bowens Island Road. James Island.
(843) 795-2757
At the very end of Bowens Island Road, just past the piles of sun-bleached oyster shells on the west side of the restaurant, is the cozy little Bowens Island fishing dock. Open to the public, a hand-drawn sign reads, “$2.50 Dock Fee: please pay before leaving / closes at dark.” Restaurant owner Robert Barber may just stroll out on the deck to collect the fee himself. As a scenic, quiet, welcoming spot on the fairly deep Sol Legare Creek (off the Long Island River), it’s a nice alternative to casual anglers who want to avoid the bustle down the road at the Folly Beach County Park Pier. With live minnows, fiddlers, fresh shrimp, or lures, you can catch a cooler full of spot, croaker, sea bass, flounder — and maybe a few blue crabs and red drum. Even if the fish are too small to keep — or not biting at all — the view is absolutely gorgeous.
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