Catherine C. Charters is one of the most consistently reviewed boats in Virginia Beach, a roomy 43 foot open boat under a local captain who knows the tides, with a flawless rating across a deep record. Captain Bob runs nearshore and bay mouth trips out of Rudee Inlet for cobia, drum, and mackerel, and the boat carries a 5.0 across nearly 150 reviews, with a reputation as a steady pick for a relaxed day and a first timer’s trip. It ranks in the field on the captain and the record, with the limit that keeps it below the canyon boats being its nearshore focus.
The verdict and where it ranks
Catherine C. is a strong choice and a comfortable middle of the field pick. On the captain and the record it is excellent: a 5.0 across nearly 150 reviews and an easygoing reputation that newer anglers and families single out. What holds it below the canyon boats here, on a port partly defined by its offshore grounds, is the trip menu. Catherine C. fishes inshore and nearshore around the mouth of the Chesapeake rather than running offshore to the canyons, the boat is an open cockpit rather than a cabin boat, and the rates are mostly quoted. Book it for a relaxed nearshore or family trip. For the offshore canyons, the E-Fishinsea or AquaMan are the boats, and for the other top nearshore option, the Marcia B.
The boat
The Catherine C. is a 43 foot open cockpit boat with a toilet, a shade awning, and bench seating, fishing up to six. It is roomy and comfortable for a nearshore day, with the deck space a group wants and shade for a hot afternoon, but it is an open boat rather than a cabin cruiser, so there is no air conditioned salon to retreat to on the run. For the inshore and nearshore trips it runs, that is the right boat: stable and roomy around the bay mouth and the reefs. It is not built or run as an offshore canyon boat.
The fishing and what you target
Catherine C. fishes the mouth of the Chesapeake and the nearshore waters off Virginia Beach. The targets follow the season: cobia in early summer, red drum, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, black sea bass on the nearshore reefs, and striped bass in the cooler months. This is nearshore and inshore fishing, not the offshore troll, so the catch is the coastal species rather than tuna and marlin. The reviews describe a captain who tailors the trip to the group, which is part of why it reads as a good first timer’s boat as well as a producer for experienced anglers.
Trips and prices
Catherine C. sells by the whole boat, private only, up to six anglers. Rates start around $400 for the boat on the booking platform and are otherwise quoted, and because the trips are nearshore rather than offshore, they are shorter and cheaper than a canyon run. It is good value for a roomy private boat with a deep clean record, though the pricing is less fully posted than on the boats that publish a rate card. Our cost guide sets a nearshore private trip against an offshore day and a head boat seat, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs the whole boat against a walk on fare.
The crew
Captain Bob runs the boat, and the reviews, nearly 150 at a 5.0, return to the same themes: a patient, knowledgeable local captain, an easygoing trip, and a boat that suits families and first timers as readily as seasoned anglers. It is one of the most consistent crew records in the port. The honest qualifier is the usual one for a record that sits on the booking platform, where reviews come from completed trips, but the volume and the consistency are real and the tone is uniformly positive.
Booking and what to know
Book through the FishingBooker listing or directly. The boat leaves from Rudee Inlet and fishes the bay mouth and the nearshore reefs, so arrive ahead of departure to park and load. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, a hat, and motion sickness medication if you are unsure of your stomach, though a nearshore trip on a roomy boat is an easier day than the long offshore run.
How we scored it
Catherine C. scores in the middle of a strong field: a local captain with a flawless deep record on a roomy nearshore boat, a steady pick for a relaxed or family day, held below the canyon boats by a nearshore and inshore menu with no offshore trip, an open cockpit rather than a cabin, and rates that are mostly quoted. Captain and crew and track record are its strongest factors; trips and access is where the nearshore focus costs it on this port. See how we scored this boat, and weigh it against the rest of the Virginia Beach fleet.