Four Reel Charters runs the biggest boat in the Virginia Beach field, a 61 foot Weaver sportfisher with the longest review record in the port and the most comfortable ride to the offshore grounds. Captain Rob runs it out of the Virginia Beach Fishing Center on Rudee Inlet, and the boat carries more than 350 reviews, the deepest record we found here. The size and the depth of that record are the draw, and they earn it a solid spot in the field, with the honest marks against it being a rating a notch below the field leaders and offshore rates that are quoted rather than posted.
The verdict and where it ranks
Four Reel is a strong choice, sitting in the middle of a strong field. Its case is the boat and the record: a 61 foot Weaver with an air conditioned cabin and a real head, and more than 350 reviews behind it, which is reassurance no other boat here matches on volume. What pulls it below the leaders is the quality of the record and the booking. The rating runs at 4.7 rather than the 4.9 to 5.0 of the boats above it, with a recurring complaint about a booking being missed or communication falling through, and the offshore rates are quoted rather than posted. Book it when a big, comfortable boat is the priority, for a half day nearshore or a full offshore run with a group. For a posted offshore rate, the E-Fishinsea is the move, and for the newest big hull, the Top Notch.
The boat
The Four Reel is a 61 foot Weaver sportfisher, custom built by Weaver Boatworks in 2005, with a 17.8 foot beam, twin 800 horsepower CAT diesels, an air conditioned cabin, an enclosed head with a shower, a galley, sleeping berths, and full high definition electronics. It is the largest hull we rank in Virginia Beach, and that is its clearest strength: it rides the offshore sea comfortably and gives a group room to spread out on a long day, with big game tackle from 20 to 130 pound class aboard. For comfort and capability on the water, it is near the top of the field.
The fishing and what you target
Four Reel fishes offshore, nearshore, and inshore, full and half day. The offshore trips run for yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, and wahoo; the nearshore and reef trips work Spanish mackerel, bluefish, black sea bass, and flounder, with cobia in season; and the boat will run a sunset or dolphin cruise by request. The 61 foot hull has the range for the offshore grounds and the comfort for a relaxed nearshore half day, so the boat is positioned as much for a comfortable family friendly trip as for a hardcore offshore run, and the catch follows the trip and the season.
Trips and prices
Four Reel sells by the whole boat, private only. The half day, 4 hours, starts at $695 for the boat, and the nearshore and offshore full days run longer and higher and are quoted directly. The half day rate is fair for a boat this size, and a big group splitting the cost gets a lot of boat for the money, but the offshore rate is not posted, so you have to ask for the number that matters most on a tuna trip. Our cost guide frames a half day against a full offshore day and a head boat seat.
The crew
Captain Rob runs the Four Reel, and the volume of the record is the headline: more than 350 reviews, far more than any other boat in the port, with most praising the size and comfort of the boat and the value for a group. The honest qualifier is the quality alongside the volume. The rating sits at 4.7 rather than the near perfect marks of the field leaders, and a thread of reviews flags a booking that was missed or communication that fell through, a service rather than an on water problem. Read the recent reviews, and confirm your booking directly, since the deep record is a real positive and the service complaints are worth weighing.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing, and confirm the details directly given the booking complaints in the record. The boat leaves from the Virginia Beach Fishing Center at 200 Winston Salem Avenue on Rudee Inlet, so arrive ahead of departure to park and load, earlier for a full offshore day. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and motion sickness medication, though the air conditioned cabin on a boat this size makes the run easier than most.
How we scored it
Four Reel scores in the middle of a strong field: the biggest boat in Virginia Beach with the deepest review record in the port, comfortable and capable, held below the leaders by a 4.7 rating with a recurring booking and communication complaint and by offshore rates quoted rather than posted. Boat and equipment and the depth of the record are its strongest points; service and booking is where it gives ground. See how we scored this boat, and compare it against the rest of our Virginia Beach rankings.