Marcia B Sportfishing is the best run nearshore boat in Virginia Beach, a 42 footer under a tournament captain with a flawless rating across a deep review record and every rate posted up front. Captain Kurt Ward has close to 20 years of charter experience and a tournament background that took him around the world, and the boat carries a 5.0 across more than 200 trips out of the Virginia Beach Fishing Center on Rudee Inlet. It ranks among the strongest boats in the port on the captain, the record, and the price transparency, with one clear limit that keeps it from the canyon leaders: Marcia B fishes nearshore only.
The verdict and where it ranks
Marcia B is a strong choice and the top nearshore boat in the port, a step behind the dedicated offshore boats on one thing only, the trip menu. On the captain, the record, and the value it is as good as anything in Virginia Beach: a tournament angler on the bridge, a 5.0 across more than 200 reviews, and a posted rate card with everything included. What holds it a notch below the canyon boats here is access. Marcia B runs inshore and nearshore trips only, within about 14 miles, with no offshore canyon run, so on a port defined partly by its tuna and marlin grounds, a serious offshore day means a different boat. Book it for a top tier nearshore day on cobia and mackerel. For the canyons, the E-Fishinsea or AquaMan are the boats.
The boat
The Marcia B is a 42 foot sportfisher, clean and well kept, fishing up to six anglers out of the Virginia Beach Fishing Center. It is the right size for the nearshore work it does: stable on the reefs and the bay mouth, with room for a group of six to fish comfortably on a half or full day. It is not rigged or run as a canyon boat, and the operation does not pretend otherwise, which is part of why the reviews are so consistent. For an inshore or nearshore trip, it is as capable a platform as the port offers.
The fishing and what you target
Marcia B fishes the nearshore and inshore waters off Virginia Beach, from the bay mouth out to about 14 miles. The targets follow the season: cobia in early summer, Spanish and king mackerel through the warm months, bluefish, black sea bass on the nearshore reefs, and spadefish, with Captain Ward working the waters from Virginia down toward North Carolina. This is nearshore fishing, not the offshore canyon troll, so the catch is the coastal species rather than tuna and marlin. Within that range the boat is a reliable producer, which the 5.0 record reflects.
Trips and prices
Marcia B sells by the whole boat, private only, and the rate card is posted in full. The inshore half day is $625 and the sunset trip $425; the nearshore 6 hour is $825 and the nearshore full day $925, each for up to six anglers. The licensed captain, the fishing licenses, bait, tackle, rods and reels, and an onboard cooler for fish are included, with cash discounts by phone and a 48 hour cancellation policy. It is genuinely good value for a private boat with a tournament captain, and the transparency is a real strength on a page where the offshore boats often quote by phone. Our cost guide sets a nearshore private trip against an offshore day and a head boat seat.
The crew
Captain Kurt Ward runs the Marcia B, and the reviews, more than 200 of them at a 5.0, return to the same themes: deep local knowledge, professionalism, and a captain who works to put people on fish and is good with families and newer anglers. The tournament background shows in the way the boat is run. It is one of the most consistent crew records in the port, and there is little to qualify beyond the usual note that the rating sits largely on the booking platform. The boat is owner run, so the captain you book is the captain you fish with.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing. The boat leaves from the Virginia Beach Fishing Center at 200 Winston Salem Avenue on Rudee Inlet, the largest sportfishing marina in the state, so arrive ahead of departure to park and load. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it, and a cooler is aboard for your catch. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and motion sickness medication if you are unsure of your stomach, though a nearshore trip is an easier ride than the long offshore run.
How we scored it
Marcia B scores among the strongest boats in the port: a tournament captain with a flawless deep record and a fully posted rate card, the best nearshore booking in Virginia Beach, held a notch below the canyon leaders only by a nearshore and inshore menu with no offshore trip. Captain and crew, value, and track record are its strongest factors; trips and access is where the nearshore only menu costs it on this particular port. See how we scored this boat, and weigh it against the rest of the Virginia Beach fleet.