Shelton’s Charter Fishing runs the widest and most clearly posted trip menu in Virginia Beach, a 32 foot Albemarle that will take you anywhere from a two hour sunset cruise to a 12 hour offshore trolling run, with every rate posted up front. Captain Chuck and the mates draw steady praise across a clean 4.9 record, and the boat covers more trip types than anything else we rank in the port. It earns its place on access, price transparency, and the crew, with the honest limit being the boat: a 1993 hull is the oldest and one of the smallest in the ranked field.
The verdict and where it ranks
Shelton’s is a strong choice and one of a cluster of boats scoring near the top of the port. It earns the spot on the things a booker can act on: a wide menu, posted rates, a clean record, and a well liked captain and mate. Where it gives ground is the boat. A 32 foot Albemarle is a proven hull, but it is the oldest and one of the smallest boats in our ranked field, so the longest offshore runs are a bigger day on it than on the 54 and 58 foot boats. Book it for a flexible inshore to offshore day where you want to see the price before you commit. For a bigger boat on the long canyon run, the Top Notch or AquaMan are the move.
The boat
The Shelton’s boat is a 32 foot Albemarle convertible from 1993, repowered with twin Yanmar diesels and cruising around 22 knots, rigged with outriggers, a fighting chair, a toilet, and an icebox, and fishing up to six. It is a proven Carolina style hull and the reviews do not flag the age as a problem on the water, but it is honestly the oldest and one of the smallest boats we rank here. For the inshore, nearshore, and wreck trips it is well suited; for the 12 hour offshore trolling run it does the job, but a heavy offshore sea is more of a factor than it is on the bigger boats.
The fishing and what you target
Shelton’s fishes the full range, which is the reason to book it. The inshore and nearshore trips work cobia, Spanish and king mackerel, bluefish, and red drum; the 8 hour offshore wreck trip drops for black sea bass, tautog, and flounder; and the 12 hour offshore trolling run heads out for yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, and wahoo. That spread, from a two hour evening cruise that suits a family to a full offshore day, is wider than any other boat we rank in the port, and the captain matches the trip to the season and the forecast.
Trips and prices
Shelton’s sells by the whole boat, private only, and every rate is posted, which is a real strength on a page where the offshore boats often quote by phone. The sunset cruise is $425, the 4 hour inshore $650, the 6 hour inshore $925, the 8 hour offshore wreck $1,725, and the 12 hour offshore trolling trip $2,999, each for up to six. The license, rods, reels, tackle, and lures are included, with live bait on request, and there is free cancellation with a week’s notice. One thing to budget: the mates work for tips, with about 20 percent the norm. Our cost guide sets these tiers against each other and against a head boat seat.
The crew
Captain Chuck runs the boat, with mates Dave and Conner named across the reviews, and the record is clean: a 4.9 across about 59 reviews, with reviewers consistently calling the captain friendly and the boat fast and well kept. The themes are professionalism and a crew that works to put people on fish across the different trips. The honest qualifier is volume, not tone: at around 59 reviews the record is solid but smaller than the two hundred plus trails on the field leaders, so the track record factor sits a step below them.
Booking and what to know
Book through the FishingBooker listing or directly. The boat leaves from Rudee Inlet at 524 Winston Salem Avenue, and the offshore trolling trip sails at 4 a.m. for the long run, so plan an early arrival to load and park. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, motion sickness medication for the long offshore days, and cash for the mate’s tip. Confirm the trip type and the target with the captain when you book so the boat is rigged for the day you want.
How we scored it
Shelton’s scores near the top of the port: the widest, most clearly posted trip menu in Virginia Beach under a well liked captain and mate with a clean record, held back by the oldest and one of the smallest hulls in the ranked field and a review record smaller than the leaders. Trips and access, value, and the crew are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat, and weigh it against the rest of the Virginia Beach fleet.