Pacific Charters Sport Fishing is the private answer to the Morro Bay party boats. Captain Shawn Stamback runs the Magic, a 26 foot six pack out of 1195 Embarcadero, on a whole-boat basis, so your group has the deck and the captain’s full attention for the day. The reviews are consistently warm about exactly that: a patient, knowledgeable local skipper who puts first timers and kids on rockfish and lingcod and shares what he knows. If you want a hands on private trip rather than a shared rail, this is the Morro Bay boat for it, with two honest caveats: the boat is small, and the price is not posted.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.9 Pacific Charters lands in the mixed band and ranks third in our Morro Bay field, the top private option below the two party boat operations. The score reads the way the boat does: a standout captain on a modest boat. Captain Shawn Stamback is the operator’s real strength, and the personal attention a six pack allows is something no party boat can match. What holds it in the mixed band is the package around him. The Magic is a 26 foot boat, which means a wetter ride and a shorter practical range than the 55 and 65 foot party boats, the private rate is quoted on inquiry rather than posted, and the standalone review base, while positive, is smaller than the landings carry. Book it for a private day with a strong captain. If you want a posted price, a big stable boat, or an overnight, look at Morro Bay Landing or the Black Pearl.
The boat
The Magic is a 26 foot cabin cruiser licensed for up to 6 passengers, the standard six pack size for a private California charter. It has a cabin to get out of the wind and the gear for a day of bottom fishing, and at six anglers the deck is workable rather than crowded. The trade is the one that comes with a small boat: it rides wetter and livelier in a chop than a big party boat, and its sensible range is shorter, so it fishes the nearshore reefs and the closer banks rather than the deep offshore grounds the Black Pearl runs to. For a calm day on the rockfish, that is no handicap. For rough water or a long run, the bigger boats are the better tool.
The fishing and what you target
Pacific Charters fishes the Morro Bay staples: rockfish and lingcod on the reefs and the nearshore banks, cabezon mixed in, and king salmon when the season is open. The Central California groundfish season runs April 1 through December 31 in 2026, closed January 1 through March 31, and Captain Shawn works the species and the depth the day calls for. Reviewers report limits of rockfish and lingcod on good days, and because the boat is private, the captain sets the plan around your group rather than a full rail of strangers. Salmon is back for 2026 after a three year closure, an in-season option when the bite and the rules align.
Trips and prices
This is where the caveat sits. Pacific Charters sells the Magic privately, by the whole boat, for up to 6 anglers, but the rate is quoted on inquiry rather than posted online, so you contact the captain for a number, which is less transparent than the landings that post every seat price. Half day trips include rod, reel, and tackle. On full day trips you bring your own gear or rent it, at $15 for a rod and reel or $40 for a rod, reel, and tackle combo. A California fishing license is extra, and deposits are nonrefundable. A private boat only works out per head when you fill it with your own group, so our cost guide and the party boat versus private charter guide are worth a read before you choose between this and a per-person seat.
The crew
Captain Shawn Stamback is the review record’s clear high point. The recurring notes are decades of local knowledge, a Coast Guard background, patience with novices and children, and a habit of freely sharing tips on reading the water and the gear. With one group aboard, that attention is the whole point of booking a private six pack rather than a seat on a crowded boat. The fair qualifier is volume: the praise is consistent but the standalone review base is smaller than the busy landings collect, so the picture, while strongly positive, rests on fewer trips.
Booking and what to know
Book by phone or through the operator’s site, and ask for the private rate when you do, since it is not posted. The Magic leaves from 1195 Embarcadero. Bring warm layers for a cold, foggy Morro Bay morning, food and water, and motion sickness medication, since a 26 foot boat moves more than a party boat in a swell. Buy your California license before you board, and confirm what gear is included for your trip length.
How we scored it
Pacific Charters scores 6.9. Captain and crew is its standout factor at the top of the port, and service is strong, both driven by the personal attention a private six pack allows. It is held in the mixed band by boat and equipment and trips and access, where the 26 foot hull and the day-trip-only menu limit it next to the bigger boats, and by value and transparency, where the unposted private rate counts against it. The track record is positive but thinner than the landings carry. See how we scored this boat for the rubric and weighting, and compare it against the rest of our Morro Bay rankings.