Virg’s Landing is the original Morro Bay sportfishing landing, running party boats since 1954, and the name still carries weight on the Embarcadero. It runs two open party boats, the Rita G and the Fiesta, with a tackle shop on Market Avenue and the widest set of day trip lengths in town, out to a 12 hour long range run up the Big Sur coast. On a good day the crews find fish, clean them well, and feed the rail, and the deep review record holds plenty of trips like that. It also holds a steady run of serious complaints, which is why Virg’s lands in our mixed band and why which boat and crew you draw matters more here than almost anywhere in the port.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.4 Virg’s is a mixed result and ranks fourth in our Morro Bay field, behind both the newer Morro Bay Landing and the Black Pearl. The longevity and the range of trips are genuine strengths, and many anglers come off the Rita G happy. But the recent sentiment is divided in a way the other landing’s is not: alongside the praise sit repeated reports of rude or inefficient deckhands, mostly on the Fiesta, of being charged twice, of crews bagging out early, and of the office and owner making calls that rubbed customers wrong, including one well circulated dispute over fishing rules. Virg’s also changed hands recently, so the new owners inherit both the seventy year name and the uneven reviews. Book it for a long range day on the Rita G if the date and the boat line up, but compare it against Morro Bay Landing before you do.
The boats
Virg’s runs two party boats. The Rita G is the one reviewers favor, a former US Navy research vessel that takes up to 25 anglers and holds a seat back for elbow room, run under Captain Frank Kelly. The Fiesta is the smaller, busier boat, and it is where more of the deck complaints land. Both are Coast Guard certified and carry the gear a rockfish day needs, but this is an older fleet without the size or the polish of the Avenger and Endeavor across the water, and the cockpit gets tight and the lines tangle when a full load works the rail in a current. The Black Pearl, the port’s overnight boat, also books its long trips through Virg’s, so you may see it on the Virg’s schedule alongside the two party boats.
The fishing and what you target
Virg’s fishes the Morro Bay staples: rockfish and lingcod on the reefs and the offshore banks, cabezon mixed in, king salmon on the troll in season, and the odd bonito in warm water. The Central California groundfish season runs April 1 through December 31 in 2026, closed January 1 through March 31, with the boats fishing all depths through the open months. The signature trip is the 12 hour long range run up the Big Sur coast toward Cape San Martin, which reaches bigger rockfish than a half day does and is the trip the long range reviews are happiest about. Salmon is back for 2026 after a three year closure, an in-season option when the bite and the rules allow.
Trips and prices
Seats are sold per person, and the rates are clean and posted: $75 for an afternoon half day, $90 for a half day, $110 for a three quarter day, and $175 for the 12 hour long range trip. A California fishing license is extra and sold at the tackle shop, cash or check only, at about $21 for one day, and fish cleaning runs $2 to $3 per fish with an optional jackpot. The posted pricing is fair and transparent, which counts in Virg’s favor. The qualifier is the recurring double charging complaint, where reviewers say they were billed twice for a trip or an extra, so check your receipt. Our cost guide sets these per-person seats against a private boat, and the party boat versus private charter guide covers the shared rail format Virg’s runs.
The crew
This is where Virg’s splits hardest. On the good trips, reviewers name captains and deckhands who put the boat on fish, work hard on the rail, and clean a fair catch well, with Captain James singled out and the food, breakfast burritos and burgers, a recurring bright spot. On the bad trips, the same reviews describe deckhands who were rude or short, crew smoking right after the boat left the dock, and staff snapping at seasick passengers. The pattern is variability rather than a uniform failing: the crew you draw, and the boat you are on, decide the day. Ask who is running your trip, and set your expectations by the Rita G rather than the Fiesta.
Booking and what to know
Book online through the Virg’s reservation page, by phone, or at the tackle shop at 1169 Market Avenue, where you also buy your license, cash or check only. The boats leave from the Embarcadero, so arrive early for parking and check in. Bring warm layers for a cold, foggy morning, food and water, and motion sickness medication for the long range trip in particular. Keep your receipt given the billing complaints, and confirm the boat and the trip length when you book.
How we scored it
Virg’s scores 6.4, a mixed result built on a real split in the evidence. Trips and access is its best factor, on the strength of the long range run and the range of trip lengths, and the posted pricing keeps value and transparency respectable. It is pulled down by track record and service, where the divided sentiment, the double charging and rules complaints, and the recent change of ownership all weigh, and by boat and equipment, where the aging two boat fleet sits behind the newer party boats in the port. None of it is a safety cap, but it is enough to put Virg’s below its neighbors. See how we scored this boat for the rubric, and compare it against the rest of our Morro Bay rankings.