Southern Run Fishing Charters is the deep sea charter to book out of Wilmington when you want a small, sharp boat that punches above its size. Captain Ben Morris runs a well equipped 31 foot center console out of the Bridge Tender Marina in Wrightsville Beach, with a perfect 5.0 across 128 trips and something most boats in the port do not offer, a daytime swordfish program on top of the Gulf Stream run. For a pair or a small group after the long bluewater day, it is one of the best value options in the field, with the $1,900 Gulf Stream trip undercutting the bigger sportfishers.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.4 Southern Run is fifth in the Wilmington ranking and a strong, worth booking call, the pick for a small group that wants a serious offshore day, especially the swordfish or Gulf Stream run, without paying sportfisher money. It suits two to four anglers fishing hard. The honest limits are about size. The boat caps at 4 anglers, so a group of five or six needs a bigger hull, and as an open center console it rides faster but wetter than a cabin sportfisher on the long deep drop and bluewater days, when a windbreak and dry layers matter. For a larger, more comfortable bluewater platform, the Wet N Wild review is the call. Compare the field on the Wilmington ranking.
The boat
The boat is a 31 foot Cape Horn center console on twin Suzuki 350 horsepower outboards, a fast, capable offshore hull set up to fish a small group hard. What lifts it above a typical center console is the offshore kit: an EPIRB, a satellite phone, and radar, the safety equipment you want on a boat that runs 75 to 80 miles out for swordfish. The open layout is the trade off. It is quick and nimble, but a long day in a sea is wetter and more exposed than on a sportfisher with a cabin, so the four angler cap is as much about comfort on the long runs as it is about deck space.
The fishing and what you target
This is a small boat with a big range. Close in it trolls for king and Spanish mackerel on the 4 and 6 hour trips, the 8 hour reaches the offshore bottom for amberjack and snapper, and the 12 hour trips split between deep bottom fishing around 55 miles and the Gulf Stream for mahi mahi, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, and sailfish. The standout is the 14 hour daytime swordfish trip, 75 to 80 miles out, dropping baits into deep water for one of the hardest fish to target off this coast. Wahoo run strongest in the fall, the tuna and mahi mahi fill the warm month bluewater trips, and the swordfish program runs when the conditions line up, which is why it is booked by phone.
Trips and prices
The ladder is clear and posted by distance as well as time, booked by the whole boat for up to 4 anglers. A 4 hour nearshore trip (about 5 miles) is $500, a 6 hour (about 20 miles) is $800, an 8 hour (about 30 miles) is $1,000, a 12 hour bottom trip (about 55 miles) is $1,500, the 12 hour Gulf Stream run is $1,900, and the 14 hour swordfish trip is $2,600. That $1,900 Gulf Stream price is among the best value in the port, which is the heart of the appeal: the same blue water the sportfishers reach, on a smaller boat, for less. On a licensed North Carolina charter the boat’s blanket license covers the paying anglers. Our cost guide sets the prices in context, and the walk on versus private charter guide covers the private format.
The crew
Captain Ben Morris runs the boat as an owner operator, so you fish with the same person who takes your booking, and the 128 reviews behind a perfect 5.0 describe a captain who works the deck hard, knows the local grounds, and is honest about what the day is likely to produce. The depth of the record, on a single small boat, says the standard is consistent rather than a run of good luck. For the long swordfish and Gulf Stream days, that owner operator focus is exactly what you want.
Booking and what to know
Book the shorter trips through the FishingBooker listing; call for the swordfish trip, since it depends on the distance and the conditions. Bring food, drink, sunscreen, dry layers for the long runs, and a cooler; gear is aboard and the license is covered on the charter. For a group larger than four, look to one of the sportfishers in the port.
How we scored it
Southern Run earns its 8.4 on a perfect, deep review record, a well equipped boat with real offshore safety kit, a rare swordfish program, and standout Gulf Stream value. Track record, trips and access, and value are its strongest factors. It sits in the strong tier rather than the top on the size of the boat: a four angler cap and an open center console that is less comfortable than a sportfisher on the long day. See how we scored this boat and the Wilmington rankings, including S.S. Fish Witch II and Tail Chaser.