Cool Cat Sportfishing is the newest hull among the ranked Hilton Head boats, a 30 foot Cobia 296 center console from 2014 run by owner captain Chris Prince out of Skull Creek. The boat fishes the nearshore water and the reefs and wrecks for cobia, sharks, and redfish, and the reviews are unusually warm on the captain, with repeat customers crediting him with putting them on more fish than anyone else they have fished with. It ranks in the strong tier on the captain and a clean, modern boat, marked down on an open hull that is wetter on the long run and a review record that is shorter than the port’s deepest.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.3 Cool Cat is a strong choice and the fourth boat in our Hilton Head ranking, behind Bulldog Fishing Charters and ahead of the two party boats. Captain Chris Prince is the engine of the score: the review trail is smaller than the several hundred that the top boats carry, but it is consistent and full of praise for a captain who is honest, knows the water, and gets people on the bite. Two things keep it below the boats above. The boat is an open center console, fine for nearshore and reef work but more exposed on a long offshore run than the cabin boats and catamarans, and the public record, around 70 reviews, is shorter than the port’s deepest. Book it for a nearshore reef, cobia, or shark day.
The boat
The Cool Cat is a 30 foot Cobia 296 center console, built in 2014, the newest boat we rank in the port, carrying up to 6 anglers. A center console is an open boat with no cabin: it is quick, easy to fish from all the way around, and well suited to the nearshore reefs and the cobia grounds, but it leaves you in the sun and the spray, so a long run to the deeper bottom or the bluewater is less comfortable than it would be on a catamaran like Stray Cat. For the trips it is built for, close to home and on the reefs, it is a clean, capable, modern hull.
The fishing and what you target
Cool Cat fishes nearshore and the reefs and wrecks, and the named targets are cobia, sharks, and redfish, which tells you where it spends most of its time. The spring cobia run in Port Royal Sound is a highlight, sharks carry the warm months, and king and Spanish mackerel work the wrecks while black sea bass and grouper hold on the bottom. The longer trips reach the deeper reefs, but this is a nearshore and reef boat at heart rather than a Gulf Stream one, and the reviews reflect a captain who fishes the productive water hard rather than running past it for a longer ride.
Trips and prices
Cool Cat sells by the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only. The posted rates run $600 for 3 hours, $750 for 4 hours, $900 for 5 hours, $1,100 for 6 hours, $1,600 for 8 hours, and $1,900 for a 10 hour day, and the operator is upfront that the rates move with fuel prices, so confirm the current figure when you book. Bait, tackle, and the boat’s license are provided. The mid field pricing is fair for a modern boat and a well regarded captain. Our cost guide sets these whole boat numbers against a walk on seat on one of the party boats.
The crew
Captain Chris Prince owns and runs the boat and is part of the North End Charter Fleet, the booking group that also handles Stray Cat. The reviews are the strong suit: smaller in number than the top boats here, but consistent, with customers describing a captain who is knowledgeable, honest, funny, and willing to work to find the bite, and more than one saying they caught more with him than with any other charter. The honest read is that the record is shorter and younger than the 30 year trails at Top Shot and Bulldog, so the consistency is well established but less deeply tested over time.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site, the North End Charter Fleet, or FishingBooker. The boat leaves from Skull Creek on the north end, behind the Dockside restaurant, the same stretch of dock as several of the north end boats, and runs out to the nearshore reefs and the sound. No fishing license is needed, since the boat covers it, and bait and tackle are provided. Bring sunscreen, a hat, and a light layer, since an open center console offers no shelter from the sun or a passing shower, and motion sickness medication if a longer run is a question for you.
How we scored it
Cool Cat scores 7.3: the newest boat in the ranked port and a captain reviewers rate among the best on the island, with clear, fuel adjusted pricing. Captain and crew, value, and service are its top factors. It sits in the lower half of the strong tier because the boat is an open center console, less comfortable than a cabin boat or a catamaran on a long offshore run, and the review trail, while consistent, is shorter than the port’s deepest. See how we scored this boat, and compare it against the rest of the Hilton Head fleet.