The Reel Myrtle Beach Fishing Charters is the private charter with the cleanest, most consistent customer record in the port, and that record is what puts it at the top of our ranking. Captain Matthew Long runs the trips himself on a 32 foot Boston Whaler out of Lanterns Rest Marina on the Intracoastal, working from the nearshore reefs 3 miles out to the Gulf Stream 60 plus miles offshore for mahi mahi, wahoo, blackfin tuna, and the bottom species. Behind it sits a 4.9 average across more than 150 reviews on FishingBooker, the kind of volume a single good season cannot fake.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.8 The Reel is a strong choice and the top ranked boat in Myrtle Beach. What carries it is consistency. A near five star average holds far more weight over more than 150 booking tied reviews than over a handful, and that record, built by an owner captain who runs every trip, is the difference between this boat and the big walk on head boats behind it. The honest limits are the format and the price. These are open center consoles, so the long run to the blue water is wetter, hotter, and tighter than it would be on a cabin boat, the whole boat rate is a high one, and most offshore trips cap at four anglers, so the per person cost only comes down when you fill the deck. For the cheapest way onto the same water, the head boats Little River Fishing Fleet and Voyager Fishing Charters sell seats by the person. The full field is on the Myrtle Beach ranking.
The boats
The Reel runs two center consoles. The headline offshore boat is a 32 foot Boston Whaler rigged with twin 300 Suzuki outboards, a clean, well kept hull that seats up to 6 and carries the electronics and the tackle for a serious offshore day. The second boat is a 26 foot Sea Fox with twin 150 Mercury outboards for up to 5, the right size for the nearshore reefs and a shorter day. Both are capable, well found boats, and the honest caveat is the one every center console carries. There is no enclosed cabin to escape the sun or a building chop, so the 12 hour Gulf Stream run in midsummer is a long day in the open, and four to six anglers plus the crew is a full deck on a 32 foot hull. The trade you get for it is a fast, modern boat and a private trip rather than a shared rail.
The fishing and what you target
Myrtle Beach sits a long way from true blue water, so the offshore day here is built around how far you are willing to run. The Reel fishes the full ladder. The nearshore trips, 3 to 15 miles out, work the reefs and wrecks for black sea bass, vermilion snapper, and the spring and fall run of king and Spanish mackerel. The 20 to 50 mile offshore trips reach the deeper bottom for grouper, amberjack, triggerfish, and the bigger snapper. The 12 hour Gulf Stream trip, 60 plus miles out to the blue water, is the one built for the pelagics, mahi mahi and wahoo and blackfin tuna on the troll, best from late spring into fall. Note one wrinkle that shapes the bottom fishing here: gag and the other shallow water grouper are closed January 1 to April 30, and red snapper has been closed in the South Atlantic since a federal court halted the 2026 state seasons in May. Confirm the current rules with NOAA Fisheries and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources before you book a season specific trip.
Trips and prices
The pricing is by the whole boat, private, and posted clearly by distance, which is rare enough in this port to count for something. A 5 hour nearshore trip runs $700 to $800 for up to 5 anglers, a 6 hour offshore trip is $1,150 and an 8 hour offshore day is $1,600, each for up to 4, and the 12 hour Gulf Stream run is $2,300 for up to 4. A 4 hour winter nearshore special is $600. The captain covers the South Carolina license and cleans and bags your catch at the dock, so food and drinks are the main thing you pack. The Gulf Stream day is the priciest single trip in our Myrtle Beach field, and it is fair for a private boat, a named captain, and an all in offshore run, but it only works out per person when you bring your own group of four to six. For how that whole boat math compares with a per person head boat seat, our cost guide and the party boat versus private charter guide set them side by side.
The crew
The captain is the whole story here. Matthew Long runs the trips himself, with Captain Greg on the second boat, and the sentiment across more than 150 reviews is strikingly uniform. Reviewers describe a captain who puts in the run time to find fish and often has lines bent within minutes of the bait hitting the water, keeps the boat clean and the gear in order, and stays patient and professional with a mixed group. The recurring line, that a trip feels like fishing with an old friend who happens to know where the fish are, is the kind of thing that shows up when one person runs every charter rather than handing it to a rotating crew. That single hand at the helm is most of why the record is as consistent as it is, and it is the biggest reason The Reel ranks first.
Booking and what to know
Book direct or through FishingBooker, and book early for the summer weeks, since one captain with two boats and a deep reputation fills fast. The boats depart Lanterns Rest Marina on the Intracoastal in Myrtle Beach, which means each trip starts with a run out through the inlet to the ocean before the fishing, so the nearshore reefs are the shorter day and the Gulf Stream is a true full day. Confirm the boat, the run distance, and the species window for your dates. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, a hat, and a soft cooler with ice for your fillets, and pack sun protection seriously, since an open center console gives no shade on a long offshore day.
How we scored it
The Reel scores 7.8: the deepest and most consistent review record of any private boat in the port, an owner captain who runs every trip, clear posted prices, and a clean, capable boat, held just short of the top band by the comfort limits of an open center console on the long Gulf Stream run, a top end whole boat rate, and an offshore trip that caps at four anglers. Captain and crew, track record, and service are its strongest factors, each carried by the weight of consistent sentiment. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and the Myrtle Beach ranking for the rest of the field, including Little River Fishing Fleet and Crazy Sister Marina.