Backlash Sportfishing offers deep sea and inshore fishing charters out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Pirate’s Cove, North Carolina, led by Captain Steve Richardson, who brings more than 30 years of experience fishing the Atlantic and Gulf, including tournaments from New Jersey to Florida, the Bahamas, St. Thomas, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Panama. Captain Steve holds a genuine East Coast fishing record: on September 23rd, he and the Backlash crew caught 42 marlin in a single day off Virginia Beach.
The Mid-Atlantic offshore waters, with their nearby offshore towers, shipwrecks, and a relatively short run to the Gulf Stream, make this stretch of coast one of the best fisheries on the East Coast. The Backlash herself is a 53-foot Custom Jim Smith sportfisher with twin Cummins diesels, cruising at 27 knots, featuring an air-conditioned and heated salon, a forward bunk for resting between trips, tournament-quality tackle from light spinning gear up to 80s for big tuna, a Murray Bros. fighting chair, and full electronics including radar, dual bottom sounders, dual VHF radios, dual GPS/plotters, and a long-range single sideband radio.
Backlash fishes Virginia Beach in summer, then relocates to Pirate’s Cove, NC (fishing under the sister boat name Short Rigger) from November through May, targeting Bluefin and Yellowfin Tuna in the Gulf Stream. All-day offshore trips target Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi, and Swordfish. New Executive Charters are also available, adding full food and drink catering and cleanup so guests can focus purely on fishing, priced at the base trip rate plus provisioning.
Walk-on guests or those looking to join a group and split the cost can call the Virginia Beach Fishing Center directly at 757-491-8000 to be added to an existing trip. Gratuity (15-20% suggested) is not included in trip pricing.
For serious anglers looking for a record-holding, tournament-proven offshore fishing charter out of Virginia Beach or Pirate’s Cove, Backlash Sportfishing offers a highly regarded operation with Captain Steve Richardson.
