I’ve been fishing the Chesapeake Bay and Lynnhaven River for most of my life. Long before I started running charters, I was the guy putting in 80-hour weeks at the firehouse and spending every off-day on the water. Fishing wasn’t a career goal. It was an obsession.
Five years ago I decided to turn that obsession into something other people could share. Hookz Sportfishing started small, with a single boat and a private dock on the back of the Lynnhaven River. Since then we’ve put more than 175 customers on fish across more than 125 charters, and we’ve earned a 5-star rating on Google by doing one thing consistently: working hard, treating people right, and putting them on the bite.
I still work as a firefighter. The captain side of my life is something I do because I love it, not because I have to. That probably comes through on the water. The trips I run are the trips I’d want to take myself, with the people I’d want to take them with.
If you’ve never fished the Bay before, I’ll teach you. If you’ve fished it your whole life, we’ll talk shop and chase whatever’s biggest that day. Either way, you’ll leave knowing more than you did when you got on the boat.
The way we run trips comes down to three things:
We’re laid back, but we don’t quit on a slow bite. If the spot we wanted isn’t producing, we move. If conditions changed overnight, we adjust. We find fish and put you on them.
Every trip is a chance to learn something — how to read the water, how to set the hook on a cobia, how to handle a bull drum without losing it at the boat. Bring questions. We love them.
Tell us what you want to catch and we’ll build the trip around it. If you’ve got a kid on board who just wants action, we’ll go chase bluefish and Spanish mackerel. For wall fish, we grind for cobia. Your call.
Most Virginia Beach fishing charters run from Rudee Inlet. Hookz launches from a private dock on the Lynnhaven River, placing us in a productive fishery before we start the engine. From our dock at 1016 Michaelwood Drive, we can:
We operate one fully equipped fishing boat out of the Lynnhaven River, built specifically for Chesapeake Bay fishing charters, comfort, and performance on the water.
Our 25-foot Southern Cross by Carolina Yachts is the boat you’ll be on for any fishing charter. She’s fast, dry, and built for the way we fish.
25 feet
10 feet
Suzuki 300, cruising 25–30 knots
Modified V with a Porta bracket for skinny-water access
Full cobia tower for sight-casting cobia and red drum
Minn Kota 112V with spot lock, key for pilings and wrecks
Updated Garmin with side-view sonar
Three-piece curtain system for cold-weather trips
Take a closer look at the Southern Cross — from the spacious fishing deck and premium electronics to the seating, storage, and equipment that make every trip safe, smooth, and comfortable on the water.
Five years. Captain Tom started Hookz after spending most of his life fishing the Chesapeake Bay and Lynnhaven River as a recreational angler.
Yes. Captain Tom holds a U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license, and Hookz Sportfishing carries full commercial charter insurance.
We launch from our private dock at 1016 Michaelwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, on the back of the Lynnhaven River. You’ll meet us at the dock.
For all of our trips you’ll be on our 25-foot Southern Cross by Carolina Yachts.
Our standard fishing trips accommodate up to four anglers. We can sometimes accommodate more if some of the group are small children — call us and we’ll work it out.
Ready to see why people keep coming back? Call Captain Tom directly or send us an email and we’ll find a date that works.
