i'm going to be in Salvo from July 17-24th with my wife and 3 kids (aged 8, 10, and 13), and am looking for any good suggestions for a family friendly small boat that can take us fishing. price is a strong consideration, so i'm assuming we're talking about something half-day and inshore/nearshore. we will have a 1-year old 50-pound (well-behaved) dog with us as well that I prefer not to crate while we're gone.....do any captains let you bring such a pet with you? I have no strong preference for Oregon Inlet vs Hatteras Village, or Inlet/Sound/Ocean, or types of fish targeted - more just looking for the kids to get the experience with the right boat/captain.

Don't know the Oregon Inlet charters, Pickle on here knows them well. If you want to come down to Hatteras, the Albatross I (the first chartered boat on the island many years ago) is still used for half day near shore charters for spanish mackerel and bluefish. The guys with the Albatross fleet are great, and the old boats have character. From Salvo you're just as close to Oregon Inlet as you are to Hatteras. Have no idea on the pet- i guess you would have to ask the captain on that.

You may want to look at the boat called little clam out of Hatteras. This is an offshore trip but mainly focused on bottom fishing. You can be in multiple situations where everyone on the boat is hooked up with a snapper, grouper, triggerfish, sea bass, etc. all at the same time.

Not sure about the dog thing but it would not hurt to ask.

As a Charterboat owner and operator I find your post very interesting in several ways. I welcome your points/questions and hopefully I can give not only you but others some good guidance "Right From The Horse's Mouth".

Salvo - as some already said you can go North or South to charter a boat. Hatteras vs. the three Marinas in the Oregon Inlet area can offer different fishing at certain times and different pricing. Hatteras usually will have slightly cheaper Inshore Boats.

Small Boat - A family of 5 with children should not have a "Small Boat" under most conditions. When I talk small boat, I'm talking the many Outboard Powered Charter/Guide Boats ranging from 21 feet to even 30 feet. Most have no room to move around, no shelter to get out of weather, generally no mate to help and possibly very limited head (restroom) facilities. These boats do serve a very good purpose under certain conditions and catch a lot of fish and are significantly cheaper. Most only do Inlet and Sound fishing. Your best experience will be on a full sized boat with Captain and Mate.

Dogs - Okay, lets talk Dog. I'm a Dog owner and very attached, but on my boat NO DOGS. There probably will be some that will allow a dog, but probably not allow it in the cabin. My personal experience, way back, with Dogs on a charter ranged from stressed out Barking Dogs, to Sea Sick Dogs, to significant P & P(Got it), to owners who did not care for their dogs, to dog jumping over to retrieve a fish. You have to research this.

Price - I'm not sure of pricing down in Hatteras. The Northern Marinas, OBX Marina in Wanchese, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and Pirates Cove have different pricing. Both OIFC and PC are basically price fixed, all the boats charge the same price for the same trip. OBX Marina has prices set by each boat and slightly cheaper than the other two. Here's some average prices:
Half Day (4 Hours) $575 to $700
Half Day (6 Hours) $775 to $900
Offshore (Gulfstream) $1800 to $2200
Small Open Boat Sound (4 Hours) $375 to $500

Family Friendly - I left the best to last. Very, very personal question totally based on each persons experience. I'm sure you will get manyAll boats welcome children. Captain and Mates have a wide range of experience, ages and attitudes. Some are very focused on Fish "Catching" and might not give the children the attention they need to have a good experience. Small open boats without a mate can be challenged with beginners or people that need a lot of help. Will the mate spend time with the party explaining the target fish, fishing locations, fishing methods, possibly explain the sights, boat and possibly allow the children on the bridge to watch the fish finder etc. All goes into a great experience. It goes beyond that too. There are a lot of "Cowboys" out there, what is their weather cancellation policy. Rain doesn't hurt but Sea and Wind conditions sure do. If you can't stand you're not going to have fun.

Okay I can go on and on. With my 50 plus years in the business I have a lot to say, but "I promise not to make your ears bleed" If you want to send me a PM please do. I'm very proud of the Outer Banks Fishing Possibilities, whether it be Boat, Pier or Surf.

I'm really surprised that more people haven't jumped on here with recommendations. My earlier detailed post is for everybody's use not just the OP. It brings out some good points. Maybe it's the Dog thing. I know several old Captains that used to bring their dog regularly on trips. Unfortunately they are deceased and I really don't think you would want two dogs on the boat. As I said we don't do dogs even as much as we love ours. My dog has never been on the boat, I have to say that if the dog is that critical, you should check with the boats at OBX Marina. I know of several fellow Captains there that bring there dogs to the docks all the time. They may be agreeable to take yours on a trip.

One stray hook in your pup’s paw and you will regret your choice for a long time.

If I am not mistaken, kids have to wear life jackets. Correct Capt Paul?

The Little Clam is a headboat, problem with that is you can’t ask the captain to bail if one of the kids gets sick or decides they don’t want to be on the water.

Children do not have to wear Life Jackets on Commercial (For Hire) boats. On private boats "TECHNICALLY" they do If On Deck. If they are in Cabin, No. On our Charters we get asked all the time and some people want their children to wear them. Okay, no problem. Butttt For Hire Boats (Charter or Head boat) are required to have Type 1 Commercial PFD's. A Type 1 PFD is quite Bulky, Restrictive and Hot in Warm Weather. A Type 1 is not your $5 Walmart Life Jacket, nor "Ski" Type Jackets. It gets more complicated. A For Hire Boat is required to carry enough Childrens PFDs equal to 30% of your licensed capacity. So if you are a 6 Passenger Boat you only are required to have 2. What if you have a family of 2 Adults and 4 small Children? Most boats carry more than their requirement. We carry 10 Adult and 6 Children's sizes on a 6 Passenger boat. Lastly, if a For Hire Boat has any no Type 1 PFDs they can get in trouble because somebody in emergency may grab the wrong one. Same thing for other safety equipment such as an inflatable life raft (must be inspected), EPIRB ( battery must not be outdated), Fire Extinguishers must be proper type and in some cases inspected, Flares can not be expired. I hope this helps.

Little Clam is a smaller head boat. It does bottom fishing close to shore or in Pamlico Sound. We took our son on it when he was little- about six. You likely won’t be far enough out to get grouper, snapper, triggerfish etc. If it were me, I would do a half day near shore charter and catch a nice mess of spanish to fry up. You’ll be the only family on the boat and to me trolling is more enjoyable.

Captain Paul, thank you for the clarification.

Rick Scarborough runs a 25 ft Carolina - sound & offshore... caught several citation cobia over last couple years. Great captain and great guy!

Little Clam is a smaller head boat. It does bottom fishing close to shore or in Pamlico Sound. We took our son on it when he was little- about six. You likely won’t be far enough out to get grouper, snapper, triggerfish etc. If it were me, I would do a half day near shore charter and catch a nice mess of spanish to fry up. You’ll be the only family on the boat and to me trolling is more enjoyable.

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Little clam is not a small head boat. They do go way out in season for tilefish, snapper and grouper. Look on the marina website. I know because our group of 5 did it a year ago. They will troll on the way out and back and you may catch non bottom fish during that time.

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This off the little clam website. Not catching these fish right out of the inlet lol.

Does the Free Agent out of Odens dock still runthat family trip that includes crabbing and fishing. It’s on calmer water, Pamlico Sound, and might interest the kids.

*edit* I would not advise you to take a dog on any boating trip.