About the Captain:

Captain Dave Hegel grew up in Charleston, SC in the early 1960’s. While still in diapers, he accompanied his father, Henry “Skip” Hegel, on his boat on Santee Cooper and the salt marshes of Charleston. Capt. Dave instantly fell in love with catching Bass and “Spottail” bass--otherwise known as Redfish. After Captain Dave's father, “Skip,” returned home from a few USMC 2nd Force Recon Tours in SE Asia, he opened up Berkley Marine Center in Monks Corner, SC. Since then, the entire Hegel family's lives would forever be revolved around their love of fishing and boating. Captain Dave, in particular, has had a career with Sea Ox Boats, Johnson/Evinrude Outboards, Genmar Boat Holdings (Ranger, Lund, AquaSports, Hatteras), and in 2019, helped launch Vanderbilt Luxury Pontoons. 

While working as the Promotions Manager at Johnson/Evinrude in the mid-90's, Captain Dave managed a plethora of pro-fishermen, guides, TV shows and sponsorships. He says the experience forever cemented his fishing addiction.

Some of Dave's fondest memories during this time in his life was being blessed to have had "wet a line" with fishing legends. From Salt Water icons-- George Poveromo, Mark Sosin, and numerous Professional Redfishing teams-- to Bass legends-- such as Denny Brauer, Larry Nixon, Guido and Dion Hibdon, Davy Hite, and Bobby and Billy Murray-- this small sample of the greats illuminates the incredible lessons and skill Captain Dave has acquired from dozens of professional anglers while on the water. 

During the early 1990s, while working for Johnson & Evinrude Outboards, Captain Dave spent some time competing on the FLW tour and Red Man Tournament Trail. However, his love of salt water was his passion. Trips to Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, & Panama to name a few exposed him to the best Captains in the world. Because his father was an executive at Hydra-Sports, Donzi & Chris Craft and later Mercury Marine & his sister, Kim, spent time at Boston Whaler & currenly marketing at World Cat Boats, his industry connections are unsurpassed. The Pirate reference is a nod to the history of Black Beard in these very waters & Capt. Dave's love of his alma mater, the East Carolina University Pirates!

Boat Details

Captain Dave followed closely in the footsteps of his father, nicknamed "Skip," in his love for boating, fishing, and the industry surrounding it. Once submerging himself fully into the business, colleagues began calling Captain Dave "Skiplett" after his father. As decades passed, the Captain's father, a former marine and dedicated family man, lost his battle to ALS. Before passing, Captain Dave had begun the process of building his boat to guide on the Neuse/Pamlico. Thus, once the Captain's father passed, the nickname that was once a funny joke became the name of the Captain's vessel as a tribute to his father. "Skiplett" is to honor his father and his legacy to the marine industry. 

Pamlico Pirate Fishing Charters runs a 2021 300 HP Suzuki 4 Stroke Outboard with Jack Plate on a 23' Boca Bay made by AquaSport. "Skiplett" is made perfectly for the conditions and fishing styles of the Neuse and Pamlico Sound-- getting extremely shallow and running in difficult seas. 

The Captain's vessel has a T-Top for shade for the sunny days at sea and two live wells aboard. In addition, "Skiplett" is fully equipped with 12" Garmin Side and Down Scan, a GPS, Stereo, and a Minn-Kota 36 volt Riptide trolling motor. Due to the fact that the Captain intended for this boat to be precisely a fishing boat when designing it, the seating is the leaning post at the helm and a console cooler seat. Most people prefer standing behind the leaning post or sitting on the forward console seat.