Alaska Fishing Charter Questions and Answers

Answering questions that the first time traveller to Alaska may have about going on a fishing charter: when to go, license, what to wear, how to I get it home, and many more questions.
We went with Miller's Landing in Seward, Alaska but the information is useful for any charter.

[@jeannettesweigart2550]

We just finished up fishing in Homer. We are taking home 3 - 50# boxes of fish. Just wanted to say Thank You for helping us understand how to get fish home by checking the luggage. A guy fishing with us paid over $1,000 to ship home 131 pounds. Yikes!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Wow, that’s great, congratulations. I’m glad my video helped. Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it.

[@nimes011]

I really like this video and the commentary - it's great for first timers. I live in AK (Juneau) and would say that this charter experience, while good, is a bit atypical. Most charter boats out of Seward and Homer have dedicated heads (toilets) that aren't exposed like this one. I would also say it's odd to fish from a landing craft. There's nothing wrong with it, but most people that book charters will board what we call a "walk around" from the docks. Generally, depending on your charter, you can expect that a lot of "chickens" will be harvested and a couple of patrons will get lucky and get a fish that's in the 40lb to 70lb range. "Barn doors" are relatively rare on commercial charters as they are trying to get everyone some fish. As far as licenses go, most charters CAN sell them to you the day you go out. He is correct in that they are generally not included in the price though. These halibut fillet out at about 50% so and it's not rare to have local ladies hanging around to grab the rest. Again, this is a great video for first time AK fisherman and I love that he addresses the issues that most videos don't (packaging/shipping/etc.). Nicely done!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you for the great comments. I appreciate getting a locals take on it and I’m very happy that you enjoyed it. It’s good to hear that most boats have a full head. I had the option of two boats with Millers and chose the 6 person one instead of the larger boat. That’s probably why we had the smaller boat with ‘a great view’. I’m surprised that more folks haven’t covered the processing and shipping. Before I catch or kill anything, knowing how I’m going to clean, preserve and transport the meat is must know information for me. Thanks again for the kind and helpful comments. Ted

[@donflack3778]

What a fun video! Thanks for sharing it with us. KC Don 😉 (Kansas City)

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you very much.

[@littlegoobie]

nice. just got to your wife's big halibut. the perfect fish. Definitely look up or ask about the boats to see how it's equipped. Most charters with boats over 30' will have everything including full heads, furnaces, blue water hoses, tables, seating for everyone, and bunks if someone gets sick.

[@littlegoobie]

I've been bringing fish through airports for a while and in my experience, you don't need ice packs at all. You're better off taking them out and throwing in another package of fish to enjoy. There was a time when dry ice was an excellent light weight option but that's a tricky thing these days because some airlines won't take it and it's gotten to the point where most places stopped selling it. Anyways, i've seen fish arrive frozen rock hard after 2 full days of travel, and still frozen solid with softening edges after 3-4 days with no extra care other than insulated boxes and/or extreme coolers.. My thinking now is if the frozen fish doesn't make it by itself, a couple of ice packs or dry ice aren't going to make much difference

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

That’s good information. You’re probably right about the ice packs. Two ice packs for 40 pounds of frozen fish isn’t going to make much of a difference. Folks would probably complain if they didn’t do it though.

[@fishduckdog]

Awesome video! Thank you 🙏 for sharing!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you very much. I appreciate the kind words.

[@airecraft1]

Your trip was outstanding.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you for watching. And yes, it sure was!

[@riner9]

Going for the first time next May, super excited.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

That's great, I hope you have a wonderful trip.

[@chrisfetner332]

Halibuts are everywhere. King Salmon is the ticket.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

I'm looking forward to some salmon next time too. We are still enjoying the halibut.

[@davidg2113]

Awesome content!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you. I’m glad you liked it.

[@chrisfetner332]

We have fished out of Sitka for 15 years and never caught flounder or shark. Best time of year is June before the commercial fisherman come in.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

We were there just about a year ago, so next time we will time it better to add salmon as a more possible option.

[@susanmiller38]

So cool!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Thanks Susan

[@jasonbourne1596]

I got a laugh out of the bathroom, but hey it works right.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, yep, it worked and everyone respected the need for privacy. We paid about $325 apiece for this trip. But that varies depending upon when you go and what they’ll be fishing for. It was an 11 hour total trip. We first drove about an hour and a half and left the bay and fished the ocean, not sure how many miles out. Then on the way in we hit a spot in the bay. They will mix it up depending upon sea conditions. We had pretty good weather and seas so we went out to the ocean. Other days they may stay in the bay if it’s better.

[@jasonbourne1596]

@@EnjoyingRetirement Thanks for the reply.

[@jasonbourne1596]

@@EnjoyingRetirement You said $325 a piece, how much of it was going out on the boat?

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

The 11 hr fishing boat was $325 a piece. Then more for a tip and for processing if you want that done and prepped for a flight home.

[@jasonbourne1596]

@@EnjoyingRetirement Thanks for the responses.

[@jeannettesweigart2550]

I learned a lot of good information watching your video! We are heading there to fish in May. We hope to catch big ones too. I always catch more like your wife. Hubby always catches the bigger ones!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

I’m glad you liked it. I tried to address the questions I had before we went thinking most everyone would have the same questions. Good luck up there, it’s beautiful and the fish are great.

[@jeannettesweigart2550]

@@EnjoyingRetirement the two biggest pieces of info were 1. How to get your fish to the airport freezer and then checking it in as baggage. 2. The “toilet”!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Taking care of the fish was my biggest question also, my wife's was the 'bathroom'. Have a great trip.

[@jeannettesweigart2550]

@@EnjoyingRetirement thank you for your service! Hubby is retired Army too but he spent most of his years in reserves.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Thank you, and thanks to your husband.

[@silverbacknubian6366]

A have made this trip every year since 1998, I love Seward, Ak. Try and get a lingcod next time, you would have to be there after June.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

I agree, Seward is a great small town with very little of the usual tourist t shirt shops and such. Some good quality stores and restaurants there. Which charter do you recommend? What time of year do you prefer. Would love some lingcod, maybe next time. Congrats on so many trips, I think we will be doing yearly or bi-annual trips now too.

[@chaxiong6705]

Freezer filler. You got a subscriber. Well put together video and lots of great info. We got a group of 5 or 6 planning a trip for july of summer 2024. A few question. 11 hours on the boat, how much time is getting to the fishing ground and how much time is actual fishing? I assumed the deck hand crews provide all the gears and bait for the trip. Is lunch ( food and beverage) provided or additional cost? And what airline did you fly with? Thank you.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you. You will have a great trip. Our boat went out of the bay into the ocean, and it was about an hour and forty five minutes to get to the first fishing spot. As I recall we set up in three, maybe four locations on our trip. Aside from all the moving and setting anchor, I believe that we had about 6 hours of lines in the water fishing time. They have another boat, that holds more people, which offers a 12 hour trip. Yes, the boat provides the poles, gear and bait. They do not provide food or beverages, so bring your own. There is a Safeway grocery store in Seward where you can get what you need. We flew in on American to Anchorage, but most major airlines will also get you there. We will probably choose another carrier next time we go because we had a six hour layover in Chicago on the way there this time. If you have a group of six that would be great, you could charter the whole boat just for your group. You might save some money and have more say in where you go or how long you stay. Have a great trip.

[@Bigfishfun333]

Great vid. Which has the more productive fishing?.....Alaska, or Bahamas, or Florida, or Maryland? Thanks.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Thanks. Great question. The simple answer is Alaska, at least in terms of amount of meat that went home after a day of fishing. Plus, it’s a bucket list trip, so that adds to the specialness of it. The Bahamas however can be great, with the right boat and crew and the diversity of what you can do on and in the water there makes it pretty special. But, for peace of mind and the occasional fish there’s nothing like the Chesapeake bay and home. The fishery is changing dramatically though, and it may take some time for the new fish species and us fishermen to adapt to one another. But for a quick, cheap get away on my kayak for some peaceful fishing, it’s great. Oddly, Florida is in last place. I’m sure that if you have your own boat and live there enough to pick the good days you go out and know the numbers for the reefs and fish seasonality it would be the best. But of all our charters, Florida has been the least productive. But still generally a heck of a lot fun because you never know what’s going to be next. Thankfully I can appreciate all of them for their uniqueness. Though I’ve never had a freezer full of fish like we had after Alaska before 😀

[@Wondermind25]

Love your content, new subscriber here..

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you very much. Enjoy.

[@Wondermind25]

@@EnjoyingRetirement you are very welcome, may I ask if you are using action camera on your vlog?

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Yes, I use an Osmo Action 3 for most of my videos the last few months. Before that I primarily used the original Osmo Action. I also have a Canon M50 mark I I use occasionally.

[@johnnyearliwine6698]

Really enjoyed your video. That is on my bucket list also. I am 69 and retired and would really like to know how much it cost you and your wife this trip. How many days were you on this adventure. How would you rate your stay at millers landing, What did you do when you were not fishing or did your do some other fishing from there. Enjoy.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, thank you. We were in Alaska for 8 days altogether. We spent the first night in Anchorage, then drove up to Denali for 2 nights. From there we headed down to Seward for three nights at what Miller's Landing calls the Ocean Front Private Suite. From there we went back to Seward for the night and caught our flight out the next day. Unless you're doing multiple charters out of Seward I think 3 nights and 2 full days there is plenty. You're going to get up early for the boat and spend a whole day out there. We went on the 'short' charter, 11 hours. Their other one is 12 hours. On our other day there we went up to Kenai Fjords National Park just outside of Seward. It was a nice place, but the glacier has receded so much it's not really worth a special trip to see it, unless you just want to kill some time in some otherwise beautiful country. You can see all of Seward in an afternoon. I know there are other excursions you can do from there, such as kayaking in Resurrection Bay up to the glacier, that would be cool. I recommend going to millerslandingak.com for the current prices. We booked in October of 2022 for a first week of June 2023 trip and locked in pre-inflation rates. But, for us, the fishing charter was $325 a piece, the room was about $250 a night, not cheap, but for our bucket list trip and to get a deck with a BBQ we coughed it up. The room itself was a bit cramped, but we didn't spend enough time inside to let it bother us, much. I fear the prices have probably gone up this year. Also look up JDock charters, and I'm sure there are others. Look for what type of fishing trip they offer on the days you're available. Just remember, there's no guarantee of a halibut like my wife caught. I look at a couple other boats that came in and ours was clearly the biggest catches of what I saw. Airfare is all over the map depending on where you're flying from. Anchorage was convenient for this trip as from there you can spoke out to Denali and then return and down to Seward. I hope you get to make the trip, it's a trip of a lifetime. Good luck.

[@johnnyearliwine6698]

@@EnjoyingRetirement Thank you very much for the information. I truely want to try and make this trip. Again thank you.

[@eaglesavage4929]

Great video, but i would've been having a heart attack in Dallas waiting to get home.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

I hear you. I was sure happy to get home and see it perfectly frozen. They did a great job with it. They have people flying all over the world and it seems like they know what they’re doing, thank goodness. Take care.

[@brentcassidy357]

Going to Alaska impromptu in July, is it possible to be able to acquire a halibut fishing trip? Also, can you ship the fish back to the state without having to travel with the fish?

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, look up some charters where you’re going. If you’re going to Seward I recommend Millers Landing or JDock. There are halibut trips out of most ports in Alaska and July should be a peak time for halibut. The processor I used will FedEx your fish instead of packaging it for luggage, but it’s costly. Find a charter boat and they should be able to answer all your questions. Good luck.

[@brentcassidy357]

Thank you for your prompt reply!

[@sveinberth]

The landscape is very similar to Northern Norway in Europe.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

You’re right, we’ve been watching “People of the North” and it sure does look similar.

[@mitchellsharp8882]

Going to Alaska and catching a barn door has always been on my bucket list. Not so sure now after seeing this video. Not really interested in catching a 28 inch fish, and sounds like poor odds of getting a decent one. After seeing the waste on the few fish caught pretty much sews it up for me. didn't look like very many numbers of other fish brought in to make up for the poor halibut fishing. Was seriously thinking of taking the old lady on an Alaska trip. Think I will book for Bluefin fishing instead.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

The big ones are there, but from the few returning boats I was able to see offload smaller is the norm. I wouldn’t give up on Alaska though. A private bluefin charter could run upwards of $2k. You could book on a small group boat like ours for a couple days and hold out, or a private charter in Alaska and ask to specifically target the bigger ones. No guarantees anywhere, including bluefin. Anyway, good luck with whatever you choose. I’ve been disappointed on enough charters to never get my hopes up. But I thoroughly enjoyed the whole Alaska adventure and this charter.

[@mitchellsharp8882]

I know what you mean by no guarantees, seems like I book ahead and a hurricane comes thru 3 days before the charter and scatters the fish and too rough to go out. I am sure a Alaska charter would be a great experience even without fishing. I bet the scenery is just beautiful. At my age and increasing disabilities . I am hopping for one last big hurrah before my bucket is gone. keep up the good work on the videos, great filming, editing, content, etc., I am sure you bring much experience to those that can probable never do it themselves or for those planning for a future trip. tight lines and screaming drags to you!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Thank you, I will put material out and hope others join me and my wife as we explore. Best of luck on whatever you choose. I believe that I’m not going to get healthier as time goes on so take advantage of what I can do now. I hear you about going on trips and having the wind wrong while you’re there. Lucky to get one maybe two good days in a week long trip to the ocean, but pure pot luck if they happen to be the days you booked your charter. Best wishes.

[@blueballstudios]

I am a deckhand here at millers landing, we pull up big fish just about every trip with fish exceeding 100lbs and even 150lbs a few times a week with the biggest one being 86 1/2 inches.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

That’s great to hear, thanks. We will be back.

[@chuckaluck40]

What was the cost and length of stay ?

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, we stayed for 3 nights. We arrived the night before the charter, and it's a long day so we stayed the second night and the next day we hiked in the Kenai Fjord National Park which is about 30 minutes from the room and then enjoyed Seward. Headed back to Anchorage the following morning. I recommend staying in Seward at least the night before and night of the charter. It's probably best for you to check Miller's Landing website for latest prices. Here is the link to their lodging: www.millerslandingak.com/lodging-camping/cabins-houses-bed-n-breakfasts/ We stayed in the Ocean Front Private Suite. Have fun.

[@bencabebe1423]

How much for the fishing trip on the boat

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, I believe we paid about $320 a person.

[@maybonphuongtroi9281]

How do you get a group of 6 people ?

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Hi, you don’t have to be together. If you had six you can rent the entire boat, but otherwise they sell individual seats, up to a maximum of six per trip for that boat.

[@jasonbourne1596]

How much does the boat charge per person to go out, and how far out did you guys go?

[@kennethprice5628]

Ladies always outfish guys

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

It sure seems that way, but that also helps ensure their support of our fishing :)

[@wyattross5544]

I'd like to see em try 💪🏼🎣

[@chrisfetner332]

Don’t take a boat that does not have a cabin for EVERYONE in bad weather.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Yep, I agree with that. Something to ask about before you book.

[@BrandonO-kn2ql]

YUP, I didn't even realize it, but suddenly it hit me… I was actually letting it flow after the movies, my best guess is that when I go'ogled Beck Reznark's guide and read it, something changed inside me. Can’t quite explain it, it’s been months, I can’t believe I even had paruresis to begin with.

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

Yep, not a good boat for paruresis sufferers.

[@mikemetl6703]

Most important EVEN if fishing isnt want you expected is a TIP!!! Especially if the boat uses a deckhand helper. Think of it like a restaurant 15-20%. This isnt a high paying job as lots of expenses to take you fishing! If you plan a fishing trip just remember the tip each day you fish with a guide! PRO TIP 100$ a day per person will make the captain and deckhand want you back time and time again and will go out of there way above and beyond to make it a great trip for you!

[@EnjoyingRetirement]

I agree. Well said.