Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is included in the price of a charter?

A: The charter price includes all the bait, tackle, and gear you’ll need, as well as the filleting of your catch.

Q: Do I need a fishing license?

A: Anyone aged 16 or older needs an Alaska State sport fishing license. For alaska residents the cost is $24 annually. For a non-resident, license can be purchased for 1 day for $20.00; 3 days for $35.00; 7 days for $55.00 and two weeks for $80.00. A separate stamp is required for King Salmon fishing.

Q: Where can I buy a license?

A: We sell fishing licenses at our charter office. They are also available at Carr’s/Safeway grocery stores throughout Alaska and at the Fish House in Seward. They may also be ordered online through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website.

Q: What do I need to bring?

A: In addition to a fishing license, you will need to bring food and beverages. We recommend you wear warm, layered clothing and water-resistant shoes, and bring raingear, hat, gloves, sunscreen, sunglasses, and seasickness remedies. You might want to bring a camera and binoculars, as well. A cooler is helpful for transporting your fish home at the end of the day.

Q: Should I bring a cooler?

A: You won’t need to bring your fish cooler out on the boat – there will be time to get it as the fish are being filleted. You’re welcome to bring a small cooler for your lunch, if you’d like.

Q: What should I leave behind?

A: Do not bring illegal drugs, guns, or handheld GPS units.

Q: Can I bring alcohol?

A: Although we do not allow hard liquor on board, you are welcome to enjoy a moderate amount of beer during your trip.

Q: Can I smoke?

A: Though cigars are not allowed on board, you are welcome to enjoy a cigarette out on the deck.

Q: Can I bring my own rod and reel?

A: You are certainly free to bring your own gear, although we do supply gear as part of the trip.

Q: How can I pay?

A: For charters, we accept cash, checks, and VISA and MasterCard. We cannot accept Discover or American Express. For fishing licenses, we can accept only cash or checks – not credit cards.

Q: What is your cancellation policy?

A: Trips canceled because of weather conditions will result in a complete refund of your deposit. Cancellations made 30 days or more prior to the trip result in a full refund. If the cancellation is made within the 30 days prior to the trip, your 50% deposit will be forfeited. If we need to cancel the trip because of mechanical problems, we will work to place you on another boat or refund your deposit, at your discretion. We recommend you consider trip insurance. We cannot be responsible for cancelled flights, personal illness or other emergencies. However, if we can re-sell your seat we are happy to refund your deposit.

Q: Where do I park?

A: There are large public parking lots at both the north and south ends of the Seward Small Boat Harbor on Fourth Avenue. The lot closest to our office and to the slips where our boats are docked is the North lot, between the Texaco station and the NAPA store. The cost for parking is $5 per day. Note the space in which you are parked. There is an unmanned collection station at each lot.

Q: How do I find your office?

A: Our office is an office in the new Holiday Inn Express hotel at the north end of the Seward Small Boat Harbor. To get to the hotel: as you drive into Seward, turn left at the Texaco station onto North Harbor Street. Go one block and turn left again onto Fourth Avenue. Go ½ block – you will see the North parking lot on your left and the hotel on your right.

Q: Can we keep the fish we catch?

A: You decide whether or not to keep a fish you catch – we don’t choose your fish for you or make you keep fish you don’t want, unless that fish will not survive if it is released. The fish are marked so you can identify which fish you caught and take those specific fish home with you.

Q: What if I don’t want all my fish?

A: We ask that you release all fish that you don’t plan to eat. Sometimes people find out the cost of processing and shipping their fish then decide they don’t want it. Consider this as you’re out fishing and we’ll help you release the fish you don’t need.

Q: Where can I get my fish processed?

A: There are two fish processing companies in the Seward Small Boat Harbor: “J-Dock” is at the north end of the harbor, near our charter office, and “Captain Jack’s” is at the southern end of the harbor, near the Harbormaster’s office. They can vacuum pack and freeze your catch, then ship it to you or package it for you to take with you on the plane home.

Q: Do you “party fish”?

A: We do not party fish. It is illegal per Alaska State Law.

Q: Can I catch fish for my friend who’s sick?

A: Under Alaska law, the person who hooks the fish is the person who caught it. You can help someone reel up a fish, but they need to have hooked it or it will count against your catch limit.

Q: What is the catch limit for halibut? Salmon? Rockfish? Lingcod?

A: The catch limit for halibut is two per person per day. For salmon (excluding King or Chinook salmon), the limit is six per person per day. When fishing outside the bay, only three of these six can be silver salmon, while inside Resurrection Bay, all six could be silvers. The limit for black bass is five per person per day; for yelloweye rockfish and lingcod, the limit is one or two, depending on the area fished.

Q: How long does it take to get the fishing grounds?

A: When halibut fishing, it takes us about two hours to get to our prime fishing spots. For salmon, it really depends on where the fish are, and could be from 30 minutes to a two-hour trip.

Q: How fast is the boat?

A: Our boats travel at speeds in excess of 24 knots.

Q: How long have you been doing this?

A: Leslie has operated fishing charters out of Seward for 23 years and started Puffin Fishing Charters in 1994.

Top Ten Questions in Fun and Frequency:

What’s the elevation of Seward?
How big is this lake?
Are those penquins?
How much longer?
Have you ever caught fish here before?
How deep is it here?
Do I still have any bait?
Was that a bite?
How come he/she’s catching fish, and I’m not?
Our favorite: When do the smoked salmon run?

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