Getting
to Seward
Seward,
Alaska is 126 miles south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula. Anchorage
is the nearest large airport and is the takeoff point for most people
venturing to Alaska.
Most people
rent a car to travel to Seward along the gorgeous Seward Highway, which
has won many national awards for its spectacular beauty. Give yourself
at least 2 ½ hours to make the trip, longer if you’re a
photographer. The Alaska Railroad can also bring you to Seward.
Preparing
for Your Charter
We ask
that you arrive at our office at the Holiday Inn Express hotel, located
near the north end of the Seward Small Boat Harbor on Fourth Avenue,
between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. on the morning of your full-day fishing trip.
At that
time we will make sure you have
everything you need, and give you directions to your boat. We encourage
you to take sea sickness remedies if there is any risk of you having
motion sickness. We hate to see people unable to fish because they don’t
feel well.
A “what
to bring” checklist:
The cost
of your trip includes all the bait, tackle, and gear, and the filleting
of your catch.
Please
let us know if you have any time restrictions on your day, such as needing
to catch a train or a cruise ship. On our full-day trips, we work to
be back at the dock between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m., although may be back
a little later if people’s schedules allow. If we know you need
to be in by a specific time, we can make sure that happens and fillet
your fish underway, if necessary.
During
Your Charter
Once you
arrive at the boat, please wait on the dock until you are invited aboard
by the crew. We will help you store your gear inside the cabin and have
introductions and a safety briefing. The captain will then get underway,
while everyone gets an introduction to the fishing gear and a briefing
of what to expect when we get to the fishing grounds. En route, you
are welcome to sit out on deck or come inside the cabin and make yourself
comfortable.
On the
way out and back from our fishing spots, you’ll get a sightseeing/wildlife
tour as part of the trip. We frequently see sea otters, sea lions, Dall
porpoises, Orca and humpback whales, and numerous species of sea birds,
including cormorants, murres, and, of course, puffins. The waterways
outside Seward are spectacular, with rocky islands and many hanging
and tidewater glaciers.
The crew’s
extensive experience fishing in these waters and our top-of-the-line
Furuno electronics help to put us right on the fish. The crew will work
hard to provide you as much instruction and guidance as you would like
– they’ll even give you a hand reeling if you need it! We
recognize that this may be the trip of a lifetime for you, and the captain
works very hard to find fishing spots that produce a quality catch.
You know the adage, “They call it fishing and not catching”,
but we do our best to make it fishing and catching, so you’re
not just paying for a long (though beautiful) boat ride.
Alaska State Law prohibits us from allowing “party fishing”
and from allowing clients to fish for one another. It is your choice
to keep a fish or have us return it to the sea. We will mark your fish
so that you get to keep the fish you caught, but once you have caught
your limit, we’ll ask you to be a spectator until the rest of
the group has limited out. If the day’s not yet over, we can look
around for some rockfish and have you start on a new limit!
End
of the Day
Once the
fishing day is over, we’ll start our trip back to the harbor.
We target being back at the dock between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. The deckhand
will begin cleaning the boat on the way in. Once we’re tied up
at the dock, we’ll have you gather up your belongings and head
to the fish cleaning station. The deckhand will load the day’s
catch and take it up to the fish hanging station if you’d like
photographs. He’ll then fillet the fish and put the fillets in
bags for your cooler or will help you arrange to have your fish processed.
The cost of processing is not included in your fishing charter, but
there are facilities right at the harbor if you would like to have your
catch vacuum-packed and frozen. They can ship your fish for you or package
it for you to check with your luggage for your flight home. Gratuities
to the crew are customary and appreciated. The standard is $20 to $30
per person.
We at Puffin
Fishing Charters recognize the money, time, and effort it takes to plan
your vacation to Alaska. We also appreciate the number of choices you
have in determining with whom to go fishing. We do our best to assure
you a wonderful fishing experience. Whether you’re a seasoned
angler or a novice fisher, we want this to be a trip that you’ll
not soon forget.
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