Guest Review

Awesome day of Alaskan fishing!

• Lukas
• 2018-08-30
• Salmon Fishing
• Canada

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We were a group of four (2 couples) – with our two husbands who had fished before. Our 6-hour fishing tour was awesome! We booked with Baranof Excursions by phone before boarding our Princess cruise in Anchorage (Whittier). We had pre-paid using our credit card. On the day our cruise arrived in Ketchikan, Lukas (the captain of our fishing boat) met us at the dock by our cruise ship and we walked the short distance to where the company is based by the dock. We were outfitted with boots (and raincoats – which we declined on the sunny day) and our personal belongings were put into a watertight bag to have on board with us. We also purchased our Alaskan fishing licenses ($25 U.S. per person – via Baranof) at the dock. We all opted to buy a license; although, one could go out and just watch the others fish and not have a license, if you preferred. The day was sunny for us; but, our boat had both a covered area (where we sat while travelling) and an open area (from where we fished). Working part of the year in Alaska and the other part in Florida, Lukas was an expert on all aspects of our tour (operating the boat, showing us how to bait our lines and how to reel in the fish we caught – nine, in total)! We fished both by trolling and by jigging. (The wives learned a lot! Ha ha!) We caught: pink salmon, silver salmon, yellowtail rockfish, ling cod, and yelloweye rockfish. What a perfect day! We boated out quite far (just over an hour) to an area where Lukas believed we would have success; he was right! During the five (or so) hours we were actually out on the boat, Lukas gave each of us a small boxed “lunch” for a snack (crackers, delicious salmon spread, a fruit cup, etc.) We had also brought our own lunch (sandwiches, fruit, drinks) to supplement the one Baranof had provided. He showed us how to “use the facilities” while out on the boat – basically, off the side (as, obviously, there is no bathroom on board). When we returned to the dock, Lukas hung our fish on hooks for a photo opportunity – so we could take our own photos. We also watched as he cleaned our fish for us. Then (this was very cool) – Lukas had us fill out the paperwork to enable some of our fish to be brought on board our Princess ship to be cooked up for us by the ship’s chef (a [free!] service only provided by Princess, not the other cruise lines). We enjoyed eating our “catch” (deliciously prepared and presented by the Princess kitchen) the next day for lunch on the ship (an “at sea” day, for us). The rest of the fish we caught could be shipped home (at our expense); but, we opted to have Baranof prepare and deliver it to the homeless shelter in Ketchikan – a great idea! What a wonderful overall experience – fishing in Alaska, catching nine fish, watching them be cleaned, and then eating them, beautifully prepared, on our cruise ship! Thanks, Lukas (Baranof) and “Princess” for an awesome experience!!