Working in the tourism industry myself, I’ve found that most tourists planning their dream vacation to Alaska can feel overwhelmed with the thousands of options Alaska has to offer, especially when it comes to the world of fishing! ! So I’ve put together some simple tools to help move this process along.

Finding the BEST fishing charters in Alaska takes time, effort, and most importantly, extensive research! The Kenai Peninsula, which is the most common place to start your fishing adventure, offers various locations such as Seward, Ninilchik, Kenai River, Kasilof River, and Homer. Within these locations, you’re looking at over 100 charter companies to research and filter out the best of the worst. How can we speed this up? As simple as it sounds: reviews!

Reviews, like those on TripAdvisor and Google, can make or break a business in a number of ways. While you can’t have the good without the bad, the important thing to look for here is how many bad reviews there are compared to great AND what they say. Do the guests seem valid in their complaints? Did the company take the time to respond? This is vital for filtering some of the garbage (excuse the blunt talk) down to legitimate concerns.

Once you’ve reached about three or five companies of interest by selecting reviews, you’ll want to move on to finding out who has the best options available for what you’re looking for! Looking for a specific location, boat size, trip length, exclusive or party style fishing, or a specific species? While most Alaska fishing charters on the Kenai Peninsula offer roughly the same types of trips, asking your fellow travelers these questions will help you narrow down the questions when it’s time to make the calls.

Which brings us to the next step: call! Most companies offer online reservations, but if you’re new to Alaska fishing, I recommend calling first to work out a few details. You’ll want to ask important questions like, what locations do you offer? Are your trips full days or half days? What hours are your trips offered? What do I need to buy and what is included? Questions like these are crucial to making sure you’re booking EXACTLY what you’re looking for!

Once they are answered, you will be in a position to make a decision! Proceed through the process of reserving the charter of your choice and get ready to start preparing to fish in Alaska!

Alaska Fishing Prep 101:

– Dress in layers
– Bring rain gear
– Treat seasickness with a remedy BEFORE the trip
– Bring lunches and drinks on board for snack
– Buy Alaska fishing license in advance
– Plan how you want to get the fish home: with you on the plane or in the shipment
– Bring a camera

And most importantly, great, ready to have the trip of a lifetime!