Juneau Sportfishing Shore Excursion

[reedski'scruise]

This is the description of the Juneau Sportfishing Shore Excursion:

Adult Pricing From: $215

Troll for salmon aboard a fully equipped 28-40-foot charter boat, complete with fish finders and downriggers. All rods are firmly secured in rod holders, so you don't even have to hold them. With just four to six passengers per boat, you'll enjoy ideal conditions for fishing. For an additional charge, your catch can be flash frozen or smoked and shipped to your home (U.S. only). Note: Actual fishing duration is approximately 3 1/2 hours. We recommend participants wear rubber-soled shoes. Alaska State Law requires a fishing license that can be purchased in cash on the fishing boat for $20. During King Salmon season, you must purchase an additional $10 tag.

This is what actually takes place:

You are not allowed to touch the poles and are told not to touch them. The bait is checked no more than 30-45 minutes apart so by the time it is checked it is long gone. The bait was not cut properly. The boat was small and overcrowded. There was not even a bite so I am not sure where the fish finders were.

These were experienced fishermen that took this shore excursion so they knew that things were not done properly. If you weren't an experienced fisherman you probably wouldn't know the difference.

All in all it was a really disappointing excursion. I spoke with the concierge and the shore excursion person and both said: "It says in the description that they won't be able to hold their poles." :mad: No, what it says is: "all rods are firmly secured in rod holders so you don't even have to hold them." It does not say you are not allowed to hold them if you choose to do so. The shore excursion person assured me that he had personally taken this particular excursion with this company and found nothing wrong with it.

Just beware if you are into sportfishing this is not the excursion for you!

[retiredonthesea]

This is the description of the Juneau Sportfishing Shore Excursion:

Adult Pricing From: $215

Troll for salmon aboard a fully equipped 28-40-foot charter boat' date=' complete with fish finders and downriggers. All rods are firmly secured in rod holders, so you don't even have to hold them. With just four to six passengers per boat, you'll enjoy ideal conditions for fishing. For an additional charge, your catch can be flash frozen or smoked and shipped to your home (U.S. only). Note: Actual fishing duration is approximately 3 1/2 hours. We recommend participants wear rubber-soled shoes. Alaska State Law requires a fishing license that can be purchased in cash on the fishing boat for $20. During King Salmon season, you must purchase an additional $10 tag.

This is what actually takes place:

You are not allowed to touch the poles and are told not to touch them. The bait is checked no more than 30-45 minutes apart so by the time it is checked it is long gone. The bait was not cut properly. The boat was small and overcrowded. There was not even a bite so I am not sure where the fish finders were.

These were experienced fishermen that took this shore excursion so they knew that things were not done properly. If you weren't an experienced fisherman you probably wouldn't know the difference.

All in all it was a really disappointing excursion. I spoke with the concierge and the shore excursion person and both said: "It says in the description that they won't be able to hold their poles." :mad: No, what it says is: "all rods are firmly secured in rod holders so you don't even have to hold them." It does not say you are not allowed to hold them if you choose to do so. The shore excursion person assured me that he had personally taken this particular excursion with this company and found nothing wrong with it.

Just beware if you are into sportfishing this is not the excursion for you!

 

And they call that FISHING!! We did a Halibut fishing excursion and had no luck at all. The wind came up and we had 3 ft swells going back to a protected cove where we tried again. I did catch a shark, but they cut the line so fast and explained "sharks in the area mean no good fishing" that was it. Back to the pier.:(

 

Now we fly to Alaska just for fishing trips---and return with lots of halibut, salmon, rock fish, ect. We will never take another fishing excursion from a cruise line. Hope others out there have had better luck as I know there are good charters---don't want to bad mouth all of them!

 

Retiredonthesea

[Toyz711]

besides being so early in the seaon that the salmon aren't biting that much..what a bummer for fishing people!!

next time book direct with a local...at least then you can talk to them and get a real feel for the boat. for the cruiseline, you just get whatever boat is available through the broker.

i did a halibut fishing out of seward, a few years ago..the captain was very concerned about his poles and lures...but got over it when he saw we could fish.

[cruizinwithkids]

We did a private excursion in Alaska as well. It was similar. We were early in the season and there weren't a lot of bites. We caught two fish but the guy did everything as "we'd wait for the bigger ones." It was so disappointing for my son as the whole fishing trip was planned for him. He was 12 at the time.

[Fishbait17]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post!! I came this <-> close to booking the same excursion this morning, and I am so glad I didn't!! I am used to not catching fish on every charter, but these rules seem insane! I am a very experienced fisherwoman (as my name suggests :D) and I would really hate anything like this! Now, off to find a private operator.... Anyone have any suggestions for early July?

 

Robin

[Toyz711]

ask over on the alaska boards...

BQ always recommends "northern lights" out of ketchikan.

alaskan marine does fishing, have heard any reviews for his fishing trips recently. (out of juneau).

some of the locals, who hang out on the alaska boards, can come up with some good recommendations.

[reedski'scruise]

Glad to have helped Fishbait17! It was a lot of money for a really poor excursion. Good luck on your excursion!!

[nderoche]

We are on the June 1st Pearl....that even might be a bit early but that's why they call it fishing and not catching!!! Julie went a few years ago after reading about when to go. She had a limit in an hour and had salmon on the grill for a long time but that was in Ketchikan.

You should have done your homework....sorry.:cool:

 

Nick & Julie

[nderoche]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post!! I came this <-> close to booking the same excursion this morning, and I am so glad I didn't!! I am used to not catching fish on every charter, but these rules seem insane! I am a very experienced fisherwoman (as my name suggests :D) and I would really hate anything like this! Now, off to find a private operator.... Anyone have any suggestions for early July?

Robin

 

 

Ketchikan

Nick & Julie

[reedski'scruise]

nderoche,

It was more the way they were treated and the excursion not being as described than catching fish. There are no guarantees you will catch anything. They knew that. I don't know how doing or not doing their homework could have changed that. The charter service was unprofessional at best. But, thank you for your comments!

[nderoche]

nderoche. I don't know how doing or not doing their homework could have changed that.

 

If they treated you bad there is no excuse for that but the King Salmon really don't start running until the end of May or the first of June. We may even be early in Ketchican on the 7th of June.

 

Nick