Puffin Fishing Charters

Being an avid fisherman and taking a trip to Alaska, I had to experience some halibut fishing. I called several other charters before Puffin, but they were sold out and I'm glad they were! I called Puffin the night before I wanted to go out and Capt. Leslie was very friendly and got me a spot for a halibut/king salmon charter.

The next day when I arrived Leslie was very helpful in getting me everything I needed before heading out.

I was on a charter with Capt. Eric and Deckhand Darren. Both guys were some of the best guides I've ever had and I've been on a LOT of guided fishing trips. While not everyone got a king salmon, we did have some excitement with catching pink salmon. When we got to the halibut portion of the trip, Capt. Eric put everyone on some very large fish. I got a 60 pounder and another guy got an 80 pounder.

I'd highly recommend using this charter service if you are ever in Seward and want to do some halibut fishing.

We had such a wonderful time with Captain Aaron. My son and I took two fishing trips during our time in Seward and each time I felt very safe with Aaron as the Captain.

We caught some incredible fish! There is no question that our mounds of fish would NOT have been possible without the guidance of the deck hands!

If you are prone to being "seasick" bring the dramamine! I did fine but others didn't. The water is rough in Alaska and Wayyyyyyty different than the lower states.

We will be back to fill up our freezer once again!!

Captain Eric and Dooley are the best! They give 100% and I promise you will be pleased!
They are full of fishing knowledge, help bait your rods, and bring the fish on boarded

Aaron & Alex were amazing! everyone on the boat limited out! They helped my haul in a 135 lb Halibut!
Definitely recommend these guys

I traveled from the east coast to go fishing and had an absolute blast!! I highly recommend Puffin Charters. Their staff was nice, provided all the equipment, bait, guidance and just a great time on the water. Leslie and her team/boats are on my recommendations list!!

Spot on fishing charter. Had a hiking group stick around to fish. Very accommodating. These guys love to catch fish not just troll around. Very knowledgeable and funny. We had a blast. Thank you!

Went on a trip yesterday and had a great time fishing with these guys. They put me on great spots and made the most of the day giving me the opportunity to catch my limits on halibut and rockfish. I also was able to land a few cod and some other species that were released. I ended up with 45lbs in the freezer.

I am not one for detailed reviews like this- but I felt I owed it to Puffin Charters to complete a thorough review.

I am an Alaskan resident who will take her rod and throw it into a stream periodically throughout the summer. Once a year my parents and I plan a chartered fishing trip. For the past few years we visited the same boat for a strictly salmon charter out of Seward. This year we had our hearts set on Homer, however due to time off not falling til late in the season we weren't making plans til the last minute. When it came time to make plans Swan Lake cut us off so we 'settled' on Seward for the fifth year in a row.

We called Puffin Charters a week before and they managed to push us into a spot- and I'm so thankful we didnt go to Seward.

Starting off they gave great instructions on where to meet so check in was no problems. From the start this charter was different then the others, they really took a burden off our shoulders by carting our coolers off to the boat. (All other times we carried it down the pier.) The walk to the boat was also half the trek of the other times.

For this charter we had the pleasure of being on the newest vessel of their fleet- The Sorceress with Captain Eric and Zack. Its immediately noted how clean and beautiful the vessel is- but we were a little nervous being with such a small crew. In the past we had been ignored for bait or fish- but our fears were completely unfounded.

First off- the boat is a very impressive little beast. The walkways on the side of the boat are thankfully narrow, and while some people would hate it- it was a savior for people with back pain. The next thing I have to note are the BEST seats I've ever been on a boat. I am not new to boats- I've been on The Alaskan Ferry, Key West Express ferry, and a healthy sum of fishing boats but those Hydraulic seats were a heaven sent. Lastly in my concentration of the boat I will leave a final note that it can move quite nicely. We easily outpaced other boats and were fishing quickly once away from the bay.

Moving on to the fishing. No matter how much money you throw into a charter there is never guarantee of a bite. You can turn on all the gadgets in the world but if the fish dont want to bite, they wont.
That being said- we did NOT have a poor catch. The morning started slow, but the bites did start to happen. The thing I can judge the crew on is the effort exerted in trying to get the fish. These guys exceeded expectations. They really did the absolute best they could under the circumstances. The captain moved the boat a half dozen times. The halibut were nothing incredible to write home about, but two of us caught two and the other caught one of the largest.

Backing up a second- I will note that they do hold up to their promise of great gear. The fishing rods were nice. The ones geared for Salmon had a dial that told you how far down you were and its helped me note my pull for less tech savvy rods.

When booking this Charter they pulled no punches and told us it was a 'Halibut and whatever you can catch" charter. Brutal honesty is the best. Once a good chunch of the charter had their halibut they changed our rods and we quickly maxed out on Rockfish. (I've met a few people who say they never take rockfish because they didnt know what it was. If you catch it, keep it. It's much more fishy and not as fluffy, but as long as you like Snapper you will be satisfied.)
A few others got salmon, sadly I just caught a pink that's ending up as smoked salmon dip.

All in all it was one of the best charters I've ever had in terms of conditions and staff. In terms of fishing- a charter in FL pre-BP oil spill takes that cake.
We honestly took a wonderful haul home.

Two more things I would love to note. I forgot my stainless steel waterbottle on the boat and one of the owners dropped it off on a trip to Anchorage. That's why I've given 30 minutes for this review.

Lastly there is one single complaint about Puffin Charters.
They have one of the coolest designs I've ever seen on a hoodie. Something that if Mountains and Mermaids I would buy a shirt and a hoodie. Each year I will probably ask if they will sell me one but will never seriously be upset or sad because if it's for the crew only- they are one damned lucky crew.

10/10 for boat
10/10 for staff
#1 choice for charters out of Seward.

Quote from that day:
"How long do we stay out?
"Until we run out of gas"

Great service, clean boats, great captains and mates. Four of us fished for two days on two different boats. Great results and wonderful memories.

Went out with for a full day Halibut / Silver Salmon charter on 8/8/19 with Capt Leslie on the 50 ft Tenacious. There were a total of 18 folks fishing; everybody got at least one Halibut and a couple of other fish (Silver, cod, rockfish). The experience was just a described on their website: fast running speed to the fishing spots, gear all worked, catch was filleted on the board. Obviously, we would have enjoyed landing more fish but the captain and crew don't control the fish. The captain and deck hands were very patient in explaining technique to newbies -- myself included -- and worked hard to help us keep fishing (rebaiting hooks, untangling lines, pulling fish in). No issues with reservations. Due to the slow fishing, we stayed on the water for 12 hours: 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM.

I come from a family of fishermen, so it's not surprising on a family vacation in Alaska that we spent an entire day fishing for what my brother excitingly calls "Alaska's gold".

We were picked up right off the port of our cruise ship by Captain Eric, who also drove us to pick up lunch to-go at Safeway before we went out on the boat.

On our way out to sea, Captain Eric asked if we wanted to stop for whales if we saw any. Ummm, YES! We were lucky enough to see an orca whale, humpback whale, and a ton of seals chillin' on the rocks.

Once we got out to sea, the ocean wasn't very cooperative. We managed to catch two halibut, a flounder and a rock fish before it was decided that we needed to retreat to calmer waters. Luckily, we had the entire boat to ourselves since there were seven in our party. After just two hours, we maxed out on our halibut limit (2 per person) and started fishing near the coves for rock fish. Such a different experience, yet both were so much fun!

Captain Eric and his first mate, Shawn, were so helpful. They always had bait ready, helped bring the fish aboard, gave us (errrr....me) good tips on how to set the hook, and filleted all the fish. All we pretty much had to do was reel them in (which was actually quite a workout at 500 feet deep)!

Leslie, the owner, was nice enough to not charge us for my four year old niece (the girly girl she is, she didn't give a hoot about fishing and didn't touch a pole once while we were out there).

This was such an awesome fishing experience. I couldn't have asked for more! They totally went above and beyond to ensure we had the best day possible with them. Highly recommended!