In short, Captain Kevin is the real deal. If you're lucky enough to find an open slot - TAKE IT. We fish A LOT and this was one of our best experiences to date. Beyond the little things ie: being punctual, giving a helpful safety run down and making you immediately feel comfortable on the boat.... Kevin is an exceptional guide who's extremely skilled/knowledgeable in his trade. You'll catch fish and impressive ones at that. I also have to mention, he was the hardest working guide we've ever experienced. There was never a "now we wait" scenario. Kevin was constantly checking the gear, tide, wind, bait etc... he didn't sit down. We were the second leg of his day but you would NEVER know it. The guy is truly impressive and fishing is his calling. We caught 7 fish - 5 of which were MONSTER lake trout. Each and every reel was a thrill!.. Much to our dismay we don't live in Chicago but every time we're in town for a visit, a day out with Captain Kevin will be on the agenda. Kevin, if you happen to read this - huge THANKS again for an AWESOME time!! We hope to be back soon. read more

Kingfisher Charters - Beautiful lake trout. Caught about 5 this size+ ... only kept 2 b/c we were visiting. AWESOME time! - Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friends and I went out on the boat on July 15. It was our second time going out with Captain Jeff and his shipmate Jessika. Just like the first time we really enjoyed ourselves. We drank a few brews, listened to music, and caught lots of fish. More than anything, it's nice to experience good times with good people. You almost don't even care if you catch any fish. Jeff and Jessika are great. Beautiful down to earth folks and we really love going out there with them. Heading out, we played music and watched the Chicago skyscrapers sink into the ground. No cellphone service way out there, so we're just out there enjoying uninterrupted time together. We all draw numbers to determine the rotation and for the second time we went through the rotation twice. Everyone got to haul in fish. I almost didn't want us to write this review right now because we want to book another outing in September and I selfishly want to go out with Jeff and Jessika again. By writing this review now, they may get booked by more people. But I decided to write it now anyway, because they deserve it. Thank you, Captain Jeff and Jessika! Hopefully we'll see you in September. Tight lines! Miguel DT Sr read more

Great time fishing on this boat!!! We went out for the 6 hour afternoon VIP tour and it was awesome! We caught 5 good size lake trout, would have been 6, but I messed it up. The captain was a great host, and a very knowledgeable fisherman. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone looking to get out on the lake and go for some big fish. read more

See all

A little background: my friend wanted to go fishing for her birthday with her close friends (as opposed to going out to a bar or club), so we decided on a six-hour fishing charter with Kingfisher after doing some research of the available charters in Chicago. WE HAD A BLAST!!! Captain Ian was a great host, and was very knowledge and engaging. The harbor was easy to find, the boat was pretty big for seven people (six guests plus the captain), and we were able to bring our coolers packed with goodies and beers with ease. Despite a slow start and a little bit of rain halfway through the charter, we caught seven trouts and two salmon, and the largest was an eighteen pound (roughly) trout!! WOW!!! Overall, I was happy that my friend had a great birthday weekend and I definitely recommend choosing Kingfisher and Captain Ian for your next fishing charter. My friends and I are already thinking about doing it again in the spring once it warms up again. Thank you so much, Captain Ian and Kingfisher Charters!! read more

See all

We have been on a few charter fishing trips before and this one was the best that we've been on. Kevin and Jeff were awesome! They made sure we had a great time and knew exactly what they were doing and had intel on the hot spots. We caught 5 lake trout and 17 coho salmon in a 6 hour period. We would definitely come again and would recommend this to anyone! read more

Kingfisher Charters - Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Thank you, Ian, for responding to our posts. This company does follow through and provide a good trip to fish. read more

Kingfisher Charters - Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Captain Kevin made the entire trip really stress free. It was a great time!! I was worried that we wouldn't catch much, but between 6 people we caught 11! 3 or 4 got away. All in all, pretty good for 6 hours I'd say! The boat was spacious and comfortable (we choose the 38 ft option). I'd recommend them to anyone!! read more

Kingfisher Charters - Fishing with a view! - Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

We got the pleasure of having both Captain Ian and Captain Kevin on our fishing adventure today and boy did we luck out!!! 13 trout and 8 salmon! These guys are super talented at what they do and they are a hoot to hang out with! I'm recommending these guys to everyone I know. I can't wait to do it again and again with this company, they call and text you before you leave the docks to make sure everyone is prepared, they do all the hard work- setting lines, netting the fish, filleting and bagging our trophies! I can't say enough nice things about these guys!!! read more

See all

I recently hired Kingfisher Charters for a work outing to entertain customers. I fish on the lake with a friend in his boat approx 20 times per season so I know the ins and outs of salmon fishing out of Chicago. Captain Kevin and Captain Patrick did an excellent job for us. We left the dock on time after a brief safety briefing. We were set up and on the fish within 45 minutes and had solid action throughout the day. A good mixture of Steelhead, King Salmon and Lake Trout. Kevin hustled throughout the day to ensure that lines were always in the water and lures that were not seeing action were switched out. The same could be said for Patrick and his mate George. My customers had an awesome time and we will be back again! read more

This is our first time doing a fishing charter in Chicago. We went on a pretty choppy day, but we still were able to catch 4 nice size fish, 3 lake trout and 1 salmon. The first mate, Kyle, did a great job of cleaning the fish for us. We cooked them up that same evening, they were delicious! There were some cons though. The boat cabin was very dirty and unorganized. Especially with COVID-19 hanging around these days, I would expect the boat to be properly sanitized and cleaned after each trip. There was a large piece of loose furniture in the cabin that was perched up on top of some more items, that kept falling down in the cabin, posing a safety hazard when trying to walk to the restroom. It was very bouncy that day, so the piece of furniture kept falling down and blocking the path to the bathroom. Not safe at all - it could have fallen on somebody. The bathroom was filthy, no toilet paper, the trash bin was still full from the prior trips, and there was no pedal to flush the toilet. With that being said, a member of our trip went to the bathroom, and because it was so bouncy that day, she unfortunately got sick in the bathroom. If there had been paper towels or even toilet paper in the bathroom she would have been able to clean up the mess. She also had to "air dry" after using the bathroom. Captain Kevin was our guide for the day. He was extremely rude to the woman who had the accident in the bathroom and berated her in front of our entire group twice throughout the trip which made it very awkward for everyone. It just wasn't professional. Kyle was the first mate and he was awesome. But unfortunately Captain Kevin made everyone uncomfortable throughout the trip. With that being said, we did have a good time and caught some great fish, however, because of the poor experience we had with Kevin and the conditions of the cabin, we will not be using Kingfisher Charters in the future. read more

If you want to have a great time and catch fish? Look no further. Captain Kevin knows these waters like the back of his hand and we had "fish on!" within about 20 minutes. First thing he did was go over all safety protocol, which is great, especially for those of us that may want to bring the kids, and want to know we are dealing with a top notch charter. So book a trip, and enjoy the view of the greatest city on earth while captain and crew do the work, just be ready to jump when you hear those words....Fish on ! read more

We went out with Captain Ian for a early morning fishing trip to celebrate a birthday and we had a fantastic time!! Ian made the planning incredibly easy, was in communication as the trip approached, and was a great guide! The boat was clean, spacious, and fit all 6 of us comfortably. Captain Ian is a really nice guy, a great fisherman and guide (he knows his stuff!), and made the trip really fun. The weather the day of our trip was quite chilly, foggy, but it was well worth it as we caught over 20 fish. Fishing with Ian and Kingfisher Charters was WELL worth the price, and some of us are already talking about planning another trip with him later in the summer! read more

Was able to register a 6 person charter 2 days ago (12-6pm time-slot) and had an absolute blast. After a 40 minute run to the fishing grounds our Captain and First Mate started dropping the first of 16 lines into the water. Before they were halfway thru we were already reeling in our first Rainbow Trout. 13 more fish followed because the Kingfisher guys were constantly monitoring the lines, adjusting them as needed, and guiding us through the process of getting the fish on board. We kept about 150 pounds of fish and will eat well for weeks. Excellent time and we will absolutely return again before the season is over. Highly highly recommend! read more

We went out at 5 am this morning w/ Captain Kevin and ended up w/ 11 trout and 3 cohos. The fish were biting right away and were hot for over 2 hours straight. We were on the 34 ft boat, and it was comfortable w/ the 6 of us. We brought a bunch of snacks for the trip to hold us over for the 6 hours on the boat. We had a great time and plan to book with them next time! Thanks for a great trip w/ 3 first timers! read more

Thank you Captain Kevin and Marcus for a wonderful day of fishing on the lake. It was surreal is the only way I can describe the experience. Not only good fishing but great hospitality. You provided us with great memories and look forward to our next outing. read more