We had a great time with the Puffin crew! Four halibut, two rockfish, and a cod made this a day to remember. The captain (Manny) dropped us right on top of a great halibut spot. Within minutes of lines going in the water, fish started coming out. The entire boat caught their "overs", and most of us caught our "unders" by 11AM. Manny moved the boat to new spots to find rockfish, salmon and smaller halibuts. The deckhand Bora was quick to help with the tackle, and cleaned the fish on our way back to shore. My wife was horribly seasick most of the day. Manny and Bora were quite helpful. Luckily, she still managed to pull in a few halibut. We'd highly recommend Puffin Charters! read more

Puffin Fishing Charters - Two of our halibuts - Fishing Near Me - Seward, Alaska

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Fantastic charter led by an outstanding Captain and Crewman. Beautiful waters, excellent fishing with views of glaciers and Gulf of Alaska sea life around us. The Huntress was a nice boat perfect for the weather and adventure. Rod/reel fishing too. No downriggers. You will feel the fish. Wishing I could extend the vacation to fish again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. read more

Puffin Fishing Charters - Photo op - Fishing Near Me - Seward, Alaska

Had a charter on Monday started off well. Our Captain definitely had a hard time finding the fish at first. But he was persistent and we finally hit our limit. It was a fun day fishing though. My only issue was our deckhand had some issues cleaning the fish and you could tell he as very green. I had to go over the fish again to get the bones out. Him and the captain had a hard time keeping up with what we caught. My father caught a 35lb Halibut and he wound up cleaning it and gave it to another charter guest because the deckhand mistagged it. read more

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!! read more

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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 read more

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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!! read more

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

We can't say enough good things about Captain Aaron and Hunter. They were wonderful!! We laughed, maxed out on halibut, caught some salmon, rock fish, and so so many cod! It rained almost all day, and luckily we brought rain jackets, but keep in mind Seward can be rainy! I wish I had worn mucks, but that's on me. Around 1500 it cleared up. We saw seals, porpoise, and whales. It was everything we hoped for and more. read more

Outstanding crew, very hospitable, and we always catch fish! Eric is probably the most knowledgeable captain in Seward captaining for 20 years. We limited both times on our King Salmon and Halibut trips. read more

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! read more

Puffin Fishing Charters - Fishing Near Me - Seward, Alaska

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. read more

Puffin Fishing Charters - Halibut - Fishing Near Me - Seward, Alaska

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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" read more

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! read more

Fished with this outfit in late July of 2011. When I arrived it was cold and rainy and was fearing that the trip may be cancelled due to bad weather. After checking in at the offices (Holiday Inn Express, Seward Alaska) my fears of missing my charter was alleviated. Boarded the vessel "Huntress" with long time skipper Leslie and we headed out to open water to the halibut grounds. Once we neared the mouth of the bay we encountered some rough seas so the captain headed the boat back in to a protected area. It appeared that the rest of the Seward had the same idea as we fished for Silver (Coho) Salmon for a few hours. Most limited out on Salmon and we also caught quite of few Pacific Cod as well. Little after high noon, we made a move to a place called 40 mile bank where we targeted the halibut. Luckily I limited out (2 halibuts) in 4 drops. The other 2 drops resulted in another Pacific Cod and something called an Arrow Toothed Flounder. Once I caught my limit, we waited for others to catch theirs however the halibuts did not want to play. Only individual was skunked from catching a halibut.. not bad since it's fishing. When we arrived, captain Leslie generously gave 30 lbs of packaged halibut the to poor soul who didn't manage to catch one. In my years of fishing, I've yet to see a captain do this.. two thumbs up. Hew first mate Shawn (sp?) worked his tail off the entire time.. and I can't thank him enough for his effort. Will definately return. Gear on boat for salmon were Shimano Tekota levelwinds paired with Ugly Stick rods that god the job done. For halibut, I used an Avet EX on a Tica Alaskan special rod. There were some exhausted people on board who used the Daiwa Dendoh power assisted reels.. very nice. read more

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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. read more

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. read more

Above and Beyond are the best words used to describe our experience and that's BEFORE we got on the boat. With mixed up reservations, Diane did everything to get us ready and into the water. Our Captain was extremely accommodating, and our day of fishing was an absolute BLAST! Best Day Ever read more

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

This trip was everything I hoped for...serious fishing, a long day on the water, and bonus whale and Orca watching. Captain Jacob is knowledgeable, humorous, patient. His deck hand Jackson is equally hard working and patiently satisfied my curiosity about fish finding, gear, fish habits, etc. Most importantly, Jacob knows where the fish are! Leslie and Denni run a very professional business and are generous with helpful tips. I traveled with a backpack and was suddenly weighted down with a 20 lb box of frozen fish. Cost to ship home was exorbitant, so Denni suggested that I call ahead to my next hostel to see if they had freezer space. Sure enough, they had plenty of room to store my fish until my trip was done. I highly recommend booking with Puffin. It's a much better value than a sightseeing trip as we saw the glaciers and whales while catching fish. And considering that halibut goes for $25 lb....well, you do the math. read more

Puffin Fishing Charters - Captain Jacob - Fishing Near Me - Seward, Alaska

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Pretty Awesome Fishing Experience with the crew here. They were super knowledgeable and fun to fish with. They took us to some awesome spots for halibut and rockfish, and everyone caught their limit. Definitely check out Puffin if you want a great experience and fun crew! read more

We booked the boat (8 of us) for a Captain's choice 8 hour charter -- Capt Nate Smith on the Offshore Hunter. Wow - what a great experience. Very beautiful and very fishy. Caught several King Salmon and Sea Bass and limited out on Halibut. Highly Recommend. read more

Puffin Fishing Charters - WooHoo ! - Fishing Near Me - Seward, Alaska

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Thank you for an exceptional fishing charter! Absolutely a great fishing experience. Captain Leslie was super accommodating and able to get us out on the water even though we were a couple weeks earlier than the normal season. Captain Ian is awesome and got us into a bunch of fish. I've been out on multiple charters over the years and Puffin is by far the best. We called on Monday to see if we could go out on Tuesday but were told that the boat wasn't in the water yet as the season doesn't start until mid April. They were able to get us out on Thursday after they had taken the boat out on Wednesday for a test run. There were on 5 people on a boat that normally carries 12 people fishing plus the crew. Their boat and gear are all super clean and well maintained. Next time that I'm up in Alaska for a visit I will be going out fishing with them again. Thank you again to everyone at Puffin Charters! read more

We had an awesome day of fishing, even the weather was perfect. Capt. Aaron and Brandon did a great job, and were fun to spend the day with. Them being personable was as important to us as their fishing knowledge. Aaron does some pretty good Family Guy impressions! haha! Aaron definitely knew his stuff and had us into halibut, pinks, kings, rockfish, black cod, and even a few ling cod which we had to release since they were out of season. Puffin was thoughtful enough to get a birthday cake for one of our group who was turning 16 on the day we fished. When I booked with Capt. Leslie back in February she happened to ask the ages of our youth participants and I mentioned that one was actually turning 16 the day we fished. That was all it took and next thing you know Aaron was walking out on the deck with a cake after we had just limited on halibut. Special moment for all of us, thanks guys! read more

This business is not a business, but a family who cares! While in Alaska we lost one of our group members, my brother-in-law, unexpectedly. They were notified by the Chalet we were staying at and immediately sent me a note of condolences along with a note stating all funds would be reimbursed. We received the funds today along with a beautifully written personal card from them as well. This is the kind of businessI want to deal with! Thank you read more

Great Boats, good captains and do what they say they will do. This company would make millions if they had an app so you could avoid speaking with the owner. read more

First of all the fishing and the boat crew/captain were amazing, very helpful, accommodative and friendly they tried very hard to get us the largest fish and the most amount (king salmon/halibut trip). I couldn't say enough great things about the boat crew, the only reason I dropped the review to 4 out of 5 stars was the interactions with the reservationist/office ladies. When I booked my trip they emailed me the wrong date on the confirmation (two days after the date I booked), I emailed to correct it and it took almost a week to get it corrected. Two days after I sent the email with no correction response I called and spoke to a lady who was borderline rude about blaming the part time person who is the only one who sends out the emails saying she's very busy and we'll get it eventually (not something you want to hear paying $350 a head) . The confirmation said to be at the office to check in between 6-6:30am for out 7am departure and I got a call at 6:10am asking if we were showing up because the boat was ready to leave... When we arrived at 6:20 we were directed to the wrong boat where we settled in, but we were eventually redirected before departing, well after 7am. Again I can't say enough about the amazing boat crew, they were very nice and friendly and really tried to get us to limit out and with the largest fish we could. and when I finally though the weirdness with the original discrepancy when the booking date was rectified and being on the wrong boat, two days after we got back from the fishing trip I had a 6am voicemail from the Puffin Fishing reservations lady asking where we were and saying they were going to leave without us... At the end of the day I wish I could give a 3.5 instead of a 4 star review, but I would still recommend to take this 6 person charter vs one of the larger charter companies, especially with the boat crew we had... but you really need to get your administrative side in order and take a lesson on customer service if you plan to keep return customers. read more

Captain Ian and Patrick were great. Our group of 9 caught over 100 fish (maxed out on halibut, 2 Kings, maxed out on rockfish, and tons of silvers and pinks; we caught a lingcod, but it was 1 inch too short, so threw it back). We were reeling in fish all day. No monsters, but it wasn't for lack of trying. The boat was fast and stable. Beautiful trip. read more

These people are fantastic! I had some unique logistical issues, because I'm on a bicycle tour. They accommodated me well, and the fishing trip was great! Very professional, funny, and helpful. And I left with king salmon and halibut to send home. A great outing! read more

I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. One of the best experiences of my life! Hands down. And I'm not a fisherwoman in any way. Surprised my dad with a trip to Alaska for his bday and this was definitely the highlight of our trip! At 6am we head out with a group of 10 into the deep oceans and it was the most beautiful ride. We made a few stops and we were given direction on how to catch each type of fish. Our captain, Jacob was knowledgeable, funny, hardworking and quick on his feet. The other guy with him (name sipped my mind) was amazing as well! These guys were so so patient and clearly love what they do. We all caught our limit of fish.. which was about 2 halibuts, 3 salmon and 4 rock fish - per person. Every single person on the boat caught close to the limit and we were smiles all around by the end of the day. Fish was hung up for pictures, then they were cleaned and sent to be packaged. (walking distance from the harbor). My arms are still sore from the size of halibut I caught...but seriously...What a freaking blast! Highly recommend this company!! read more

My son and I joined three others in early May 2017 on Offshore Hunter with Captain Jacob. We found him to be very professional and confident. He is very knowledgeable about the various fish and techniques to catch them. His dry sense of humor combines with a can-do attitude that becomes infectious. His instructions to clients and answers to questions are short, concise, and clearly understandable, without "talking down" to people. While he is a young man, he is clearly ahead of others his age in maturity, people skills, and customer service. We had a great day, due in no small part, to Captain Jacob Skretting. read more

I charted the whole boat for the eleven of us so as not to inconvenience any other persons. I have been in business since I was fifteen and do not need anyone to boss me around. I allowed captain/owner Leslie to do some. I did this to try not affect my family's trip. We never complained about the weather or the amount of fish that was caught. We were treated as children to which I was offended . If you don't mind that you might be satisfied with Leslie I was not. read more

My husband and I booked a King Salmon/Halibut combo trip for 5/20/17. We had a great adventure on an amazing boat (Sorceress). Captain Eric and deckhand Justin were AWESOME!!!!! We had a group of 6 people fishing. We headed out at 6:30am to the Halibut spot. It was a stormy morning but everyone was having fun fishing. Most of the group caught halibut. However two of us only caught cod. A LOT OF COD!! Captain Eric was great and we stayed as long as possible trying to get myself a Halibut. I was feeling pretty sea sick and the weather was rough, so we headed to the King Salmon spot. We fished there for several hours, but the group only caught 2 salmon. Captain Eric and deckhand Justin worked really hard the entire trip. We even stayed out well past 4pm trying to get more Salmon. We finally had to call it and we were back to the dock about 6:30-7pm. We got to take pictures and watch our fish get filleted. It was an awesome experience with a great group of people! We would highly recommend Puffin Charters!!!! read more

We had a good experience with Puffin. The deck hands were great and Captain was really good too. We had to boat 3 hours to get to the area where we went fishing. You are pretty beat up by the time you get there. The website says 2 hours possibly. The person that booked the charter said that we would not be in the open sea. We were in the open sea the entire time. Half of us were throwing up during the trip even with medication. When you fish they bait your hook, sink the line then you all stand there and wait to see who will get to reel in the next fish. So you are not really fishing, you just reel in the fish. We all got salmon and halibut. Not everyone got their limit. When you are finished you are taken to Captain Jack's to have your fish processed and packed. It is $1.40/ pound to pack and freeze. $400 for 50 pounds to be processed and shipped to you. As long as you know what you are in for it is a great outfit. Everyone is super nice. You also need to be aware, THERE IS NO FOOD OR WATER ON BOARD. You are expected to bring your own food and drinks for 12 hours. Everyone was really nice and I am so happy to have the fish, but had we been aware of the added expense and the 6 hour round trip to the site we probably would not have done the trip, but that is just our take on it. I am sure others love this kind of fishing. read more