Our expectations were sooo far surpassed by this fishing trip! We went out with Chris- who started…read moreby taking us a little bit further out so we could end up in a better spot! Chris was so helpful and answered all our questions, we ended up having to head in earlier than expected after we caught our full capacity of salmon! It was the little things on this excursion- Chris had snacks and water on the ship. He mad sure to ice our fish right after we caught them (which we know most boats don't do). They take better care of their fish and you are shipped the salmon you caught- which also doesn't always happen! Chris was super helpful and even offered to drop us off at our next excursion. 10/10 would recommend- I couldn't find anyone on the cruise ship who caught as many fish as we did!

Had an awesome experience with Captain Mike. The boat was extremely clean and stocked with snacks…read morethat kept the kids happy. Mike is patient when teaching everyone the ins and outs when catching salmon. When the fish weren't biting in one location we moved to another and were able to bring in a nice number of pinks.

The trip was great and our captains Geoff and Gage were able to help us catch some nice fish as…read morewell as crabs. The cookout was also great and was some of the best food we have ever had.

Baranof is very professional. Setting up the trip was easy (Bonnie is great). All the deck hands…read moreare friendly and helpful (especially getting my handicapped body into the boat). Captain Ryan Hadfield is the best. He found us fish where no one else could. I will keep returning until my body gives out. -- John

I pre-booked this Whale & Wildlife Tour in December, 2023 for our Alasakan Cruise scheduled for…read moreJune 2024. My Hubby gets sea sick and we choose this specific boat perfect for small Groups. Hence the early booking. The day before our Tour, we were notified by Eagle One (EO) that our tour was leaving 30 minutes earlier. No problem, we were ready. Our ship docked at the Pier and I received a call from EO confirming where to meet and a reminder of the earlier time. We followed EO's directions to the meeting destination: Ketchikan's Visitor's Bureau right along the main Pier. Our Group quickly gathered and we were off for our Adventure! Less People equals less waiting! Captain Jesse and 1st Mate Kaylee, were our experienced Guides for the day. The tour began with a brief but informative introduction about the types of whales we might encounter and the conservation efforts to protect these magnificent creatures. As we ventured into the open sea, the anticipation grew, and we were not disappointed. The Tour boats communicate with one another to provide info on where the Whales are feeding for their morning breakfast. It took about 30 minutes to arrive at the site. Pretty thrilling to see Whales surface/breach, dive and spout water high into the air! The Tour lasted about 3 Hours and we were fortunate to not only see Whales but an Island with chillaxing Sea lions and a convocation of Bald Eagles. BONUS: This is the only authorized area, where the Crew can toss frozen herring to the Eagles. Super cool to see them swoop and dive and catch them in their beaks. Get your camera's ready, they are quick! On the way back, we saw a few deer on the coastline grazing. As we docked at the pier, another wildlife bonus: Otters swimming under the pier. Overall, I highly recommend Eagle One looking for a semi private Whale watching excursion. EO provided complimentary blankets, hot chocolate, water and snacks. Bring your own binoculars our borrow a pair, totally worth it! BTW, Bathroom on board, but steady yourself, male or female ;)

I wish I could give this company zero stars. The only reason I booked with this them, is that most…read moreexcursions available in Ketchikan, through the cruise line or direct, exclude kids under 5 or under 7. I wanted to find something fun to do with my 3-year-old son. I noticed that this company had no age limit for their whale watching, website stated that it was for "all ages" and "great for families". So, I naturally assumed that their boat was safe and comfortable for small children. It did not occur to me that the only difference between them and others was dishonesty and disregard for safety.  First of all, in my personal opinion, their vessel is not entirely safe for small kids. There is a net protecting kids from falling into the water that covers most of the guardrail. However, the net does not cover the entirety of the ship, and there are spots where a small child, in my opinion, could fall overboard.  The boat is small. Technically, there is seating for everyone (barely), but be prepared for your child to be confined to a small space, for long stretches of time.   The bathrooms are tiny and not large enough to safely and comfortably change a diaper.  The tour is stated to be 2-2.5 hours. But since they could not find any marine wildlife (only eagles that they attract by throwing frozen fish at them) , the captain decided to extend the tour for an hour. I told her that I did not have enough food, since I did not expect/agree to be on the water for so long with a small child. There are no facilities, and no food available on the boat except for absolute junk. But she didn't care. She told me that the website says the tour is up to 3 hours and can be extended (a lie and a lie). This felt like kidnapping (being held against one's will), to have to spend time confined in a tiny space, with a restless child, who had nothing to do and nothing to see.  I signed up for a quick excursion 2-2.5 hours, on a vessel that was "great for families". That is not what I got at all. The kicker was the aftermath, the response that I got from the owner, via company email. I asked for a refund and told her that the excursion did not match the advertisement, the ship was not safe for "all ages" and that the company had no right to hold me and my son on the vessel, arbitrarily for longer than I agreed to. What followed was a bunch of insults, false accusations and childish threats.  The owner told me I was "very lucky (she is) a calmer person than (she) used to be". I wonder what she used to do to customers before she became a "calmer person". She accused me of clogging their toilet (I never went, since I did not feel safe leaving my child alone on that ship). She accused me of not bringing diapers or food (I brought both, but I ran out of food for him as the trip was longer than expected). She further called me a " liberal piece of shit" (because I am from California?), a "lunatic", "dipshit" and an "idiot". All of this was done via company emails that I can produce if they ever try to deny it.  Anyways, if you want to deal with this company, it's your choice. Maybe you will be lucky and have a great time on the water. Personally, I would not recommend anyone dealing with them. Certainly never bringing a small child on their boat. And hey, if there is a problem, expect them to respond as stated above....

To all my single solo travelers out there I found a Ketchikan fishing charter that actually takes…read moresingle people and couples. Most of the fishing charters in Ketchikan require min of 4 people. My fishing trip was amazing something that I will never forget. I recommend anyone taking a cruise to Alaska stopping in Ketchikan don't forget the most amazing part of Alaska is catching your first wild Alaskan salmon. Captain Larry will take your fish to the processing center and it will be shipped to your house and arrive the day that you requested for additional cost but well worth it.

My sister and I have been to Ketchikan numerous times. We love to fish and had the great fortune of…read moremeeting Larry the owner of Avid Angler the first day we were in town. We have now been out with Larry many times. Seriously, Larry is as good as it gets. He is a super professional, nice and fun guy and he certainly knows where to go to find the fish. No matter what type of Salmon, or if its Halibut we wish to find, Larry knows right where to go given the conditions of the day. Every experience with Avid has been a great day. We have been out with other Fishing Charters in Ketchikan however there is no comparison...Larry and Avid Anglers are the real deal....

Date of tour: July 18, 2025…read more Really enjoyed this all-women(!) crew on our visit to the Dawes Glacier. The boat was clean and spacious--there's nothing worse than being on a boat that is packed to the gills with people--with two levels to enjoy and outside areas as well, including a third level that was opened when the boat was not in motion. Everyone was friendly and the snack and drink options were plentiful and for the most part, affordable. Given the captive audience, I appreciated that they weren't outright gouging us during our journey. They also offered up some free items as well, which was also quite unexpected. Crew interacted well with the passengers, asking them how their cruise has been and where they were from. The collection of glacier ice to be used in the making of drinks at no additional cost was a nice touch, even giving the kids cups of glacier ice without a charge was something you rarely see in this day and age! There were some things that could be improved, though: - The captain scolding the crew over the public address system was unnecessary. Apparently the other boat forgot their net and we needed to pass it over to them but the crew was busy helping passengers and didn't want to make the lines longer by going to fetch the net and pass it over. Confident that this could have been handled better. - The free donut holes were awful. Like puffs of stale bread that sat next to sugar, hoping the wind would blow some sweetness onto them. I know, it's free, but still something that should not have been served. - Hearing a crew member awkwardly navigate the tipping section of the credit card machine literally 50 times the exact same way. Saying, "You can just hit skip. If I do it, I'll get talked to about it." There are so many other ways to handle this that don't come across like she's going to be beaten at the end of the cruise.

Through an unfortunate series of events, we missed the boat by 10 minutes, but this operator…read moregraciously have us a refund. We have taken this adventure in the past and it is awesome!

They cancelled our reservation of 8 but refunded only 4. They claim they refunded all 8 but we…read morenever got the credit for the 2nd 4. Do not use a debit card with them as you cannot get the bank to reverse/refund it. Also, they are quite rude in communications. We attempted to contact them multiple times and never got a response for weeks. Then they come back and say we are "harassing" them.

We had a fantastic time with Emily, our tour guide on the Wilderness zodiac Quest. We booked the…read morefirst trip of the morning and our group was very small, which made for a great time. The van picks you up and drops you off at the cruise docks, so no worries about transportation. They were very conscientious about getting us back to the boat on time. The cannery was a cool and unique venue, which included snacks and drinks after the zodiac ride. They have all the equipment needed to stay warm and dry. Emily was extremely knowledgeable and personable, which made for a great experience. We saw eagles, seals, deer, and of course, stunning scenery. 10/10 would recommend this, it was one of the highlights of our Alaska trip.

Have never seen the show and knew nothing about this tour, but a couple at our table on our Disney…read moreWonder cruise to Alaska last week told us about this trip, and we were lucky there was still room available. The entire trip was three hours. It was educational, funny, enjoyable with lots of interesting information: the history of the boat, the area; the ability to hold different types of crabs and other sea life, eat some fresh crab, all provided by the exceptional crew of the.Alutian Ballad. We saw a ton of eagles by Annette Island, and were given plenty of photo opportunities throughout the trip. Really cannot say enough positive things about the trip, and the entire crew, specifically, David, the big D, and Captain Ron. Also, the nicest restrooms I have ever been in on a boat, other than a cruise ship lol I would definitely go back on this trip again in a heartbeat. Thank you to the entire crew.

My wife and I attended this tour today and I cannot recommend it enough. Our two guides, Andy and…read moreBig D, could not have been more engaging. They each had a lifetime of experience fishing for crab in Alaskan and had a tremendous amount of knowledge to pass on to us. They were both extremely kind and made the experience truly one to remember. We traveled to Ketchikan on the Disney Wonder. This tour is perfect for adults and families alike. Although we chose this tour because of the connection to the TV show "The Deadliest Catch", I do not think knowledge of that show is necessary at all to enjoy the experience. We were able to hold many species of crab and other wildlife as well as have breathtaking views of Bald Eagles. Please go on this tour, you will NOT be disappointed!

You want the BEST!? Colby your dude. Stop searching and just call and pray he has a spot open…read more PERIOD. I took my 14 yr old out and Colby is great with kids, very attentive to all, and has great respect for the fish and nature as well.

I've been fishing with fishing guides for many years, Colby is the best!!!…read more My brother and I took our 93 years old dad from New York for fishing. Colby has the fastest boat (2 X 225 hp) and he is very knowledgeable and very proactively help us. We wanted to experience the Ketchikan two-day fishing for crabs, rock cods, halibuts, and salmons of course. Colby planed out our fishing based on the weather report (raining the first day), and the wind direction. The first day we started setting crab traps, then rock cod fishing fellowed by salmon fishing. We got 7 rock cods, 8 crabs, and 9 salmons (8 pinks, 1 silver). The second day, we reached our salmon limit (18 pinks, 1 chum) before 10:30. Then Colby took us to his favorite spot, in less than an hour, we all got a halibut each. Then took us for some more rock cod fishing. Colby started helping his dad fishing since age 9. He started his commercial fishing at age 15. Since he is only 27 yr old, he is very proactive, hard working, very courteous, yet has tons of fishing knowledge. Excellent combination, highly recommend !!!

Best fishing trip I've been on. Captain Jerry took 2 couples out today (August 12 2019)…read moreCaught over 20 salmon. Mostly pinks but four kings and one silver. Great 4 hours

I stumbled upon Jerry's site while looking for some fishing excursions in Ketchikan since I didn't…read morewant to pay the inflated rates Princess was charging. I'm so glad I found it! From the moment I spoke with Jerry, he was courteous and very helpful. He patiently answered all the questions I had about the actual trip. He really put me at ease about the whole experience. I was a bit more worried about booking something online having never been to Ketchikan before but in the end, everything turned out wonderful. So once I decided to book, Jerry took down half of the fee as a deposit and told us he would meet us at the port where we docked. On our arrival date, Jerry was right on time and off we went! I can't say enough about how fun he made the trip. Not only did we catch A LOT of fish, we had a great time chatting with him too. Snacks and drinks are provided too which is pretty cool. If I ever head back to Ketchikan, I'll be calling Jerry for sure.

Absolutely AMAZING TOUR !!! After we looked at all the…read moregreat reviews we decided to try it out ! 100% will do it again ! William our tour guide picked us off 10 feet for our cruise, very convenient! He is very knowledgeable about all the types of fish , as well as the exact spots where fishes will be at ! He is also great with time management to make sure you don't miss your cruise! Make sure you book in advance , because these tour get booked fast ! My husband and I both caught a large halibut! Definitely was an amazing experience!

Regardless, I booked for a second day (just myself) because we were so impressed with Moses…read more An hour out, his boss called and told him that another charter boat had broken down. He was told he needed to pick up a different group from a cruise ship, and that they could reschedule me some other time that weekend, even though this was Sunday morning, and we were leaving on Monday. In other words a group whose charter started after mine, was more important than I was. More important than my return business. The business with the cruise passengers was more important. So thanks for ruining my trip. I really hope Moses starts his own business so that we can frequent it instead.