Experience a Alaska Saltwater Fishing Charter - A Day Aboard the 2-Day

Alaska offers many types of fishing adventures ranging from freshwater to the saltwater. I am going to explain how a day on saltwater charter out of Seward would go while on board my charter boat the "2 Day". The "2 Day" is a 46 foot charter boat that is inspected and approved for up to 25 passengers. However, we only take up to 14 passengers on daily fishing trips or ocean adventures.

So, what do you want to do? Fish? Sightsee and whale watch? Do you want a private group or join in with other groups? Your preference for how to spend your time on the "2 Day" will dictate the optimum reservation for you. A private group setting will provide you the opportunity to customize your day between fishing and sightseeing, if you so choose. If you would like to book a seat or two, then the day is going to be all about fishing, and you can sightsee while we are traveling to and from the fishing grounds.

Captain Hill Norvell's Charter Boat - The "2 Day"

How much does it cost?

A private trip aboard the "2 Day" is about $4,000 for a full day, with up to 14 people. If you do not want the private boat, then a single seat is about $325 per person. These prices include all your fishing tackle, bait, fish filleting, instructions on fishing and a beautiful day on the water. Items that are not included are your lunch, drinks, fish processing, daily fishing license and rain gear.

How to book a fishing trip?

Once the decision has been made to book, you will need to send me off an email to check for availability. Phone calls are also welcome, but emails are preferred so we can keep paper trail of confirmed dates to make sure there are no mixups on exactly what you have booked. Once a date is finalized, we will email you over an invoice. We do require a 25% deposit to hold your spot, and final payment will be due 30 days prior to arrival.

How long is a full day?

A full day on the water is no longer than 12 hours. We will depart the Seward Small Boat Harbor on the "2 Day" typically at 6:30 a.m. The crew arrives at the boat about 45 minutes prior to departure and will not allow anyone to board until the captain arrives and begins boarding customers. That said, please make sure to arrive early or on time because if you are not, you might get left on the dock. We will typically wait a few minutes after departure time but that's it. It's our goal to provide a spectacular day on our boat for all our guests, and in order to accomplish that we can't have anyone missing precious time on the water waiting for others to arrive. Unfortunately, if you are late and get left at the dock, there are no refunds.

How far out do we go when fishing?

Once we depart the dock, we will be in search of a limit of halibut, salmon and probably some rockfish! Typically, halibut or salmon will be our first targeted species. We will not be bombing far offshore, but we will often travel up to 50 miles from the boat harbor, though we are never more than 7 miles from land. The boat ride will probably be a minimum of 1 hr to the closest fishing spot and 3 hours to the farthest fishing hole. Where we go depends on how the fishing has been on previous days. Longer boat rides equal more sightseeing and, hopefully, a faster bite for our targeted species of fish. I will try and fish as close to port as possible. However, the most important factor to me is catching fish, so sometimes a longer boat ride is required for everyone to catch fish.

Seward combat fishing tournament for service members. Another great day on the water.

What happens if we cannot get out to fish?

I will usually check in with other captains whom I fish with, read all buoy reports, check local weather observations and scan the marine forecasts before I make a determination. If it looks like we cannot get out on the water and all info points to the conclusion that it is a no go, then we will give a FULL refund. Typically, if the weather is too bad to leave Resurrection Bay, I will make an offer to attempt fishing a half day in the bay and doing the best we can. After traveling all the way to Alaska to fish, most people do not want to sit on land and would rather try at minimum a half day. Each summer, I typically do not cancel any more than three of my trips. No matter the weather, we can usually get out to fish since the "2 Day" is slightly larger and more comfortable charter boat.

Lastly, I have a helpful tip for you: book your trip as early as possible! Feel free to contact me with any concerns, comments or unanswered questions. I recommend that you ask many questions so that you can get all of the answers you need. I am here to help you have the Alaska trip of a lifetime and try to help give you the trip you want. If I cannot provide you with that dream trip, then maybe I know someone who can. Thank you for considering Alaska for your next summer vacation.