Big Bird Charters
Big Bird Charters
5
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Full view
About
Saint Joseph, MI. Fishing charters - Lake MI. Fishing charters. Big Bird Charters Sport Fishing is located in beautiful Saint Joseph, MI. On Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is considered to be a world class freshwater fishery for King Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead/Skamania, Lake Trout, & Brown Trout. Captain Jim and Captain Eric(son) take pride in sharing the salmon experience with the fishing enthusiasts of all ages. With 38 years of experience and thousands of successful trips, Big Bird Charters provides a fishing excursion for lasting memories down the road! We offer a variety of services in addition to fishing such as day/sunset cruises, river cruises, and private charters. Come aboard Big Bird and let your Lake Michigan adventure begin!
Saint Joseph, Michigan
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5.0
73 reviews
Excellent
73
Very good
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David D
Cincinnati, OH8 contributions
Jul 2020
We had an absolute blast with this crew. Eric was outstanding answering questions in advance to help us plan a fun day with our 8 and 10 year old boys. He's all about ensuring a great experience for his customers and did not disappoint. He and Lori showed us a great day on the water, helped us bring in a nice variety of fish, and made it fun for us and our boys. Lori was particularly great with the kids.
Highly recommend! If ever in the area again we'll be back on Big Bird for sure!
Highly recommend! If ever in the area again we'll be back on Big Bird for sure!
Written August 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris S
11 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
This was 2nd trip out on The Big Bird (4-30-2021, morning trip)) Both times they have put us on fish. They were very helpful and patient with the younger kids, and also took the time to answer any questions they had. Captain Eric and 1st Mate Lori ( top 3 of first mate's I've ever seen, very entertaining). They worked hard to put us on fishing and then even harder keeping order in the controlled chaos of having multiple double hook ups and even 1 triple. Ended the morning with 12 Lake Trout and 3 Coho. I can't recommend Big Byrd Charters enough. For reference, I live in Florida and when I visit family in Jackson, MI, I gladly make the 2 hour trip to St Joseph for the fishing with them. Look forward to many more trips out with Big Bird and Little Bird!!
Written May 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kyle Sellers
8 contributions
May 2021 • Family
Eric called us a head to let us know that the Salmon have not been hitting that hard and wanted to see if we were still interested. Of course! We went out for an afternoon trip. The sky was overcast and we couldn’t ask for anything better. It wasn’t 5 minutes after setting the first two lines and it was hitting already. After the 4th catch, we went through a dry spell and then eventually caught some more. The whole trip was fun and exciting. But, what really was a blast was when we all had 1 fish and it was time to start heading back. When Eric started pulling rods in, it was like fireworks. We had 4 more poles go off. 3 Cohos, 2 Steelheads (Eric told us it was the biggest so far this year) 4 Lake Trouts and capped our day off with a King! Enjoyed Captain Jim’s stories before went out and had a blast with Captain Eric out on the water! I am not sure if they read these, but it really tells you something when The Captain is excited when we have big ones on the line!! Already booking the next trip!
Written May 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Noelle H
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Family
We booked a morning fishing charter with Captain Eric and it was such a fun adventure for our family. Captain Eric and Captain Lori worked hard to set up all the equipment and helped us catch 20 fish total! They answered our many questions and kept everyone entertained on the boat. Lori was fantastic with our 7 year old and kept her involved in the experience. We would definitely recommend Big Bird Charters and look forward to booking with them again in the future. Thank you for such a great first charter boat experience today for our family.
Written July 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie C
2 contributions
Jul 2022
We had the best time! It was a great family experience- my 7 year old niece and 10 year old nephew had a wonderful time and so did the adults. We made many memories and are already annoying our other family members with all of our fishing stories. Caught a bunch of different fishes- lake trout, steelhead trout, coho salmon, and king salmon. Eric provided great instruction as none of us had fishing experience. Loved it all!
Written July 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bryan Wilkins
Burnsville, MN1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Family
My father and I took my ten-year-old son on his first chartered fishing trip through Big Bird Charters. Captain Erik and Jeff were knowledgeable, attentive, courteous, and made sure we had a great time. They did an excellent job introducing my son to deep freshwater fishing and taught him how to land the big fish safely and skillfully. My son had the time of his life and will have fish stories for his buddies for a long time to come!
Captain Erik and Jeff knew where, when, and how to land huge king salmon and lake trout. Over our two-day morning charter in early August, we continuously landed fish of impressive size and quantity. Our biggest was a 36" King! As experienced fishermen, my father and I were very impressed with Big Bird's professionalism and effectiveness. The photos speak for themselves!
Captain Erik and Jeff knew where, when, and how to land huge king salmon and lake trout. Over our two-day morning charter in early August, we continuously landed fish of impressive size and quantity. Our biggest was a 36" King! As experienced fishermen, my father and I were very impressed with Big Bird's professionalism and effectiveness. The photos speak for themselves!
Written August 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tjda
Illinois26 contributions
Jul 2020 • Friends
Spent the day fishing with a few friends. Captain Eric and Lori kept us entertained and put us on the fish. The day started out with a perfect sunrise as we left the harbor. We enjoyed a beautiful day on Lake Michigan and caught a bunch of fish. Definitely recommend Big Bird Charters.
Written July 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim P
Lemont, IL2 contributions
Aug 2020
Planned a lake MI charter fishing trip for my 14 year old son (for his 8th grade graduation/birthday) and 2 of his friends, plus another dad. An absolutely incredible experience. From the initial contact with Captain Eric to inquire about and plan our trip, to the actual day of fishing, and the cleaning and packaging of the daily catch, it was an amazing experience for all. When researching, I started with the most favorable reviewed charters and scheduled with Big Bird, and I could not have been happier with the decision. They are pros, and you can tell that they REALLY want your party to have an enjoyable experience. Definitely going to book again.
Written August 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chad
2 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
My 3 teenage boys and I took my father-in-law out for an afternoon charter for a Father’s Day trip. Captain Eric called ahead of time and told us the flies were bad so we stopped and bought long pants - and we needed them! But the fish were biting too and we had a great time. Eric is patient and calm and steady. Crewmate Lori was engaging and very knowledgeable. We couldn’t have asked for a better trip.
Written June 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dirk T
Ijmuiden, The Netherlands25 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We are a family from the Netherlands on holiday in Michigan. We were searching for a fishing trip on Lake Michigan and heard about Big Bird. We booked the fishing trip and what a wonderful day that has become! Everything was well prepared and the boat and fishing gear was of high quality. Throughout the day the experience of Eric and Jeff helped us get the maximum out of the experience. And we caught a lot of salmon and trout. After the trip they cleaned the fish for us ready for consumption on our evening BBQ! Eric/ Jeff many thanks for the amazing day
Written August 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tgcheeseman
Stinesville, IN6 contributions
What is the cost per person? Are service dogs welcome?
Frank P
Aurora, IL
what is the cost for 4 people for a half day