Big Blue Charters
Big Blue Charters
4.5
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About
Fish the Legendary Waters of Sitka with Big Blue Alaska’s Premier Fishing Charter! Fish aboard our specially-designed BAMF fishing boats, our experienced Alaska fishing guides will take you to the fishing hot spots that made Sitka, Alaska famous, where BIG Salmon, Halibut, Ling Cod and Yellow Eye abound! Give us a call or send us a note to discuss your Alaska fishing adventure. We offer half day, full day and all-inclusive multi-day packages. Stay and Dine in Sitka!
Sitka, Alaska
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
14 reviews
Excellent
10
Very good
2
Average
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Poor
2
Terrible
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sew
4 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
We spent 2 days in mid June on board one of Big Blues boats. From making reservations in May to our amazing experience of being on the water to catching salmon and halibut. It was so delightful, from dealing with the owners, the skippers the help of getting our catch on board, to having it all processed, frozen. To getting our catch to our early morning fight out. Every single person we dealt with was professional, knowledgeable, and fun. We will do this again in a heartbeat.
Thank you Big Blue Charters.
Thank you Big Blue Charters.
Written June 30, 2024
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.
fudgbug
Pelham, NH791 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Our cruise ship, American Cruise Lines Constellation, was docked at the Marine Service Center Seawall where Skipper Justin met us.
Fishing licenses can be bought on board so bring cash for them and your driver's license.
Thanks to Justin, the four of us each caught a King Salmon. The boat was clean, tidy and comfortable and made for a very enjoyable day.
At your own expense of course, Big Blue will arrange to have the fish processed and shipped to you.
It was a very enjoyable and productive day.
Fishing licenses can be bought on board so bring cash for them and your driver's license.
Thanks to Justin, the four of us each caught a King Salmon. The boat was clean, tidy and comfortable and made for a very enjoyable day.
At your own expense of course, Big Blue will arrange to have the fish processed and shipped to you.
It was a very enjoyable and productive day.
Written July 7, 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.
Thomas J
6 contributions
Jun 2022
It was a great time, six hours of fishing and we left with a limit of salmon and Black Sea Bass. They had the knowledge about where to go and allowed us to catch fish. I would have no hesitation to book a charter with Big Blue Charters. It was a joy to fish Sitka with them. Please don't hesitate to give them a chance, you wont be disappointed.
Written June 13, 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.
Dino P
Buckeye11 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
Communication between Big Blue Charter and myself was excellent, down to earth and easy to understand instructions on how to schedule a fishing trip. Our next trip to Sitka will definitely contact Big Blue Charter again. Thank you Karen and Mike!
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.
Sealja D
1 contribution
Aug 2016 • Friends
While there are certain things that a charter company cannot control, such as seasickness, or bad weather, there are certain things that they can. Our capatain was quite personable, but practiced rampant favoritism. The two other clients on the boat were repeats, and had a social relationship outside of the fishing trip. the quote was "you are good people but..." and most likely because they had tipped heavily in the past, the captain worked very hard to please them and basically ignored us. We experienced a flagrant lack of professionalism.
My next observation was on the day that I was able to begin fishing, none of the fish were marked. While all of the fish were ok, some were very thin, and some had damage. When we got off the boat the ones that were a little compromised were tossed into our box. I pointed this out, and got some satisfaction, but feel that the captain definitely wanted his buddies to have the choice fish.
The next day he did begin marking them, but in the end it made no difference to what we had when we got home. We had two nice kings but had only about 5 fillets in the box. We did not fish for chums, but half of one box was chums. I'm not really sure how this happens, but in paying about 3k for this trip would expect the owners to have some control over the processing and packing. Our boxes were overweight when we arrived at the gate and we had to unpack them and carry some of the fish on. Therefore about 10 lbs of fish were thawing when we got home.
I did not mind the weather being rough, and enjoyed the ocean experience, but really, the blatant chicanery has left me with a nasty taste.
My next observation was on the day that I was able to begin fishing, none of the fish were marked. While all of the fish were ok, some were very thin, and some had damage. When we got off the boat the ones that were a little compromised were tossed into our box. I pointed this out, and got some satisfaction, but feel that the captain definitely wanted his buddies to have the choice fish.
The next day he did begin marking them, but in the end it made no difference to what we had when we got home. We had two nice kings but had only about 5 fillets in the box. We did not fish for chums, but half of one box was chums. I'm not really sure how this happens, but in paying about 3k for this trip would expect the owners to have some control over the processing and packing. Our boxes were overweight when we arrived at the gate and we had to unpack them and carry some of the fish on. Therefore about 10 lbs of fish were thawing when we got home.
I did not mind the weather being rough, and enjoyed the ocean experience, but really, the blatant chicanery has left me with a nasty taste.
Written August 12, 2016
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.
Having a charter company that stays in business 22 years, has numerous repeat guests and enjoys doing what they do is a rather unique quality these days. Our charter company, is just that. We take great pride in "knowing" those who return to fish with us and Do go out of our way to have them realize we know they are 'back'. You would hardly want to ignore someone that you had met before and with whom you'd spent some days fishing. If people choose to offer a monetary 'compliment' during or after their fishing trip, it is with pleasure that it is accepted . . but no one bases how the trip of the day or week proceeds upon what they might or might not have gotten in the past . . . that is a completely mistaken and sad point of view.
Our skippers are noted for making sure that what YOU catch goes into YOUR box . .there are times, certainly, when a mistake might occur, but it would not be normal. If there are fish that don't quite measure up to what you'd hoped, there may be all sorts of reasons . . .(Predator fish like ling cod, salmon shark, etc. love to take 'bites' out of smaller fish when they see it being pulled upwards) and yet we still do our best to give you Your fish.
To begin with, we owned the fish processing plant. We sold it last year and do not have the influence we once had as obviously, we are no longer the ones in control. We do talk/check with them all the time and not once in 22 years, have we ever gone to the airport with fish boxes OVER the weight limit. I was as surprised as I'm sure these guests were . . and how in the world, would we have even suspected that something like this might occur having never in all these years, dealt with it before? I made a call specifically, after returning from the airport, while they were still there and been apparently taken into the airlines "back room", to talk with them and make sure that they were "okay" since we'd not seen them after entering the airport and dealing with another group departing that had very specific health issues that needed to be attended to. We were assured by them that they "understood" . . . Then we were informed of the overweight issue. There truly was not one single thing that we, as the charter company, could do at that point.
If being unaware that this type of problem could occur? .. then, yes, we own up to that . . . but trying to hide or mislead in any way, shape or form, and/or show favoritism amongst guests, is again a very mistaken point of view where our company is concerned.
Written August 16, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
rweintothewoodsyet
Fairbanks, AK471 contributions
May 2015 • Friends
I went fishing with a Big Blue charter on the 12th of May. The minute we arrived at the dock the captain was angry that there were women in the group. That was the first bad sign. Once we got out to the place we fished for a few hours the captain didn't give much instruction about how to fish and got angry that he had to spend that time. It is my understanding that part of the charter experience might be the process of learning how to fish for a king. Once my friends starting vomiting that only seemed to aggravate the captain more. He took us back to the dock early because he "didn't want to ruin our entire day". The fishing trip was a wedding gift from my family and they told me when they received the receipt that the captain took the liberty of writing his complaints on the receipt about my group. The only reason I give two "stars" and not just one was because the deckhand was helpful and informative to me and my group. Prior to this trip I was always under the impression that Big Blue was a major charter outfit in Sitka and as a result professional... but now I have my doubts.
Written May 29, 2015
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.
Although this review is over 5 years old, pertains to one Captain who is no longer with us, and contradictory to the normal reviews we have received from 100s of guests, we are disappointed to hear about your experience, with our regrets that your trip was not exceptional in every way. Per your review, the deckhand did provide instruction, which is appropriate; as his goal is to assist guests in catching fish. We are unaware of the complaints about your group, or how they factor into the situation--or why this captain was having difficulty providing the services you expected; but we are happy that the deckhand upheld his duty to do so.
We take great pride in assisting our guests in every way possible.
This Captain is no longer with us, and we would not have approved of any behavior that would make guests feel uncomfortable. If you review our website scrapbook, you will see that we not only welcome, but celebrate, all men, women and children to join us on our trips. As our business is co-owned by Karen Keating, the report that we do not welcome women doesn't add up. In the end, we would have preferred to have been able to address this on-the-spot, and understand the situation. Your concerns would have been met with absolute respect and immediate action. We hope you did catch fish and that there were some good memories from your trip.
Written October 30, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
yair62
Miami, FL30 contributions
Jul 2015 • Friends
Just finished a 5 day fishing vacation with Big Blue. I must say that they delivered everything as promised.
The owner Karen is a very nice lady who greets you every morning at 5:30am with a smile. We didn't get to know her husband Mike as we had another Captain by the name of Bob. Bob was top notch, a really nice guy who tries real hard to make your experience a fun and successful one. The boat was well equipped and very comfortable.
The accommodation at the Cascade Inn are simple but very comfortable. The shower has excellent pressure (very important after a long day fishing) and the room had a flat screen tv with cable TV.
They gave us vouchers for restaurants and taxis so you weren't confined to your room.
I recommend this place to anyone looking to experience real Alaskan fishing.
The owner Karen is a very nice lady who greets you every morning at 5:30am with a smile. We didn't get to know her husband Mike as we had another Captain by the name of Bob. Bob was top notch, a really nice guy who tries real hard to make your experience a fun and successful one. The boat was well equipped and very comfortable.
The accommodation at the Cascade Inn are simple but very comfortable. The shower has excellent pressure (very important after a long day fishing) and the room had a flat screen tv with cable TV.
They gave us vouchers for restaurants and taxis so you weren't confined to your room.
I recommend this place to anyone looking to experience real Alaskan fishing.
Written July 6, 2015
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.
sherilyn2015
Boston, MA85 contributions
May 2015 • Friends
A group of our family members booked Big Blue recently, looking for a combo salmon/halibut fishing trip. First of all, they were accommodating and easy to work with when booking. Second, the actual fishing trip was amazing! We split into two groups of four: one fished with Mike (the owner) and one with Ben. We had a lot of newbies in our group and Ben was very helpful with introducing the equipment and techniques unique to salmon and halibut. Even though it's not quite king salmon season, we did bring home one (a sea lion ate a few others), and several halibut. Big Blue provided lunch but we didn't eat because we were having so much fun fishing.
Big Blue offers processing (cleaning, flash freeze and cryovac) and shipping which was wonderful. This was done at a reasonable rate and was scheduled to arrive when we got home from vacation. We've just started enjoying our catches and have plenty for a long time! We would definitely recommend Big Blue Charters to others looking for fishing in Sitka!
Big Blue offers processing (cleaning, flash freeze and cryovac) and shipping which was wonderful. This was done at a reasonable rate and was scheduled to arrive when we got home from vacation. We've just started enjoying our catches and have plenty for a long time! We would definitely recommend Big Blue Charters to others looking for fishing in Sitka!
Written May 29, 2015
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.
Gary B
2 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
Our captain, Jesse or possum as he is affectionately called, could not have been better. Contrary to another review, we brought home all of the fish that we caught. Their fish processing is no longer done in house and is taken care of by a TSA approved processor who meets you at the airport check in counter with your catch. It was beautifully packaged and arrived home in perfect condition.
Jesse was not afraid to burn up fuel getting us to the fish. The second day we traveled over 50 miles south to some awesome fishing grounds.
We caught King Salmon, Silver Salmon, Halibut, Ling Cod, Golden Eye, Black Bass and Canary Rock Fish.
We felt their package deal was an excellent value. We stayed in a hotel right on the water and our boat picked us up at the hotel's dock. With their dinner vouchers we could eat anywhere in town and they were more than enough to cover some of he best restaurants, without liquor, of course.
Jesse was not afraid to burn up fuel getting us to the fish. The second day we traveled over 50 miles south to some awesome fishing grounds.
We caught King Salmon, Silver Salmon, Halibut, Ling Cod, Golden Eye, Black Bass and Canary Rock Fish.
We felt their package deal was an excellent value. We stayed in a hotel right on the water and our boat picked us up at the hotel's dock. With their dinner vouchers we could eat anywhere in town and they were more than enough to cover some of he best restaurants, without liquor, of course.
Written July 11, 2016
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.
owls2223
Wichita, KS2 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
My wife and I have taken Alaskan cruises each of the last 3 years. We have booked a fishing trip each time at one port or another. Last year we tried Sitka. We were there the first week of May and it was way to early for the fishing to be very good. However, the folks at Big Blue took us out and found us some fish to catch. They worked hard and we had a blast! We just booked another cruise and we chose one that would take us back to Sitka in 2018.... now we are going to call Big Blue so we can fish with them again!!
Written October 8, 2017
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.
I would like to delete this post.
Written July 17, 2017
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