Booked our trip at the last minute the day before we arrived in Ketchikan by way of the Princess Star. Captain Chuck was happy to accommodate us and was very friendly over the phone. Once we were on his fishing boat, which was a 60 second walk from the main dock, we purchased our fishing licenses, which were about $20 a pop. Also, at the time, his prices were quite competitive at $170ish per person with a four person minimum. We only had a party of 3, so I paid for a phantom person. No big deal, in my opinion.
His clean and modern fishing boat was fitted with what seemed to be the latest tackle, navigational equipment, radios, and each of us had our own rod. Additionally, he was very patient and understanding with the fact that we're from the city and know very little about deep sea fishing.
Our lack of knowledge, however, was COMPLETELY eclipsed by the fact that he was VERY knowledgeable of the waters around Ketchikan. After about 10 minutes from setting up and putting our lines in the water, we caught our first salmon. In fact, we caught our legal limit; 18 pink salmon in all, within 4 hours. Yeah, he's that good.
When we were done, he took us back to town (about a 15-20 minute boat ride) and he took our fish to the processing plant so we could have them cleaned and shipped home. The facility also smoked a few pounds of salmon for us at an additional charge. The shipping worked out to be $100-something per person which was like 6, 5-6 lb fish. It wasn't the most efficient way to get Alaskan salmon at home, but it was a real treat which impressed all of our friends and family.
Go on this excursion, you'll be glad you did.