There are many tour operators that will take you out fishing in the waters off Ketchikan, and so when my family and I came on a recent cruise, we took a look online to explore what options we had. The best reviewed operator was the Alaska Catch, and there's a damn good reason why that's the case. William (the captain) was spectacular. Even the process of arranging the trip with Amy was terrific. She was helpful and thoughtful in making sure we maximized our time while in port.
We arrived at the cruise terminal, and William was waiting as promised. Took us out to his boat, which is pretty much brand spanking new, and after some required paperwork was completed, went straight out into the water. Let me fast forward 4 hours for you: If you had seen the haul of coho salmon that we caught, you would never had known that we had never fished before, and that it was at the end of salmon season. We ended up with close to 100 pounds of salmon.
What makes the trip with William one that I can wholeheartedly recommended is that you can tell this is something he loves to do. And when someone cares about what they do, it shows in their patience and willingness to go the extra mile to help you feel comfortable. There wasn't ever a moment that we felt like we were on a guy's ship that we had paid to take us out fishing. Instead, it felt like a friend was taking you out for the day, and that made all the difference.
The experience fishing with William was a highlight of our cruise. If you are in Ketchikan and you don't go out with him, you've made a mistake. Make sure you ask him to tell you the story of how he ended up in Ketchikan. It gave my brother a new career path!