Suggestions for Sitka & Icy Strait ??

[wsdwsd]

My family & I (5 persons total) are going on Radiance July 8 out of Vancouver. Have had problems getting onto RCCL's excursion site so I've instead starting booking day excursions myself which so far is turning out pretty good since I'm getting the same excursions for less. Any good ideas on the best excursions for Sitka & Icy Strait--either independent OR thru the cruise line. Any suggestions appreciated.

[PTSRULES]

We went to Icy Strait Point at the beginning of June and went whale watching/fishing with CaptainFloyd Peterson (F.I.S.H.E.S.)

We saw numerous humpback whales and had a wonderful time fishing with Floyd!

[GeniRich]

Just returned from the north bound trip. Icy Strait Point is very small and is a relief from the over crowded ports. We heard many favorable comments about the whale watching. We choose to look for bears but came up empty. People who went earlier did see several.

Sitka is also small and you can walk the city with little effort. Most things worth seeing (except the Rapture Center) are within walking distance. Enjoy your trip.

[Nancyquilts]

Never saw the Rapture Center, but I'll look harder next time (might be fun!). The Raptor Center is a longer walk, but it depends on the stamina of your group. The part from downtown to the right past the Bishop's House, Sheldon Jackson Museum and Heritage Totem Pole park is pretty easy. There is a local bus that goes to the Raptor Center as well as other points of interest. If anyone in your group is over 62, have them bring their Golden Age Passport for the National Parks - gets them, and maybe you, into the Bishop's House and the Park for free.

[greydog]

We did Celeb's whale watching tour in early June at ISP. Large three deck bi-hull ship cost $120pp. for 3.5 hours. All cruiselines probably use same tour boat. Saw some whales at about 400 yards but not closer. Seals briefly closeby, no sea otters, a few small porpoise at distance. Our trip was said to be 'better than average' number of wildlife. I didn't think trip was worth $$ and recommend smaller boat excursion - bigger engines deter closeby whales. In Sitka we just went to state park on other side of town and walked thru old-forest area with historic displays.

[tinkerme1]

Greydog: I absolutely concur with your assessment of the cruiseline whale watching tour. Although we saw plenty of whales and seals, it was not the best tour we took to see whales. Save your $$s for Captain Larry in Juneau.

 

Icy Strait Point is really a small area which has been made to accommodate cruisers. Best to take the shuttle ($5 per person) into town and see the "real" Hoonah which is actually quite lovely and easy to walk around and speak with the folks in the small shops, cafes and the best bar in town, "The Office". We had the best crab there! Even the Captain of our ship was eating there. :D

[Yukon]

3 weeks ago Cathy and I had superb excursions at both Sitka and Icy Strait. In Sitka we went out with Davey Lubin of the Esther G Sea Taxi (a 6 person boat), and saw a long list of marine mammals and birds up very close. At Icy Strait we went out with Floyd of FISHES and had amazing whale and brown bear encounters. Photos and more info at http://www.explorenorth.com/articles/alaskacruises2006/page4.html and http://www.explorenorth.com/articles/alaskacruises2006/page5.html

 

Murray

[Bases5]

we are going next week to Icy Strait Point and booked a fishing trip with http://www.teckkoutfitters.com/ They have been awsome to deal with and I report back how they are in a couple weeks. We are doing Halibut fishing for $150 p.p. The ship was $230.p.p.

[Clamqueen]

My husband and I fished with Teckk Outfitters in May. There were three other people besides us. The mate was inexperienced and not very helpful. There were only 2 fish caught between the 5 of us. They were bottom fish and not worth keeping. The following day we fished in Ketchikan with another charter. What a difference. The poles and rigging with Teckk were of very poor quality, the boat ....well I'm not into bashing this owner but I can only advise you to save your money and find another charter.

[Bases5]

Thanks for the heads up. You never know, They have been awsome to work with, but fishing is the name of the game. I will cancel and find other's.

[tinkerme1]

I felt the same way about Teckk Outfitters. We were scheduled to go on a bear watch and hike. I received an email "after we left home to fly to Fairbanks" that the tour would be more of a van ride than a hike and bear watch. I was lucky to read my email at the hotel I was staying at, so no harm done. I was able to cancel with no questions asked.

 

I would have been very upset, however, if I got there and the tour was not as I requested. Keith and his wife are lovely folks, and I'm sure that he is a wonderful gentleman, but with prices that range between $120 and $150 per person, he really needs to be specific when he books a tour. I know of others that have had wonderful tours with him, so just be very specific if you book with Teckk.

[Clamqueen]

When I booked our charter I was under every impression that we would be fishing with Keith. As it turned out we were out fishing with his brother in law Max and Keith's son was the mate (his son is pretty young maybe about 12).

It's not at all what I expected and certainly not what I'm used to when I'm paying $150.00 per person!

[coolrider]

I've been reading this and wasn't going to say a thing, but now I feel I need to. I am not a cruiser, but I do some fishing around Alaska. I also went fishing with teckk in May, and I didn't catch anything. I hung around town and found out that not many of the fishing boats were doing very well then. My buddy went to Hoonah a couple of weeks ago and went with teckk. He caught his limit of halibut both days he was there! We both enjoy Max and Keith's son, who is 14 and I thought he was quite helpful and not at all like alot of kids his age. I didn't catch anything and I tipped the kid because he did such a good job! I've talked to Max and he said the halibut are biting now so I am going back to fish with them in August.

[Bases5]

I think I jumped to fast. I will still use them, I thank everybody that warned me and if its bad its on me. Thay have called and e mailed me twice since this thread. They have been awsome to work with, I will report back.

[TeeBuccs]

Sitka has great fishing and the Raptor Center is pretty neat. Someone mentioned the long walk to the center - be advised you can catch a cab there for about $5. We rode out and walked back through the totem pole park on the way back to the pier for our fishing excursion. Sitka was one of my favoritie hightlights of the trip - just georgous!

[Mrs007]

Has anyone used Dolly Varden tours? We have booked a wildlife quest with them for Sitka. It is a small boat (6 passengers). It might even be the Ester G. They seem to be a "broker" for smaller independent tour operators. When I spoke to them, the gal said she needed to contact the boat's captain since he did his booking and tours himself.

 

Does anyone have any experience with them?

[Bases5]

I guess it is hit or miss

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=372865

[Yukon]

Has anyone used Dolly Varden tours? We have booked a wildlife quest with them for Sitka. It is a small boat (6 passengers). It might even be the Ester G. They seem to be a "broker" for smaller independent tour operators. When I spoke to them, the gal said she needed to contact the boat's captain since he did his booking and tours himself.

Does anyone have any experience with them?

 

Dolly Varden is just a booking agent - they are't even in Sitka. Book with the Esther G directly - our trip with them a month ago was fabulous.

 

Murray

[kristing63]

We just came back from our 2nd Alaskan cruise, and our favorite day was at Icy Strait. We spent from the early morning until the early afternoon with Shawn from Glacier Winds Charters (www.g-wind.com). We spent hours fishing and watching whales bubble-feed. The fishing was great (my daughter caught a 70+ lb. halibut, along with many smaller ones and the whale watching was magnificent! Shawn, his wife and son gave us our best day in Alaska! They were so nice and easy to talk to, and we stayed out much longer than any of the other boats. They were not concerned with "the clock" because they only take out one group per day. We stopped several times on the way back to try different fishing spots, even though we had been out on the water longer than our 1/2 day booking. Their boat is beautiful too! Clean, comfortable and a great ride! I strongly recommend this trip!:)

[Bases5]

Did you keep the fish and if so how much to send it home.

[kristing63]

I'm not a big fish eater, but we are sending my father 20lbs. of fillets because halibut is his favorite fish. I'm not sure of the cost yet, but halibut is pretty expensive here so it will be worth it. I sent him salmon last year from Icy Strait and he said it was the best fish he has ever eaten. It was not cheap, nor was it too expensive, although I don't remember the exact cost per pound. The rest of our fish will go to the senior center in Hoonah.

[Bases5]

Well I said I would report back.

We fished last week with Teckk outfitters. If you looking for Caviar and Champaign fishing trip then there not for you, (but I'm sure they would get you some) But if your looking for a nice solid long day of fishing then give them a call. Its a small family business with personal service, our personal experience wad great. and for catching fish, We cough our limit plus, We caught so many we came in before our time was up. Over 200 lbs in 8 fish we keep. They took care of the cleaning and shipping home. We had a wonderful time with them. Remember you are fishing and there is no guarantee, but they will try. Also I can't say this always happens but we were fishing a hour before the ships tour came by and fished just past us. And then it headed in before we were done. GREAT VALUE Great fun, I am sorry the OP had such a bad time, Ours was just the opposite.

[wheretocruise]

Hi Bases5, could you let us know what kind of fish you caught? Sounds like from the size it was halibut. I was wondering how the salmon fishing has been.

 

All others, the earlier posts seems like cruises that were in May or early June. I believe the prime time for fishing is mid-June though about mid-September. Do you think this is a factor of why so few fish were caught? I am leaving in mid-May for Alaska next year and get the impression from some captains that this timeframe is hit or miss and very few fish. Thoughts??

[Bases5]

Yes Halibut 1 was 60+ and another was 40lbs. Its my understanding that May and june is better for salmon and then the halibut move in. In July the salmon are getting ready to spawn so they stop eating. You can still catch them but it gets harder.

[RanDe]

Yes Halibut 1 was 60+ and another was 40lbs. Its my understanding that May and june is better for salmon and then the halibut move in. In July the salmon are getting ready to spawn so they stop eating. You can still catch them but it gets harder.

 

Thanks for reporting back to us and for the information. Can you tell us how much it costs to have it shipped home?

 

De