Ear Mountain Charters, Alaska, United States

5PDKDP 5:00 PM Jul 28, 2022

Awesome Fishing Experience
We planned this excursion on our own while cruising Alaska and it was great! We had so much fun with Alice and Eric. They couldn't have been nicer. We even saw bears on the shoreline! They provided just the right amount of assistance and we caught (and released) lots of fish. It was a great time and I would highly recommend. I had been worried about seasickness but it was not issue and the boat they use is great - almost brand new.

5scottgretch27 5:00 PM Jul 13, 2012

Fishing in Icy Straits, Alaska with Ear Mountain Charters
We were on a cruise ship in AK, when we tendered for the day in Icy Straits. We had done our research and discovered that Ear Mountain Charters operated out of there and had great reviews. We scheduled our fishing charter about a week before we were there. We arrived and easily met up with Captain Eric, who is a very kind and knowledgable man. We were joining another couple from the cruise ship, who had also made reservations. They arrived shortly thereafter, and our adventure began. We were spoiled with a beautiful day, with sunshine, and no rain. We did not need our jackets, even on the water that day! It was a short ride to the dock, where we boarded his boat. Thankfully, the other couple we were with were kind, enjoyable people to share the boat with on our adventure. Cap'n Eric suggested we fish for halibut as the salmon had not yet begun their run. We went out about 30 minutes, and Cap'n Eric kept us entertained the whole way. Then as we neared our destination, Cap'n Eric pointed out a brown bear on the beach. The beach was some distance away, but we were still able to make out the bear! We spent a few minutes watching the bear, as Cap'n Eric prepared the fishing equipment for us. Then we began fishing. Within minutes, my husband had a bite and reeled in a 28 lb. halibut! The other couple also were able to catch a number of fish, none keepers, until near the end of our fishing trip when the wife reeled in a 10 lb halibut. My husband also continued to fish and caught some interesting fish, which we released. I, on the otherhand, did not catch one! But this did not take away from the experience for us! We were so happy to be fishing in Alaska! Captain Eric was knowledgeable and had the proper equipment. His boat was comfortable, and he had drinks for us when we got thirsty. When we got back to the dock, we were met by Captain Eric's wife, who then drove us to a small place in Hoonah, which would fillet, freeze, and ship our fish home to us. She dropped us there, while she went back to get the next round of guests for the next charter. We were able to watch our fish get filleted which was also cool. The only area where we would give a negative to this cruise was with the shipping of the fish. We requested she ship it the next day, however, it did not get shipped for 22 days, after we made a number of phone calls. Maybe it was a fluke, but the women explained that things had been "crazy" for her as she got married a few days after we were there, and then her honeymoon, so things got backed up! When it did arrive, it was still frozen and packed appropriately.FYI: It cost about $150 to send home 13 lbs of halibut. We are looking forward to a yummy dinner of halibut as a reminder of the beautiful day in Icy Straits Point, Alaska! Cap'n Eric's wife then returned to pick us up. She was willing to drop us off anywhere in Hoonah, or drive us back to the dock to return to the cruise ship. We choose to be dropped off at a restaurant in Hoonah, and to walk back from there, about a 1.5 mile walk. The restaurant was expensive, and the food was a typical fish fry. When my husband asked for a lemon for his fish, the waitress explained that they only get their food order every two weeks, and the previous order, instead of lemons, they had sent lemon juice, so no lemons were available fro the fish fry. The people were friendly, and we enjoyed talking to a few natives of Hoonah. Our walk back was beautiful, and then we had time to explore the Museum there in Icy Straits, and to sit on the beach at Icy Straits before returning to our cruise ship.