A First Timer’s Experience Charter Fishing in Westport

Charter fishing out of the Westport Marina is one of the state’s most adventurous, sought-after activities by visitors in the area. However, many Grays Harbor locals themselves have never tried the sport. If you’ve always wanted to try to catch your limit but have never had the opportunity or are a bit nervous about the whole process, keep reading for a first-timers experience charter fishing in the summer of 2020.

Pre-Trip Jitters

“As a born and raised Grays Harborite, charter fishing out of the Westport Marina has been something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve watched tourists and locals cruise off from the docks for years, envisioning myself one day doing the same, but secretly being intimidated by the thought of it all. What if I get seasick? How will I know what to do and not to do? What if the weather is bad? All of these thoughts and more have crossed my mind at some point in time, only to stop me from booking a trip and hopping aboard.

Fast forward to August of 2020. I finally had built up enough courage to book a charter fishing trip with my and brother-in-law and dad who spent many years working as a deckhand. Back in the 80s when he worked on the boats in Westport, charter fishing vessels was bountiful, meaning that booking a trip was as easy as calling a week in advance and securing a spot on the vessel of your choice. However, nowadays, the Westport charter fishing fleet is much smaller in size, meaning less boats are running on a daily basis. Not to mention the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic that limits the capacity per boat alongside the large influx of travelers to the area that make securing reservations that much more difficult. After calling around to many local offices and independent boats, we were able to reserve a place a few weeks out of our initial timeframe for a Monday morning. The trip was booked through Deep Sea Charters on the Stardust.

After officially booking a trip, our next step was to prepare for the day. I, having never gone more than fishing off of a dock before, began Googling the best practices to avoid seasickness, something that I was terribly nervous of experiencing. My Googling led me to calling my doctor for a Scopolamine patch prescription, a behind the ear, seasickness-curbing remedy. I also found an online recommendation for Sea Bands. For less than $10 on Amazon, these acupuncture bands could be safely combined with my Scopolamine patch as they’re an entirely natural solution. Be sure to consult with your doctor or pharmacist on the best methods for avoiding seasickness before your trip.

24 Hours Before Sailing

The night before the fishing trip consisted of applying the Scopolamine patch, drinking plenty of water and going to bed early as our boat required us to be onboard and ready to go by 5am. We also packed up a cooler with a light lunch including a sandwich, fruit (no bananas, they’re bad luck!), saltine crackers, 7UP and plenty of water.

Adorned in our multiple water proof layers of clothing, we headed to the Westport Marina. Since we had visited the charter office prior to our fishing day, we weren’t required to check-in or pick up our boarding pass and headed right to our boat on Float 6. If you don’t have an opportunity to visit the office of your vessel before the sailing day, stop by the morning of and be sure to follow other pre-trip steps that your boat requires. Once aboard the 38 ft.,12 passenger vessel, the skipper gave his safety speech, briefly described the boat, introduced his deckhand, and off we sailed into the low-lying, fogged drenched morning.

On Board

For those that have never been fishing out of Westport, be prepared for choppy conditions right off the bat as the boat crosses what is known as “the bar.” This is where the massive Chehalis River meets the ocean and is most likely going to be the roughest part of the journey, depending on weather conditions for the day. Once over the bar and on the open ocean, we were amongst the dozens of other charter boats beelining out to their desired fishing spots for the day. Our skipper had chosen to take us around an hour and a half directly west. Once over the bar, I was pleasantly surprised with how smooth the sailing was as I fixed my sight to the horizon and took in the rising sun.

After not feeling the faintest hint of seasickness, we quickly arrived at the first fishing spot of the day. I was then shown the ropes and quickly dropped my baited line into the deep depths of the ocean. Fishing was slow, one salmon on the whole boat was reeled in after 20 minutes, and then off we went to a new fishing spot about another another hour north. Once in the new location, the other fishermen and myself began getting plenty of bites and started reeling in our bounty.

The first fish that I was able to bring aboard was a yellow tail sea-bass. Little to my knowledge, while salmon fishing, each person is allowed to keep up to seven of these large-eyed creatures. These make for delicious fish tacos! Soon after, nearly everyone onboard had caught themselves multiple sea-bass, concerning the skipper that we were parked over a large gathering of rocks which attract these fish and could mean that we’d run out of bait before catching any more salmon.

With the fear of no salmon lingering in mind, we sailed a bit further, changing locations sporadically throughout the day. I next reeled in a shark (you read that right). An actual, living, blue shark. Of course you can’t keep these creatures and they’re probably pretty common to fishermen, but it sure was a surprise to have one on my line, reeled up close enough to the boat for everyone to run over and gawk at.

Eventually, after a few whale sightings on the horizon, I was able to catch myself a large enough, hatchery raised salmon, the only type that you’re allowed to keep. Although it wasn’t a coveted king salmon that a handful of people onboard were able to catch, I was delighted to have caught something that I could keep. As with any fish that you get hooked, it can be a battle to keep them on your line, avoid other people and their lines on the boat, and successfully bring the fish onboard. Although the skipper and deckhand are always running around the boat helping where they can, ready with the net, and giving pointers, the responsibility is mainly yours, making the reward that much sweeter.

Post-Trip

Although at any time you can leave your pole in its holder and take a break in the cabin or on a seat outside of the boat, it ended up being a long, over 12 hour day on the water. We headed back into Westport with the sun shining bright above as the deckhand began the laborious task of gutting the salmon and filleting the sea-bass at around 3pm.

After pulling back up to the docks around 5pm, the deckhand and skipper handed out each individual’s fish that had been organized as they were caught by each person’s assigned numbers. With our fish in bags, we disembarked and were met by a hatchery worker who scanned each of our salmon to ensure that a tracking chip was not still embedded. If you were lucky enough to catch a massive, possibly record breaking fish, you were encouraged to stop by the derby office at the top of the marina. One lucky individual visiting from Minnesota was fortunate enough to catch a 18 lbs king salmon, so headed up to the office to have it weighed, photographed and announced over the intercom. Unfortunately, he missed out on breaking the daily record of 19 lbs, but still won the honor of largest salmon on our boat. Later in the summer as the salmon season begins to come to a close, the record can easily climb into the 30s.

In conclusion, the day turned out to be so much more fun, exhilarating and fast-paced than I ever could have imagined. Whether you’re feeling a bit nervous or are ready to get out there as soon as possible, take the necessary precautions, book in advance, pack for all weather conditions and experience this iconic Pacific Northwest activity for yourself.”

Throughout various times of the year, charter fishing boats take guests out to fish for tuna, salmon and bottom-fish. Head to our Charter Fishing 101 blog for more information on this activity to contact charter fishing boats in Westport.

Written by Kelsey Norvell