Whittier Marine Charters is the longest running day charter in Whittier and the top boat in our port ranking. Owner Capt. Matt holds a US Coast Guard Master’s License and has fished Prince William Sound and the Northern Gulf of Alaska for close to two decades, and the operation runs three boats out of the Whittier Small Boat Harbor: the Swee’ Pea, the Meagan Anne, and the Elaine C. It fishes the full Whittier menu, from a standard full day of halibut to salmon, rockfish, lingcod, Pacific cod, deep drop trips, and a full day salmon shark trip, and it backs its rates with an offer to price match any competitor in the port.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.4 Whittier Marine is a strong choice and the top of the Whittier field. It earns the place on tenure and on the weight of its record: a 4.9 rating across roughly 225 TripAdvisor reviews, about 215 of them five star, is the deepest clean body of evidence in a port where most boats carry far fewer reviews. The boats are large and kept to a high standard, the trip menu is the widest in Whittier, and reviewers single out the communication from the first booking email to the morning of the trip. It suits almost anyone fishing out of Whittier, from a first group up from Anchorage to a returning angler who wants the broadest choice of target. Two honest caveats keep it from scoring higher. Because the operation runs three boats, the captain you draw varies, so you are not guaranteed Capt. Matt himself on a busy summer day. And rods are a rental while bait, ice, and tackle are sold separately, so the gear is not bundled in the way it is at some rivals. For a posted per person price card, Saltwater Excursions is clearer, and for a single owner operator who runs every trip himself, look at Alaskan 4 Star Charters. Compare the whole field on the Whittier ranking.
The boats
The fleet is the reason Whittier Marine can keep dates open across a short season. It runs two large fishing boats, the Swee’ Pea and the Meagan Anne, at 33 and 39 feet by their FishingBooker listings, plus the Elaine C, each fishing up to six anglers. These are working Alaska boats built to exceed the safety requirements the Coast Guard places on them, set up for the long open water runs that Whittier fishing demands rather than for showpiece comfort. Onboard equipment for the trip includes the net, gaff, harpoon, and a shrimp pot puller, with rods and shrimp pots available to rent and bait, ice, and tackle to buy. The honest read is that the boats are sound, well kept, and the right size for the run, but you should plan on renting a rod and picking up bait and tackle rather than expecting them included in the base rate.
The fishing and what you target
Whittier Marine fishes Prince William Sound and out into the Northern Gulf, and the target follows the calendar. Pacific halibut is the mainstay from May into September, on a roughly 10 hour day that departs around 7 a.m. and runs 30 to 90 miles to the grounds, which means one to three hours each way and a real day on the water. Under the 2026 Area 3A charter rules the limit is two halibut a day, one of any size and one no more than 27 inches, with retention closed every Wednesday and on Tuesdays from June 2 to August 25, so a halibut trip is built around the open days. King salmon are fished near Montague Island in May and June, silver salmon run from August into September, and the boats pick up lingcod, rockfish, and Pacific cod on multi-species and deep drop days. The full day salmon shark trip is a Whittier Marine specialty that few other boats here run.
Trips and prices
Whittier Marine books the whole boat for your group of up to six rather than selling per person seats, and it does not post a full price grid on its own site, leaning instead on the price match offer. The figures that are public sit on its FishingBooker listings: a salmon trip from $900 for the boat and a halibut and multi-species charter from $1,120 for the boat. Split across a full six, that works out to a fair per person cost, and the price match means a lower quote from a comparable Whittier boat should be honored. The extras are the Whittier standard: each angler buys an Alaska sport fishing license, anglers 18 and up add the $20 federal halibut stamp to keep halibut, and rods, bait, ice, and tackle are rented or bought rather than included. Our cost guide sets these numbers against other ports, and the party boat versus private charter guide explains why a full boat brings the per person price down.
The crew
The crew is the strongest part of the case for Whittier Marine. Capt. Matt runs the business and the bookings, and reviewers return again and again to how responsive he is, answering questions from the first inquiry through the morning of the trip, which is not a given in a port where some offices are slow. On the water the boats are run by Matt and a small set of captains, with Paige named often as informative, efficient, and good with first timers, and catch reports describing anglers maxing out on halibut in the first couple of hours and limiting on silvers. The one thing to carry in is the flip side of running three boats: the captain and deckhand vary by boat and date, so the day is not identical every time, and if you want a specific captain you should say so when you book.
Booking and what to know
Book direct with Matt by phone or email, or through the FishingBooker listings, and reserve the summer dates well ahead, since Whittier fills for the short season and the halibut open days book first. Trips leave around 7 a.m. from the Whittier Small Boat Harbor on Harbor Loop Drive, which means timing the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel from Anchorage, so plan to clear the early eastbound opening. Bring warm waterproof layers over lighter clothes, food and drink, and motion sickness medicine taken before you sail, and buy your Alaska license and halibut stamp online beforehand. Plan to rent a rod and pick up bait and tackle at the harbor, and confirm the day before in case the weather forces a call.
How we scored it
Whittier Marine earns its 8.4 on the deepest clean review record in the port, a Coast Guard Master owner with nearly two decades local, three well kept boats, and the widest trip menu in Whittier. Track record and captain and crew are its strongest factors. What holds it in the strong band rather than higher is value and transparency: there is no posted price grid on its own site, and rods, bait, and tackle are charged on top rather than included, which a couple of rivals beat. See how we scored this boat and the rest of the Whittier charters we rank, including Crazy Ray’s Adventures and Alaska Good Time Charters.