Westport, Washington charter fishing: the salmon, bottomfish, and albacore fleet, ranked

Westport is the biggest charter fishing port on the Washington coast, a working fishing town on Grays Harbor with the largest charter fleet in the state tied up along Westhaven Drive. Westport, Washington charter fishing is really four fisheries off one marina: bottomfish almost year round, a short prized halibut window in spring, king and coho salmon through the summer, and an albacore tuna run that pulls boats 30 to 60 miles offshore from July into fall. This page ranks the Westport charters worth booking on our published method, from the multi boat fleets that can take a family or a group of 18 to the six pack tuna specialists that fish six anglers at a time.

One thing shapes the whole port: the season and the rules. The Washington coast is cold and rough in winter, so the fleet runs spring through fall, and most of the fisheries are quota managed and can open or close on short notice. Unlike many states, a Westport charter does not include your fishing license, so plan to buy a Washington license before you go. Confirm the current salmon, halibut, and bottomfish dates with WDFW Marine Area 2 and the albacore picture with NOAA Fisheries before a season specific trip.

What you catch and when

Westport fishes by the calendar, and the target changes with the month. Bottomfish, mainly lingcod and rockfish, is the steady catch, open seven days a week from mid March into October and the most reliable box filler in the port. Pacific halibut is the spring prize, a short all depth window on a limited schedule of set days from late April into June, one fish a day on a quota that can close early. King and coho salmon open in late June and run into September, Chinook directed at first and then a two salmon limit as the coho fill in. And albacore tuna is the summer and fall headliner, a live bait and troll fishery well offshore with no state bag limit, so a good day plugs the boat. Several boats add Dungeness crab as a bonus in season.

The boats and operators

The Westport fleet splits into three kinds of operation, and the right one depends on your group, your budget, and your target. The multi boat fleets, Mutineer and Deep Sea Sportfishing, run everything from intimate six man boats to big boats that carry well over a dozen anglers, selling seats by the person and covering the full season menu, so they can match almost any group. The big single boats, led by the 50 foot Hula Girl of Westport Charters, are clean, capable limited load boats that keep the per person price down on bottomfish, combo, and halibut trips. And the six pack specialists, the albacore boats of All Rivers and Saltwater Charters and the owner run Salty Dog, fish small private groups, with the tuna boats purpose built for the long offshore run. Most of the fleet runs spring through fall and ties up for the winter. None of the boats covers your fishing license, so that is on you.

How the field ranks

The field is led by the operations with the deepest records, and the order tracks how much each boat can be verified and how well it is reviewed. At the top is Mutineer Charters at 8.6, the only boat in the port in our top band: six Coast Guard licensed boats, the full salmon, bottomfish, halibut, and albacore menu, and a 4.8 across more than 280 reviews, the deepest record in Westport, with the one trade that the boat and crew vary by trip on a six boat fleet. All Rivers and Saltwater Charters is second at 8.4, the port’s albacore specialist under Captain Mark Coleman, running modern, gyro stabilized Defiance boats six anglers at a time, held just back because out of Westport it fishes tuna only and prices at the top. Westport Charters follows at 8.2, the institution running since 1955, with the cleanest big boat in the port and the clearest posted prices, held below the leaders by a 15 person rail rather than a six pack and no dedicated tuna trip.

Behind them, Deep Sea Sportfishing is fourth at 7.9, the widest fleet in the port, five inspected boats from a 36 foot six pack to a 65 footer with a 40 year captain aboard, marked down because it does not post a public price grid and its review record is spread thin across the fleet. And Salty Dog Charters is fifth at 7.7, a value six pack under Captain Jarrid Horn with 35 years out of Westport and the lowest salmon rate in the field, held back by a single boat with no fallback, a thinner review trail, and a steep 20 percent deckhand gratuity. The cards below carry each boat’s verdict and score.

Trip types and what they cost

Westport sells trips two ways, and the price gap is narrower than in many ports because even the big boats sell by the person. The cheapest way out is a seat on a big boat for bottomfish, from about $220 to $280 per person with the gear usually included, the budget and beginner pick. Salmon trips run roughly $190 to $360 per person, and Pacific halibut $325 to $575, with the six man boats costing more than the big boats for the same fish. Albacore tuna is the priciest trip, $450 to $595 per person on a single day depending on the boat and the load, and around $850 for an overnight run, reflecting the long offshore crossing and the live bait setup. A private six pack books the whole boat for your group, so the per person price falls as you fill it. Watch the extras: gear and tax are often in the price, but a deckhand gratuity is expected on top, and on some boats it is a set 20 percent, so compare the all in number. Our cost guide breaks down the tiers, and the party boat versus private charter guide helps you choose the format.

How to pick the right trip

Start with your target and your group. If you are new to it, watching the budget, or fishing with kids, take a bottomfish seat on a big boat like the Hula Girl or one of the Mutineer boats, where the gear is included and a full box is likely. For king and coho salmon, book a summer trip with one of the full menu fleets and match the date to the opener. For Pacific halibut, plan well ahead around the short spring quota days and expect an early, prepaid trip. For albacore tuna, the fishery Westport is known for, the specialist All Rivers and Saltwater Charters is the call for a serious group, with Deep Sea Sportfishing and Salty Dog also running tuna, but only if your stomach is ready for the long offshore run. Then book early for the summer weekends and keep a flexible date, since the Grays Harbor bar and the open ocean make the final call on whether a boat sails.

Getting there and what to bring

Westport sits on a spit at the south side of Grays Harbor, about two and a half hours southwest of Seattle and roughly two hours from Olympia, with the charter docks lining Westhaven Drive around the marina. Trips leave early, often before first light, and tuna and halibut days can check in around 3:30 to 4 a.m., so arrive 30 to 45 minutes ahead and confirm the trip the day before in case the weather turns. Buy your Washington fishing license before you arrive, since the boats do not include it, though some can sell a one day license at the office. The coast runs cold even in summer, so bring warm, waterproof layers, plus food and water, sunscreen, motion sickness precautions for the offshore runs, and a cooler with ice for your catch. The first time guide walks a beginner through the rest.

Westport anchors the Washington end of the Pacific Northwest charter fishing run. Its nearest sibling is Newport, Oregon down the coast, which fishes the same salmon, bottomfish, and albacore in the same vernacular, the Washington hub groups the state’s coastal ports, and the Pacific Coast hub lists every port we rank from San Diego to the Northwest.