All Rivers & Saltwater Charters is the albacore specialist in Westport, and the boat to book if a tuna trip is the whole point. Trading at the dock as Washington Tuna Charters, the operation runs a small fleet of custom Defiance pilothouse boats on one day live bait albacore trips, six anglers at a time, under owner Captain Mark Coleman. The boats are among the best equipped in the port, the crews are first rate, and the tuna reputation is as strong as any name on the Washington coast. The trade is focus: out of Westport this is albacore and nothing else, a July into October fishery priced at the top of the port.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.4 All Rivers lands second in Westport and is a strong choice, a notch back from the top only because it does one thing here rather than the full menu. What it does, it does as well as anyone: a live bait albacore express on modern, fast, well found boats with a captain other guides hold in high regard. It suits a group that wants the best shot at a big tuna catch and is willing to pay for the boat and the run, and it is the wrong pick for a family after a relaxed box of bottomfish or anyone fishing outside the summer tuna window. For the full season menu, Mutineer Charters and Deep Sea Sportfishing run salmon, halibut, and bottomfish alongside tuna; for a cheaper six pack tuna day, Salty Dog Charters posts a lower per person rate. Compare the field on the Westport ranking.
The boats
The Westport fleet is built around custom Defiance pilothouse boats, a 42 footer and 29 footers, each licensed for six anglers. They are purpose built for the offshore tuna run: twin or triple high horsepower engines for a fast crossing, live bait systems to keep the chum and the hook baits alive, modern electronics, fully enclosed heated cabins for the cold ride out, and open fishing decks for working live bait. The 42 foot boat carries a gyro stabilizer that takes the roll out of the boat on the offshore swell, which is a real comfort advantage on a 10 hour day in open ocean. This is the equipment edge that lifts the score: where much of the Westport fleet is older working boats, these are newer, faster, and set up specifically for albacore. The trade for the quality is capacity, since six anglers a boat means the best dates fill early.
The fishing and what you target
Out of Westport, All Rivers fishes albacore tuna, and only albacore. The season runs from roughly July into October, when the warm blue water works north to within range of the Washington coast, and the boats run 40 to 50 miles or more offshore to find it. The method is the draw: troll to locate a school, then stop and chum live bait to bring the fish up for fast, light tackle live bait fishing, which is the most exciting way to catch them. There is no state bag limit on albacore, so a good day plugs the boat, and reviewers report fast fishing once the boat is on a school. The company does run salmon, steelhead, and halibut, but those trips leave from its other Washington locations rather than Westport, so for this port the read is tuna. Confirm the albacore picture with NOAA Fisheries, which manages the Pacific stock.
Trips and prices
The Westport trip is a single day live bait albacore charter, about 10 hours dock to dock with a 1.5 to 2.5 hour run each way, priced per person and shown by the boat too. The 42 foot Defiance is $595 per person, or $3,570 for the boat. The 29 foot Defiance is $495 per person at a full load of six ($2,970 the boat), $560 per person at a limited load of five, and $650 per person at an ultra limited load of four, so you pay for the elbow room. Live bait, ice, quality rods and reels, the licensed captain and deckhand, and the Washington license for a party of six are included, which keeps the headline rate close to the real cost. Filleting is $5 per tuna and a 15 to 20 percent gratuity is appreciated. This is the top of the Westport price range, and our cost guide puts a private offshore day in context, while the party boat versus private charter guide explains what the six angler private format buys you over a shared big boat.
The crew
Captain Mark Coleman is the reason the boat sits this high. A full time professional guide with a long record on the Washington coast, he draws the kind of review that matters most: experienced anglers calling him among the best they have fished with, and one reviewer describing him as the guide a guide would hire. The crews are praised for being patient, safety minded, and relentless about putting people on fish, and the sentiment around the Westport tuna trips runs strongly positive, with repeated mentions of full boats and fast action. The one limit on the track record here is that the review trail mixes the company’s many fisheries and locations together, so the Westport albacore record, while clearly strong, is read partly through the wider operation rather than as a single Westport boat’s standalone history.
Booking and what to know
Book ahead through the Washington Tuna Charters site or by phone, since the six angler boats and the prime August and September dates fill fast. Tuna days leave early and run long, so plan for a pre dawn start and a full day at sea, and bring warm, waterproof layers, food and water, sunscreen, and motion sickness precautions, since the open ocean crossing is where a tuna trip tests your stomach. The tackle, bait, ice, and license for a party of six are covered. A group can book multiple boats together, and the operation runs an incentive where booking three boats on one deposit earns the party leader a free trip, which is worth knowing if you are organizing a larger group.
How we scored it
All Rivers earns its 8.4 on an elite captain, the best equipped boats in the port, and a deep tuna reputation, held out of the top band by the narrow Westport menu, since it fishes albacore only here, and the top of the range pricing. Captain and crew and boat and equipment are its standout factors, both at 9.0. See how we scored this boat and the Westport ranking for the rest of the field, including Westport Charters.