Deep Sea Sportfishing is one of the most established names on the Westport waterfront, running a five boat fleet that can match almost any group and fish the whole Washington coast season. The fleet ranges from the 36 foot Comeback up to the 65 foot El Matador, with a 40 year captain on its 48 foot boat, and the operation has been a fixture in the community for decades. It sells bottomfish, halibut, salmon, combo, and albacore tuna trips, so whatever is in season, it has a boat for it. The one thing it does not do that its rivals do is post its prices, which is the main reason it sits where it does.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.9 the operation is a strong choice and fourth in the port, the fleet to call when you want a specific boat for a specific group. Its strengths are real: a deep, varied fleet that covers a couple on a six pack and a big group on a 65 footer, a full season menu including tuna, an experienced roster led by a 40 year captain, and a long standing place in the Westport community. What holds it below the leaders is transparency and a slightly more scattered record. It does not post a public price card, so you have to call for a quote, where Westport Charters, Mutineer Charters, and Salty Dog Charters all show their rates up front, and its reviews are spread across the fleet and more than one listing rather than concentrated into one deep, clear record. Compare the field on the Westport ranking.
The boats
The fleet is the selling point, and it is the widest in the port. The 48 foot boat run by Captain Phil and a deckhand also named Phil, with well over 40 years of combined experience between them, has the strongest review trail in the fleet and is a good all rounder for 14 anglers. The 65 foot El Matador is the big boat, set up to fish as many as 22 but also offered on limited loads. The 53 foot Blitz is a Coast Guard inspected boat that came through a restoration in 2024, so it is one of the freshest hulls on the dock. The 43 foot Sundance is a six pack with a walk around deck, the pick for a small private group. The 36 foot Comeback rounds out the fleet. All are Coast Guard inspected, which is what lets the larger ones carry a crowd. The honest read is that with five boats the day depends heavily on which one you draw and who is running it, so the boat is the first thing to pin down.
The fishing and what you target
The operation fishes the full Westport calendar. Rockfish and lingcod open in mid March and run into October, the steady bottomfish. Pacific halibut comes in on the spring quota days from late April into June, a one fish limit on a short schedule. King and coho salmon open in late June and run into September off Marine Area 2. Combo trips pair salmon with bottomfish, and albacore tuna is the summer and fall headliner offshore. With the range of boats, the operation can put the right hull on each fishery, a bigger boat for the long tuna run and a smaller one for a nearshore bottomfish day. Seasons and quotas move year to year, so confirm the current dates with WDFW Marine Area 2 and the albacore rules with NOAA Fisheries before a season specific trip.
Trips and prices
This is the weak spot. The operation sells the full menu but does not post a public per person price card on its site, instead listing the trips by boat and asking you to call or email the office for the current rate and dates. The rates themselves are broadly in line with the rest of the Westport fleet, where bottomfish runs in the high $200s to mid $300s, halibut in the $400s to high $500s, and albacore around $550, but because the operation does not publish its own figures, we do not put a number in its name that we cannot source to it. That lack of upfront pricing is the one clear gap against the boats in the port that show their rates in full, and it is what pulls the value and transparency score down. When you book, ask for the rate, the basis, and what is included so there are no surprises. Our cost guide sets the Westport range in context, and the party boat versus private charter guide helps you choose between the six pack and the big boat this fleet both offer.
The crew
The crew sentiment is positive, led by Captain Phil, who draws repeated praise for limiting the boat on good days and for the kind of steady, family friendly operation that keeps customers coming back across seasons. Reviewers describe the owners as a longtime staple of the Westport community who show people a good time on the water. The honest qualifier is that, as with any multi boat operation, the experience tracks the specific boat and captain more than the company name, and the review record is spread across the fleet and across more than one online listing, so it reads as solid and consistent rather than as one deep, unmistakable trail. That breadth is a strength for matching a boat to your group and a mild weakness for knowing exactly what you will get.
Booking and what to know
Book by phone or email through the office, and use that call to lock down which boat you are on, the rate, and the check in time, since the fleet runs a range of trips on a range of boats. Trips leave early, so plan for a pre dawn start, and bring warm, waterproof layers, food, sunscreen, and a cooler for your catch, since the Washington coast fishes cold even in summer. A one day Washington license is your responsibility if you do not already hold one. For a small private group ask about the Sundance six pack; for a large party ask about the El Matador.
How we scored it
The operation earns its 7.9 on the widest, best matched fleet in the port, the full season menu, and an experienced, community rooted operation, held below the leaders by the lack of public pricing and a review record spread thin across five boats and several listings. Boat and equipment and trips and access are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat and the Westport ranking for the rest of the field, including the albacore specialist All Rivers and Saltwater Charters.