Rob Taylor, founder of the websites 2TravelDads and MyAlaskaTrip, recently called The Boat Company the “best Alaska cruise for fishing” in a story after multiple guided fishing excursions during a recent cruise with the company.
He cruised aboard the Mist Cove, one of The Boat Company’s two small boats. The operation’s adventure-focused cruises include a high crew-to-guest ratio, allowing guests to experience intimate and customizable daily excursions of their choice including salt-water and freshwater fishing.
For Taylor and his husband Chris, that meant fishing nearly every day. “They make it easy to enjoy every part of it,” Taylor said of the crew. “They get you registered with the Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife, they take care of all the gear and bait, they report catches, and the best part is they clean and vacuum pack the fish for you.” The Boat Company provides guests with fishing licenses, equipment, and expertise, as well as pack and flash-freeze the catch and place it in a freezer box for the trip home.
Taylor noted the company’s commitment to preserving Southeast Alaska’s public lands, namely the Tongass National Forest, one of the last remaining substantially intact temperate rainforests on Earth. Since its founding, The Boat Company has donated profits, beyond operating expenses, to a variety of preservation initiatives.
“In each conversation with our guides everything came back to the surrounding ecosystem of the Tongass National Forest,” said Taylor. “When you build a company and a complete experience around teaching people the value of the natural world and how it all works together, it makes for an engaging and impactful trip.”
Even non fishing enthusiasts often try fishing during a cruise, noted Hunter McIntosh, president and executive director of The Boat Company. “Alaska’s coastal waters offer some of the world’s best fishing,” said McIntosh.
The region is known for abundant halibut, trout, rockfish, cod, and three types of salmon. Guides are well-versed in Alaska’s strict fishing limits and will advise guests about which fish they can keep and which must be returned to the water.
Chefs aboard the company’s two vessels prepare meals using high-quality, often locally sourced ingredients including fresh-caught fish.