Highliner Lodge

I have fished and hunted with several outfitters but none of them compare with Highliner Lodge. From when they pick you up to when you are sent home the experience is amazing. The support staff preparing your meals and serving you , the fishing captains are knowledgeable and professional. Our captain Drew was amazing. We caught two Halibut that weighed over 100 lbs ! The fish cleaning and processing staff are first class . There are simply no suggestions that I could make to improve the service that they provide. It’s like the old saying “ you get what you pay for “ . If you what to fish with a group that makes you feel special then please give Highliner Lodge a try . You will not regret the decision .

WARNING!!!|If you want shore excursions, a masseuse, to watch your spouse fish, or internet access so you can work or see how many likes you received on your recent social media post - Highliner Lodge is NOT for you!!!!|||My apologies for all forgotten, misspelled, and misplaced names (I am amazed at how many names I did remember!!!)|||Ok, for you real fishers:|Is Highliner Lodge perfect? No. But no place nor person is. |Does Highliner Lodge listen, adapt, and do everything possible to give you the best fishing and best accommodations possible in the tiny town of Pelican, Alaska? ABSOLUTELY!!!||The Highliner Express lost the two left engines on our way from Juneau to Pelican. Instead of making us arrive 3 and a half hours late and miss dinner, Steve and Alex brought two extremely comfortable fishing boats to bring us from the Highliner Express to Highliner Lodge. Highliner could not control the freak loss of half their engines, but they did adapt and control what they could. ||We did opt for the upgraded lodging with a private bath and found the room to be very comfortable. ||Please read the comments to and about individuals that I add below. I believe that each person makes up the team that makes Highliner Lodge special. ||Dylan - thank you for getting us started with our booking and for being an amazing Captain. Your ability to handle multiple roles and tasks embodies what all Highliner employees are. I know that nobody at Highliner has only one job. Thank you for not just being the Captain when you are on the boat but also working like a deck hand. Anybody can steer a boat with a bit of training, not everybody can bounce between the controls and the deck like you do. “Controlled Chaos Captain!”||Jared - you are more than just a deckhand, it was like we had an extra captain on the boat. The way you and Dylan worked seamlessly through roles and your knowing what to do without having to be told, shows that you really know what you are doing!||Abbie - thank you for guiding us through the process of preparing for our trip and all of the work you do behind the scenes. ||Hospitality - Angel, Fenner, Reya, Maddie, Bianca and I am sure I am missing one or two names. Thank you all for remembering our names by day two when you have so many people rotating in and out. It is a bit embarrassing that you remembered our names better than I remembered yours. Thank you for gracious accommodation and remembering how and when I like my coffee. ||The Fish House - thank you for taking great care of our fish and making the beautiful filets. Cannon is a great frontman arranging the fish for pictures, taking the pictures, and looking happy to do it all for us. ||The Chef and kitchen staff - much better food than I expected. Thank you for making carrot cake and poke tostadas that I actually enjoyed!||Steve - thank you for assembling an amazing team. They do a marvelous job of representing you and your business. |I did not meet you in person. However, through my interactions with your staff, I feel like I did. Thank you for creating an experience that turned a bucket list item into an obsession.

This is our second time fishing with the highliner lodge. Part of me doesn’t even want to tell you how great our trip was, because I would like to be able to book our next trip and not have everything be filled up. The accommodations are great! They are super clean, and the rooms are cleaned/beds made etc every day while you’re gone. The food is amazing! It’s honestly better than most restaurants I’ve been to. The fishing is also amazing. You will go home with so much fish, you won’t know what to do with it all. We were there for 3 days ans came home with 160 lbs of fish. All the captains, deck staff etc are all so helpful, and want to make sure you have the best experience. They treat you like you are at a 5 star resort. They are so accommodating. If you want a great fishing experience this is by far the best place with the best staff around. You will not be disappointed.

We had the absolute best time fishing in Pelican, Alaska with Captain Robert! He was amazing from start to finish — incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and helpful. You can tell he truly loves what he does, and it made the whole experience unforgettable. We caught a ton of fish and had an absolute blast doing it! Captain Robert knew exactly where to go and made sure we were always set up for success.||If you’re planning a fishing trip in Pelican, Alaska, I highly recommend booking with Highliner Lodge — and definitely request Captain Robert! Best captain ever. A true trip of a lifetime!||Also, the staff was very accommodating and always on top of everything. The owners were incredibly friendly, and you can tell this place is their pride and joy. Wonderful people. Thank you for making this trip so memorable!||Regina Dondero

Highliner Lodge was one of the best vacation we ever had. Food and rooms were great and the fishing was awesome. Everything is well organized and streamlined. From breakfast in the morning till dinner at night. We will defiantly be back. Eric and Melanie Kramer

We made a trip to Highliner Lodge the middle of June this year and the fishing was wonderful. Robert was our guide and he worked his butt off to find us fish and he came through. We came home after three days with over 80#s of fish. The whole experience was wonderful from the people the accommodations and the delicious food. This place is worth the trip.

There are not enough words to describe the experience we had there. The rooms were clean and tidy. The location was spot on to everything we needed. The service was excellent. The staff here was amazing. Can't thank you enough for ALL that you did to make our fishing trip the greatest. Friendly and very helpful. The food was 10++++++++++++++++ The whole experience was a game changer. Highly recommend the Highliner Lodge

Qualification: I am NOT a fisherman. This was my first experience of this type of vacation and I am HOOKED! The fishing was awesome, the captains were all fantastic and helped this novice learn the ropes, REEL, REEL!! The staff from check-in, rooms, laundry, gear, and chefs were all top notch; professional, helpful and willing to bend over backwards to assist with any request. The food was wonderful with the dinners being exceptional. We were well taken care of. Did I mention we caught LOTS of fish! Thank you to all the staff and to Captain Steve for making this a memory of a life time! PS: planning on more memories next year!

Just got back from the Highliner where we fished for four days straight. I had no idea what to expect and was hoping that I picked wisely. I certainly did! You can't go wrong booking this place and you will catch more fish than you know what to do with. The staff, the food, the boats, the guides, the equipment, sleeping quarters, fish handling and packaging and every service they provide was top notch. Thank you everyone at Highliner you guys know how to do it. Justin, Jesse, Stevo and Matt

The town of Pelican is one of those places you dream about living the rest of your years. It is the best place to fish ("closest to the fish" is the motto of Highligner Lodge) and it's true what they say! Closest fishing lodge to the ocean and all the fish! The lodge itself is quaint and i think they are working on making the rooms feeling cozier and more "homey" but what makes this spot worth the five stars are all the great people that made the experience unforgettable. Food cooked by kitchen staff every night was EXCELLENT. And everyone was really happy with how much fish we caught. Can't wait to come back and see the staff again!!!

This was our 5th trip to Highliner lodge. I take my son fishing all the time, Hawaii, Cabo, Cancun, Antigua, St Thomas to name a few but by far if you want to catch fish and big fish this is the place to go. I have been lucky enough to catch 35 lb king salmon, and three Halibut over 100 lbs. My son catch a 235 lb halibut. Check out there website it tracks big fish by weight and date. You can catch several species of fish. If you like to fish, this is the place. Bar none. I don't give many 5 star reviews but this place deserves it. The people are great and you can leave your worries behind and fish. I will be back there next year.

If you want your best chance to catch "trophy" halibut or catch your limit of salmon and halibut every day, this is the area of Alaska to go to. If you are an expert fisherman or a novice like we were, you won't get better fishing spots, fishing guides and fishing instruction/assistance than with Highliner Lodge. If you want to fish with a first class operation with great equipment, boats and guides and experience an awesome vacation experience, Highliner Lodge is your best option. If you appreciate good food, great service, clean and comfortable accommodations and personal attention along with excellent care of your fish for transport home, Highliner Lodge becomes your only real choice. We just returned from our third year of fishing Alaska and our second year at the Highliner. The two of us caught well over a half ton of fish in four fishing days. We took home nearly 600 pound of filets including halibut, salmon, cod, sea bass and yellow eye. And we are scheduling our trip for next year to Highliner. We can't image that it could get any better fishing or vacation experience than we have had with Highliner. We both caught our biggest fish ever on this trip. That means we beating out our biggest catch ever that we each caught last year from the Highliner. My business partner caught three halibut over 150 pounds. I caught a 161 pounder and a monster 255 pounder. No words that I can but together can adequately convey how much we enjoyed our second Alaskan fishing adventure with Steve and Jill Daniels, the owners of Highliner Lodge. They are hands on involved in every aspect of providing a first class, big time fishing experience. Most everyone we meet at the lodge talked about "when we come back next year". Thank you Sky (our excellent fishing guide) for getting guiding us to the fish and helping us catch them. Thank you Susan for the warm way you took care of feeding and attending to us. Thank you Ali and your crew for the excellent handling and shipping of our catch. And thank you to the Steve and Jill for creating such awesome adventures and for your friendship.

What a trip! The float plane ride in is breathtaking. The town itself is unmatched, walking up the ramp you look from left to right and all you see is boardwalk...I've never experienced anything like that. The fishing was great, boats were all well equipped, Captain Hayden was awesome! Accommodations were nice and clean. The staff was all very hospitable, you can tell they like what they do, which in my opinion says a lot about a place. Can't wait till my next visit!

We just got back from a 3-day fishing trip.. The Highliner Lodge is absolutely the right place to be if you want to fish Alaska!! From the beginning contact with Steve and Jill, who answered my numerous questions with truth, style, and confidence- Wonderful beginning! It only gets better!!!! I must say their entire staff truly helps you feel as a guest in their home...it's really that simple, the entire staff in order of contact; Abbey, Colleen, Chefs Mike, and Devon, Dylan, Captain Andrew, Tony, and a few more who's names do escape me(sorry about that). The lodge is very clean, neat, and in order. The boats are everything the are supposed to be, gear is top notch... The views are unreal, and pictures will not do them justice. All meals are prepared with an abundance of HEART and SOUL, great passion from Mike and Devon, who work in an open kitchen that is immaculately clean! Abbey and Colleen have all the table service, house keeping, and laundry covered wonderfully, along with many other responsibilities in this hustling, non stop minute to minute guest service orientated Fishing Lodge. We fished three FULL days with Captain Andrew, and putting us on fish is was what he did!!!! Not to mention the patience and professionalism that Capt. Andrew demonstrated throughout our time together. The other Captains filled up as well, when you see the catch being brought up to the cleaning room--Lines tight all the time!!!!!!! Dylan is a viking when it comes to cleaning fish, (practice does make perfect) and Tony did a great job as an all around hand.. Dylan also works in admin, and booked us before we left, he's that good!! The entire staff was impeccable, going the extra mile with sincerity in all of their words and actions!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our group is looking forward to next years trip already!!!!! Wishing Steve, Jill, and the entire Highliner family the very best!!!!!!!!!!! Joe C.

The lodge, food and owners were 5 stars. I downgraded the rating to 4 for two reasons. One, it is pretty expensive; and two, we didn't catch anywhere near the catch that other reviewers posted about. Over 3 days of fishing we caught a total of 50lbs of fish per person. That was a mix of halibut, king salmon and rock bass. We caught no halibut over 35 lbs. in 3 days. We never caught our limit of anything except rock bass. Overall the experience was good but we were a little disappointed on the cost of it versus the catch we had.

We had a fabulous time! The staff is great, the food excellent, accommodations nice and clean. The town is on a dock, so not a ton of room. If you are looking for luxury accommodations, this isn't for you. If you want to be treated as a treasured guest, eat delicious food and have an absolutely incredible fishing experience, you will not be disappointed. The boat captains are the best. We fished with Dave for two of the days. He took us to his halibut hidey hole. While my husband is an experienced fisherman, this was my first time deep sea fishing. That day I caught 15 fish, 14 halibut (which we were targeting) and a huge Ling Cod. Dave is a fabulous captain. The owner, Steve is a great guy. Can't say enough about the staff, every last one of them!!!

Spent 4 fishing days, 5 nights at the Highliner Lodger in Pelican - It was fantastic. I went on this fishing adventure with my dad - he planned the trip and I like to travel - so while I was up for whatever - I didn't really know what to expect. I was impressed across the board. The fishing was fantastic. Great big halibut, - lots of king salmon and a variety of other smaller fish - which (I can tell you now that I am back home) happen to be delicious. Steve and his team can find fish. I'm not really technical on the technical details but those with me seems more educated on this and satisfied. Basically - The boats were heated and appeared well maintained, the equipment seemed to be suited to the task and the captains were very helpful, everyone was very safe with regard to weather and fishing conditions. There is wildlife everywhere - we saw whales, seals, orcas, dolphins, deer, puffins and bear... not a dull moment The staff was great - Thanks Efram, thanks Susan, thanks Joe, thanks Ali - we had a great time. Our fish is delicious, dad still talks about fresh cinnamon buns, and we would love to hang out with you all again. Pelican is about as "off the map" as anything I have experienced while still in the US - so I was not sure what to expect. It was NOT "fish camp". The lodge was lovely - clearly there is a woman's touch here - the lodge was very clean, plenty warm and well - not what you might expect from the rest of Pelican. Jill - our most gracious hostess not only kept dinner conversation lively, but believe it or not baked cakes and cookies for the boat every day. So to all the folks out there who want to catch big fish - you will have a blast. Gals - go have fun - I had a great time. There were a few gals fishing every day. It was NOT a "roughing it while frozen" kind of adventure. We had a great time, caught fish, saw more whales than I have anywhere else and will certainly go back again next year.

Warning Job seekers! The Highliner Lodge in Pelican, Alaska was the worst place I have ever worked. I had no single spot to sleep or keep my belongings. I was jostled around to 5 different locations during my 7-week stay. The training is incredibly poor. The day you arrive, they throw you into work with little to no instruction. Most everything I learned was through trial and error. Although the chef did the best he could, I felt deprived of essential nutrients as a result of limited access to fresh ingredients. Worst of all, the owner, Steve casually belittles and humiliates his employees. This led to low staff morale. The environment was simply toxic. After giving my resignation I inquired as to when and how I would be receiving my personal tip money, this was Steve's response: "I don't know why I bother with you. Perhaps you could use a dose of your own advise on self-reflection. At your age, having accomplished nothing remarkable in life, telling Jill & I how to run a business that you know nothing about is ridiculous at best. You will get a direct deposit at the end of this month. Please do not contact me again" Steve never did deposit my tip money that he promised. If asking Steve to treat his staff with respect is "ridiculous at best" I guess his words paint the most vivid picture of his business practices.