Frederick D.
Yelp
We called up Captain Mel Roe on a tip from a local fishing company, and it was the best decision we could have made for our 2 day trip on Kodiak Island. He recommended obtaining fishing licenses the day before which we promptly got at Big Ray's, only a 10 minute walk from the Harbor where his boat was moored.
We stepped aboard the Shearwater the next morning, a double hulled aluminum fishing vessel powered by twin 350 Suzuki outboard engines, leaving the the port at 8am and completing our excursion at 5pm. The Shearwater handled extremely well as the day turned from Sunny clear, perfectly glassy waters to 4-5 foot swells in the late afternoon.
The fish we went after were multi species: yellow eye, rock fish, cod, halibut, and king salmon. Captain Mel knew exactly where to take the boat for the maximum haul. During our excursion we also saw Puffin, Porpoise, and Humpback Whales. Captain Mel would slow the boat down and steer towards where all of the best action was. It was an exhilarating experience to say the least!
The fishing was also spectacular. Intimidated at first, we were quickly coached on managing our reels and rods and by the end of the day, Nicole and I had pulled in 60 and 70 lbs halibut, winning the largest catch of the day, and that was just the tip of the iceberg! We each caught several of the above mentioned fish.
At the end of the day, Mel took us back to Port where the entire haul was processed and shipped to our home address in Miami by Island Seafoods. The guy lifted the entire catch and Nicole and I shared the haul 2/5ths with the other other customers that joined us. We also got some fantastic recipes for how to cook our fish when we get home.
Mel Roe and his crew Sam and Sage deserve six stars! I can't speak more highly about them. This was a dream trip come true.