Highliner Charters has guided salmon, halibut, and lingcod fishing trips in the San Juan Islands for more than 14 years, based in Anacortes, Washington and captained by Brett Rosson, a retired Naval Rescue Swimmer and pilot who is Coast Guard certified, licensed, and insured. Fishing has been Brett’s lifelong passion, inherited from his father, and guiding gives him the chance to help others experience the thrill of landing a first king salmon, giant lingcod, or huge halibut.
Anacortes sits about 90 minutes north of Seattle and is easily reached from Bellingham, Burlington, Mount Vernon, Whidbey Island, Camano Island, San Juan Island, and Lopez Island, making it a convenient jumping-off point for San Juan Islands fishing. The seasonal lineup runs from spring through fall: halibut season opens April 2nd and runs through June 6th, lingcod season follows from May 1st through June 15th, and pre-dawn Baker Lake sockeye salmon trips run July 11th through early August. A short July King salmon season runs July 16th through 18th, with Bellingham Bay private Chinook charters running August 1st through September 30th and Coho salmon season beginning August 21st through the end of September. A dedicated Deception Pass Coho trip runs throughout September, and 3-hour shallow water bottom jigging trips, well suited to families and younger guests, run May through September.
Most seasonal trips are priced at $335 per person, with the Deception Pass Coho trip at $285 per person and bottom jigging trips starting at $235 per person. A 10% credit card deposit secures a reservation, with the remaining balance and any license fees due in cash on the day of the trip. Solo anglers are welcome and typically added to an existing charter rather than needing to book a full boat. Highliner Charters also offers whale watching trips through a partner website for guests looking to spend a day on the water without fishing.
For anglers looking to fish salmon, halibut, or lingcod in the San Juan Islands with an experienced, Coast Guard-certified captain, Highliner Charters offers a well-established seasonal lineup out of Anacortes.
