Sea Breeze Charters is a family-owned and operated fishing charter business that has fished out of Ilwaco, Washington for more than 60 years, offering trips on the Pacific Ocean and Columbia River at the mouth of the river in Southwest Washington. The business runs a fleet of charter boats, including the Monte Carlo, a 50-foot Delta Marine sport charter vessel captained by Steve Sohlstrom that carries up to 12 passengers.
The trip lineup covers salmon, halibut, sturgeon, bottom fish, and albacore tuna, along with Dungeness crab trips and scattering-of-ashes charters at the mouth of the Columbia River. Ocean salmon season runs June 20th through September 30th, seven days a week, with a two-salmon daily limit including one Chinook, all marked Coho. Bottom fishing is offered in three formats, near shore, long distance, and deep water, including Astoria Canyon trips for serious bottom fishing off the Washington coastline. Albacore tuna trips run 12 hours starting in August, and Dungeness crab trips let the whole family fish for a 12-crab-per-person limit in the calm, protected water beneath the historic Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.
Every trip includes custom sport fishing rods, reels, and tackle, high-quality fresh bait, and fresh hot coffee on board, with salmon and halibut cleaned and bagged at no extra charge. Salmon trips run $190 per person on the 12-passenger boats or $225 per person on the smaller 6-passenger boats, both plus tax, for an 8-hour trip or early limit. Deep water bottom fishing trips run $250 per person plus tax for 8 hours targeting deep water lingcod, yelloweye, yellowtail, and black cod in depths of 150 to 500 feet.
Ilwaco sits at the mouth of the Columbia River in Southwest Washington, roughly two hours from Portland or Seattle, an hour and a half from Longview, and two hours from Olympia, making it an accessible day trip or weekend destination for anglers across the region.
For anglers looking to fish salmon, halibut, sturgeon, bottom fish, or tuna off the Washington coast with a long-established, family-run Ilwaco charter operation, Sea Breeze Charters offers a full seasonal lineup with multiple boats to choose from.
