Garibaldi Charters

Booked a tuna trip for last Saturday and had a great time on the Norwester. Checked in at 4 am and then headed down to the dock. Make sure you bring your own snacks, food and drinks. The swells kept us in the «bar» for about 45 minutes but the Coast Guard came out and gave us the all clear to pass through. The boat ended up with 36 fish. The first 18 were football (10−15lb) but as the day progressed they got up to 30 – 35 lb.
I can’t remember the captains name but Mitch was the deckhand. There’s a lot going on when you troll for tuna and everyone has to help out. Mitch had us all working as a team after a few «fish on». My only complaint was the lack of live bait used.
On Monday we did the light tackle on Alaska Sunrise. We were hoping to limit at seven each but our group of 9 ended up with 42 so I can’t complain. They set out 6 crab pots and our share was 38 crab! They cook the crab for you but we spent over 2 hours shucking it. Willie and Joann (husband/​wife) team were deckhands and were awesome.
We paid partially in advance and the rest via check the morning of. When we checked in on Monday we had to remind him that tuna trip on Saturday and 6 of the 9 light tackle slots were already paid for. But then again it was 530 am and I wasn’t fully awake either.
You can buy daily fishing licenses and shellfish license from them.
Make sure to tip the deckhands. They work hard and definitely deserve it. Can’t wait to fish with them next year!

Went out on the Norwester for Tuna on August 20, 2014. We boated 47 Albacore. great haul. I was able to boat 5 fish.
Being an out of towner on holiday, I needed to figure out how to get my fish home. Here is how you do it:
1. Fish is cleaned at the dock.
2. Go to Tillamook to Deborah D’s and they will freeze, vacuum pack and ship the fish for you, if you do not want to lug it through the airport.

Lots of fun aboard the D & D catching black cod and Dungeness crabs. A one time opportunity but I will try to go back and catch halibut sometime. Rob the deckhand and Lance the captain made sure that the fishing and sight seeing along the Oregon coast was a good experience. The fish and crab were prepared for our coolers in port in a matter of minutes. Some great local color among the people on shore. The price was entirely fair and I would recommend this charter to anyone anytime. They know the waters well and where the fish are!

During a one week fishing trip, we fished with Garibaldi Charters at dawn one morning, to head out to the ocean to go bottomfishing. The boat we were booked on was the NORWESTER.
GC got back to my message within 24 hours, and I was able to book my trip easily.
Check-​in was also simple, and we headed to the boat.
The Norwester is a bit beaten up and old, but it’s functional. Besides, luxury boats are not necessarily the kinds of boats where you want to bring in tons of rockfish. We took off on time, and within an hour, we were at the location at which we’d begin bottomfishing.
On this trip, there were approximately 15 people or so, ranging from one 8 year old to older gentlemen. I was one of 2 women on the boat, though. I really had no idea most girls don’t fish.
The trip in itself is about a 2.5−3 star experience.
First, I don’t like bottomfish much. All the «sea bass» (not to be confused with Chilean Sea Bass) tastes the same, and big or small, ugly or not, it tasted exactly like the same. Now Lingcod was better — but there is a limit of only 1 – 2 a person, depending on when you go. We did have some interesting catches on the boat, though, including a «bucket starfish».
Our captain was a nice older gentleman who brought his dog with him — a one-​eyed black dog with only one eye, and apparently totally used to boat travel as he sailed to the destination on the bough in his life vest.
So why does GC get 4 stars?
ALL of the additional points are earned by Todd, our deckhand.
I cannot emphasize enough how much more enjoyable he made this trip. There was only one of him, and 15 of us, but he never stumbled once or left anybody wanting for anything. He was so friendly and pleasant, and though he must have been exhausted by mid-​day netting all of our fish and helping us all, you’d never know it looking at him. Towards the end of the trip, I had not caught nearly as much as other people, and who grabbed a rod and dropped his line, jiggied and had Rob and me bring up our best catches of the day? TODD. I am still astonished and intrigued at how talented of a fisherman he is. He would literally drop the line in, and 20 seconds later, have something bite. My left hand was cuts to bits and pieces, my right arm was throbbing, and jiggy as I tried, I’d catch nothing while he caught everything — — including the biggest Lingcod of the day at 8.5 lbs and a Sea Trout.
If you do go to Tillamook Bay and want to head out of Garibaldi Marina — make sure you look into Garibaldi Charters. If you do book a trip, make sure you ask for the trip where Todd will be. He really makes the trip.
I fully intend to go back during Tuna season to fish w/​Todd again. I figure I will absorb some of his talent by osmosis.