Highliner Lodge — Hotel in Pelican

The good stuff:||I assume you are interested in going to a fishing lodge in Alaska to catch fish. If that’s the case, you won’t do better than the Hiliner, depending on which skipper you get. Steve and Jill own 8 boats as of August 2023, plus a big ferry. That’s in addition to most of Pelican. They recently purchased and are gradually refurbishing The Pelican Inn, and while they are processing the fish right now in a small room adjacent to the dining hall, they will have a processing facility ready for 2024. I caught and brought home 120 lbs of coho salmon, king salmon, halibut and rockfish in 4 days of fishing. However, my skipper Adam was very good at finding the fish, even if his demeanor is a little brusque (and he can’t remember names, or doesn’t try to). Other people had different experiences, based on which boat they were on. There seems to be a fair amount of turnover with the boat captains. One guy had been there for one day, and his people, 4 of them, caught 3 halibut and 3 coho in one whole day of fishing. They were underwhelmed. We caught our limits on halibut (one per person per day) and coho (6 per person per day) and king salmon (one annually after about mid-July, and we were there Aug 7-11, 2023. ||||The staff at the Hiliner are all great. Abbie and Dylan, the managers, work their tails off, as does everyone else. This is not an inexpensive trip, so know before you go the staff expects generous tips. The suggested amount is $150-350 per fishing guest PER DAY. This is of course on top of the already steep prices.||||My wife went with me as a non-fishing guest, which I gather now is pretty unusual. There is virtually nothing to do in the very small hamlet of Pelican, so I would not suggest bringing anyone not interested in fishing. Also, the fishing is all open water and seas can be rough, so bring motion sickness pills if you are susceptible. I am very susceptible, but didn’t take mine in time so I was seasick the first day. I recommend promethazine, which is prescription and should be taken 2 days before you get on the water. Scopolamine didn’t work for me the first day. ||||I had taken a previous trip to Pelican in 2021, but the Lisianski Lodge, located on Sunnyside, about a 5 minute boat ride from Pelican, only fishes the inlet, plus they waste time fishing for pink salmon in the streams. Pinks are only bait-worthy, and you catch plenty of them by accident anyway. I brought home about 20 lbs of fish from a 4 day trip, quite a difference. ||||The accommodations at Hiliner vary greatly. Some of the rooms have shared bathrooms. We had the Carriage House, which is about a 7 minute walk from the dining hall, it’s a 2 bedroom 1 bath cottage, very comfortable. One bedroom has a king bed, the other two twins. There is a kitchen (stove did not work) and a nice living room and a deck. The Manor House, right in front of the Carriage House, is also a very nice space. ||||Here’s the only bad thing I can say besides the steep costs: Communication was very poor. Abbie and Dylan were trying to think of things for my wife to do, and everything was $700-800 (boat tour, hot springs, whatever). I told them several times, and have it in writing with Abbie in a text, that we did not want to spend any more money. So, we get there, and they tell us my wife can go out on the boat with me the first day. Great! However, when we checked out at the end of the trip, we found out they had charged us $700 for her to be on the boat. Despite asking for that to be waived, they refused. I assume if you can afford this trip maybe $700 isn’t that much to you, but it matters to me, plus the annoyance factor of them not telling us it would be $700. So, we would not go back to Hiliner just for that reason. ||||To recap, fish was abundant depending on who your captain is||Food was excellent!||Staff was great overall!||Very poor communication and...

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...

This was my third consecutive year at the Highliner and each year they somehow create a greater experience than the year before. This year with my son Bob (aka Bud Light Bob when at the Highliner) , we booked 5 days on the Emerald Island where you are literally sleeping over the fish. Steve and the crew did an amazing job of transforming that old boat into a very livable floating fishing lodge. It has very comfortable state rooms. It has a large nicely decorated inside lounge with a large outdoor patio. Chef Tina preps the dinners at the lodge so you are still eating very high on the hog. After our 5th day of catching, we were treated to a boneless short rib dinner cruise back to Pelican. The scenery with snow on the mountains was breathtaking. The fishing at Highliner was incredible again. They gave out 7of their famous 100 pounder with cheese club trophies to just 22 or 23 guests on the day of our arrival. Captain Jacob put us on the fish every day. Our boat caught 4 100 pounders and plenty of salmon, cod, rockfish and even a shark. I got my third trophy. If you have never been to Pelican and a guest of the Highliner this is what I experienced every year. The flight out in the floatplane brings you up close to trees. You will get a royal welcome from Abby on the dock. She is your “go to” girl for everything and very good at it. Dillon is your “go to” guy. Then up the ramp to the boardwalk and the Highliner Lodge and shown where everything is and what time the appetizers and meals are served. The other hostesses take the time to introduce themselves and make you feel very welcome. They will know your name by your second day. That quality of hospitality is present in every person associated with Highliner Lodge. The atmosphere is friendly, informal and fun. It doesn’t get any better than this! August 16, 2021 Gordon...