Lucky Catch Cruises — Local services in Portland

Lobster catching with Lucky Catch Cruises was such a unique experience! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be an absolute blast. Booking was simple—you can pay for your tickets directly on their website. We chose the earliest tour on a Saturday at 9:15 am, and I’d recommend arriving early like we did. Parking was convenient, right by their office, though it filled up fast as the day went on. One thing to note: there’s no bathroom at the dock, but Starbucks across the street has you covered.

The crew and captain were phenomenal—knowledgeable, personable, and incredibly accommodating. They not only taught us the ins and outs of lobster catching but also shared fascinating tidbits about Portland’s history and local do’s and don’ts. If you’re a foodie, ask them for restaurant recommendations—they didn’t steer us wrong!

The hands-on experience was what made it unforgettable. We got to bait traps with dead fish (don’t worry, gloves are provided!) and see them haul up the traps. If you're lucky, you might even catch some lobsters yourself—our group apparently had the best haul they’d seen in a while. They let us rubber-band the lobsters’ claws and even took photos for everyone, which was a great touch.

If you don’t catch any lobsters, don’t fret—they have a tank full of them at the dock, and you can buy them for $10 each, which is a fantastic deal. We picked out 10 lobsters, and here's the best part: they have a partnership with a nearby restaurant where they’ll cook your lobsters and serve them with fries or a baked potato. It was the perfect way to wrap up the experience!

If you’re on the fence about booking, I’d say go for it. This was such a fun and memorable activity, and I’d definitely do it again. A huge shoutout to the crew and captain for making it so special—they truly deserve...

I spent a long time researching what boat trip to take our kids when we visited Maine because my son has been obsessed with fishing shows and documentaries for years and would love an actual lobstering experience but I am prone to motion sickness and wanted to spend less than a fortune and his sisters aren't exactly keen on getting dirty or ocean life or whatever. I wanted it to be long enough for my son to enjoy but short enough my daughters didn't revolt and decide to make crustacean themed Tiktoks or something on the boat. Those three and four hour cruises are all well and good until you realize you shelled out a lotta money to have an angry teenager glaring at you in the middle of the Atlantic for half the day.

At 90 minutes but on a nice smaller boat so my son could feel like it was a more "real" experience with just two other nice, small families with friendly people working it who were very patient and good with the kids which I really appreciated it was a very good balance for everyone. They provided aprons and gloves for everybody to wear, everybody got to see and touch lobsters, there were seals and birds and they pointed out lighthouses and we went past that Gorges place and the crew had a lot of funny/interesting facts. The captain and crew people were very welcoming and casual and it was relaxing. So everybody was entertained and the time went by easily and even the girls enjoyed themselves and it wasn't ludicrously expensive either. Very happy with the choice to go with...

This was our 2nd Lobster Excursion on the Lucky Catch with Captain Tom and crew 7/11/2024. Our first experience was 7/4/2023 and was one of the highlights of our 1st trip to Maine. This year we ventured up the coast to Bar Harbor and decided to end our trip in Old Port. We decided to do another lobster excursion while in BH, but were disappointed given the trip was a “demonstration” and lacked the hands-on experience we were expecting and you could not purchase a live lobster from the boat. So, when we returned to Old Port at the end of our trip, we decided to go back to Lucky Catch. The experience was identical to last year and was again one of the highlights of our visit. The seating on the boat allows everyone to get a great view of the lobstering and sightseeing. The crew is authentic, engaging and inclusive. You wear a big orange lobstering apron to protect your clothes which gives you the feel of a true lobsterman. Gloves are available too if you’re not a fan of touching bait fish, crabs or lobsters barehanded. The crew makes it a point to allow everyone on the boat the opportunity to participate in baiting traps, removing crabs from traps and pushing traps back into the bay. The experience is educational and fun for ALL ages! Captain Tom embodies the ideal Maine lobsterman and is a true “salt-of-the-earth” kind of guy (who also REALLY looks like Will Ferrel). I highly recommend Lucky Catch to anyone visiting Portland who is looking for a unique and authentic Maine...