Nothing beats the taste of fresh-caught salmon. These fabulous fish not only taste great, but put up a fight and are fun to wrestle into the boat. Plus, with Ocean Charters, you're getting the best! Ocean Charters customers regularly win the Daily and Weekly Fishing Derbies for BOTH King and Silver.

Salmon Season.The salmon sportfishing season starts out of westport on July 1st this year. The Chinook quota has been slashed to just over 9,000 fish, so CALL SOON to get the days you want!

Make sure you CALL SOON to get your reservation in, especially once the season expands. Salmon fishing out of Westport is always a great time, so once the season is set, don't wait! You don't want to miss your chance! And remember -- the Ocean Charters owner and Captians were the ONLY Charter Fishing Association members who voted for an earlier start date. So when you are deciding who to fish with, keep in mind who is the only Charter that puts customers first.

Boats depart by 6:00 a.m. from Float #6, which is right across the street from the office. BOATS WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU IF YOU ARE LATE!!! It takes time to get everyone checked in and onto the boats, so please plan to check in at the office between 5 and 5:30 a.m. If you come into town the night before, the office is usually open until 5 p.m., and sometimes later. If you check in the night before and get your boarding pass, you can go directly to the boat the morning of your trip, which makes it easier for everyone.

You may board a boat early, IF the Captain or a deckhand is on board. Boats will leave early if all passengers show up early. Boats return between 3 and 4 p.m., earlier if the boat limits out before then.

Fishing Derby The Fishing Derby is sponsored by the Westport Charterboat Association. Each day during the salmon season, the biggest Coho and the biggest Chinook each win a cash prize of half the tickets sales up to $500. At the end of the season, the biggest Coho and the biggest Chinook each receive an additional $1,500 prize. Tickets cost $5 each, and can be purchased at the office when you check in.

Sun protection Bring sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, and lip balm, even on cloudy days. The water reflects and amplifies the sun's rays, so you can get very sunburned if you don't protect yourself.

Lunch Bring a brown-bag lunch, including beverages. You can get a box lunch the morning of your trip at any of several places: Coley's, right next door to the office; at Castaways; or at the Inn of the Westwind. As with everything else, make sure you leave plenty of time in the morning to take care of this, or, better still, handle it the night before.

Drinks. All boats have coffee. Bring all other drinks with you, including bottled water. Make sure you have enough to drink - there's no convenience store once you're out there. Alcohol is permitted on the boats; on the Lucky Pierre and Hawk II, beer and wine only please.

Wear layers. It is best to dress in several layers instead of one heavy coat. This allows you to more easily adjust to the weather as it changes through the day.

Raingear and non-slip rubber boots. If you don't have these, bring old clothes and shoes that don't slip. Even on a clear, sunny day, fishing can be a wet and messy business.

Cameras or video recorders are a good optional item to have with you. It kind of ruins the fun of catching a huge fish if you don't have a pictureand the Derby winnings to prove it.

We provide all fishing gear. All needed gear and bait are provided on the boats. If you have gear of your own that you would like to use, you are welcome to bring it, but you must provide your own lead, leaders, and barbless hooks as well.

Safety First! Ocean Charters prides itself on having the safest boats and the safest, most experienced Captains possible. Bad weather, including rain and wind, will not cause a trip cancellation. As long as it is safe, the boats will go out. However, if the Captain feels that the situation is not safe, he will cancel the trip. Sometimes, the boats will get out to the "bar" (where the boats cross out of Westport's natural harbor area and into the deep-water ocean) before the Captain can tell for sure if he has to cancel the trip.

If you have any other questions, please call. --- Thank you & have fun!