$2,000 Deposit Kept by Highliner Lodge, No Signed Contract, Ignored for Weeks - Then Very Hostile Response My name is Captain Roy Tuck, I have held my U.S. Coastguard 100 ton license for 44+ years now and have had a wonderful life being able to captain uncountable Sportfishing boats in the worlds largest San Diego Sportfishing fleet catching many a happy angler their very first albacore or yellowtail. Later in life [mid 1980's] I had the God sent good fortune in captaining different private yacht's picking up anglers in places like Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Costa Rica from the airport and delivering them to the waiting yacht catching them their first marlin, dorado or wahoo. Also showing them nightlife action in those exotic places their families and friends will never forget. On December 20, 2025, "in good faith" I paid Highliner Lodge $2,000 by credit card for a multi-day fishing trip [9 months prior to the trip in July of 2026]. I was never provided a written contract and never signed any agreement. Shortly after paying, I learned The Highliner Lodge staff were attempting to place my son and me on a boat already chartered by 3 other people, despite my clearly stating I wanted to charter a private boat for just the two of us and was willing to pay extra. Due to health reasons, I cancelled nearly nine months in advance and requested a refund. For weeks, Steve, Abbie, and Dylan ignored my emails, texts, and calls. After almost a month and a half of silence, I received this email from the Highliner Lodge owner Steve Daniels: "Captain" Roy, Do you realize everyone is laughing at you? We will no longer reply to your ridiculous attempts to get my company to refund the $2000 deposit you gave us last December. If you want to embarrass yourself further online, I welcome that, as your own words will make you look the fool that you are. It would only enhance my reputation as a non-nonsense straight shooter and actually increase my business... while making you look like a moron and diminishing your own business. (assuming you have any) Best regards, Steve Steve & Jill Daniels Highlinerlodge This was Steve Daniels owner of the lodge his very late response to a customer who had paid his family business $2,000 "in good faith". Keeping $2,000 of my money provided to him in "good faith" under these circumstances -- with no signed contract, nine months' notice, and then responding this way -- speaks for itself. If you are considering booking here, maybe you may want to look elsewhere for a different family operation with an owner who does not treat people like you and I just trying to fulfill a life long dream like a moron! read more

Top notch all the way! Service and staff were amazing. All smiles and extremely helpful. All their captains are great and will put you on the fish. The fleet is mostly new and very comfortable. Food, superb! Abbie and Dillon are doing an amazing job running the show. The town is something to experience. Small but has everything you need. You will not be disappointed. read more

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Highliner Lodge - Unforgettable Experience! We had an amazing time at Highliner Lodge from start to finish! Our first day out with Captain Adam was fantastic, we caught plenty of fish, and he was super professional and clearly loves what he does. For the rest of our trip, we were with Captain Robert, who truly went above and beyond. We caught an extreme amount of fish! He was incredibly helpful, attentive, patient, and so knowledgeable. His passion for fishing really stood out and made every day exciting. Hard to believe it was his first year at Highliner Lodge it felt like he had been there for years! The entire operation was seamless. From the friendly, hardworking staff to the team behind the scenes, everything ran like a well-oiled machine. We even got to meet the owners such a lovely couple! We had dinner with them twice and were blown away by their kindness, their passion, and the stories they shared. The food was next level, our favorites were the halibut and salmon dishes. Let's not forget about the appetizers and desserts yummy! Absolutely delicious! And their Old Fashioned cocktails? Done to perfection. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. 100% recommend to anyone looking for the ultimate Alaskan fishing trip! Highly recommend booking with Highliner Lodge and asking for Captain Robert as well as Captain Adam you will not be let down. Thank you to everyone at Highliner Lodge for making it truly unforgettable! Regina Dondero read more

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Captain Robert was great and a well experienced captain. everyone in our group enjoyed our time with him and the Highliner lodge.

Pelican is a very quaint, quiet, beautiful fishing town. Once you arrive the greeting from the Highliner crew and the backdrop of Pelican just make you feel as if you arrived in a different world. It's amazing! We were paired with Captain Spencer R. and we were a perfect fit. Nothing but good times and laughs. Although it was Spencer's first year working at Highliner, he had the program and fish dialed in. I would highly recommend requesting him if you get the opportunity. We caught more than enough fish to be satisfied. Alaska's DFG has tightened up the limits on certain fish, but it was still well worth the price of admission. Dylan and Abbie run a tight operation and it shows. The courtesy and hustle of the entire crew makes it a first class experience! The lodging was more than comfortable and dinners were amazing! The only minor issue for our group of 7, was that it seemed that the fish was not distributed evenly. Some had too much of some species and not enough of others. I understand the difficulty of the process, but hopefully they can tune it to be a little more efficient. Our group are close friends so we were able to split everything correctly once we got home. It's a great operation and well worth the experience. We will be going back! Once again, thank you Dylan, Abbie, Spencer, and the rest of the Highliner crew!!! read more

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we were at the highliner the first week of august 2025.( 4th trip in 5 years, missed 2024) my wife wilma went for her first time and loved it. you are in another world. got to see first hand how they handle hic-ups. within one hour of leaving juneau the express lost 2 of the 4 engines. now we had a 11 pm est. arrival rather than our scheduled 6 pm arrrival. the lodge radioed that steve and another captain just left the harbor with 2 of those new 34x12 aci cats to pick up the passengers. we arrived at 9 pm. the staff met us on the docks, showed us where to find everything and then served us 12 passengers a delicious meal. then the staff delivered our luggage at 11 pm and they were in the dinning hall at 4:30 am the next morning preparing the breakfast buffet and sandwich bar with smiles on their faces the fishing was amazing. we brought home over 200 lbs. of filets. we had capt. dylan and jared 3 of our 4 days. dylan spent more time doing deck hand duties than driving the boat because we were landing fish left and right. they were constantly adjusting the down rigger depth to fish finder marks; as a result we landed 52 fish that day. wilma was really happy with the decor a nd cleaniness of our room and how they kept it that way. they even did our laundry. adam, the evening chef prepared 5 star meals every night. i was visiting with a first time rather senior gentlemen from s. dakota so i asked him what he thought. his reply was "this the first time in my life that i feel pampered". exactly! !! gordon & wilma domes dallas, ore. read more

The town of Pelican is one of those places you dream about living the rest of your years. It is the best place to fish ("closest to the fish" is the motto of Highligner Lodge) and it's true what they say! Closest fishing lodge to the ocean and all the fish! The lodge itself is quaint and i think they are working on making the rooms feeling cozier and more "homey" but what makes this spot worth the five stars are all the great people that made the experience unforgettable. Food cooked by kitchen staff every night was EXCELLENT. And everyone was really happy with how much fish we caught. Can't wait to come back and see the staff again!!! read more

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Just got back from the Highliner where we fished for four days straight. I had no idea what to expect and was hoping that I picked wisely. I certainly did! You can't go wrong booking this place and you will catch more fish than you know what to do with. The staff, the food, the boats, the guides, the equipment, sleeping quarters, fish handling and packaging and every service they provide was top notch. Thank you everyone at Highliner you guys know how to do it. Justin, Jesse, Stevo and Matt read more

If you want your best chance to catch "trophy" halibut or catch your limit of salmon and halibut every day, this is the area of Alaska to go to. If you are an expert fisherman or a novice like we were, you won't get better fishing spots, fishing guides and fishing instruction/assistance than with Highliner Lodge. If you want to fish with a first class operation with great equipment, boats and guides and experience an awesome vacation experience, Highliner Lodge is your best option. If you appreciate good food, great service, clean and comfortable accommodations and personal attention along with excellent care of your fish for transport home, Highliner Lodge becomes your only real choice. We just returned from our third year of fishing Alaska and our second year at the Highliner. The two of us caught well over a half ton of fish in four fishing days. We took home nearly 600 pound of filets including halibut, salmon, cod, sea bass and yellow eye. And we are scheduling our trip for next year to Highliner. We can't image that it could get any better fishing or vacation experience than we have had with Highliner. We both caught our biggest fish ever on this trip. That means we beating out our biggest catch ever that we each caught last year from the Highliner. My business partner caught three halibut over 150 pounds. I caught a 161 pounder and a monster 255 pounder. No words that I can but together can adequately convey how much we enjoyed our second Alaskan fishing adventure with Steve and Jill Daniels, the owners of Highliner Lodge. They are hands on involved in every aspect of providing a first class, big time fishing experience. Most everyone we meet at the lodge talked about "when we come back next year". Thank you Sky (our excellent fishing guide) for getting guiding us to the fish and helping us catch them. Thank you Susan for the warm way you took care of feeding and attending to us. Thank you Ali and your crew for the excellent handling and shipping of our catch. And thank you to the Steve and Jill for creating such awesome adventures and for your friendship. read more

This was our 5th trip to Highliner lodge. I take my son fishing all the time, Hawaii, Cabo, Cancun, Antigua, St Thomas to name a few but by far if you want to catch fish and big fish this is the place to go. I have been lucky enough to catch 35 lb king salmon, and three Halibut over 100 lbs. My son catch a 235 lb halibut. Check out there website it tracks big fish by weight and date. You can catch several species of fish. If you like to fish, this is the place. Bar none. I don't give many 5 star reviews but this place deserves it. The people are great and you can leave your worries behind and fish. I will be back there next year. read more

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What a trip! The float plane ride in is breathtaking. The town itself is unmatched, walking up the ramp you look from left to right and all you see is boardwalk...I've never experienced anything like that. The fishing was great, boats were all well equipped, Captain Hayden was awesome! Accommodations were nice and clean. The staff was all very hospitable, you can tell they like what they do, which in my opinion says a lot about a place. Can't wait till my next visit! read more

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We just got back from a 3-day fishing trip.. The Highliner Lodge is absolutely the right place to be if you want to fish Alaska!! From the beginning contact with Steve and Jill, who answered my numerous questions with truth, style, and confidence- Wonderful beginning! It only gets better!!!! I must say their entire staff truly helps you feel as a guest in their home...it's really that simple, the entire staff in order of contact; Abbey, Colleen, Chefs Mike, and Devon, Dylan, Captain Andrew, Tony, and a few more who's names do escape me(sorry about that). The lodge is very clean, neat, and in order. The boats are everything the are supposed to be, gear is top notch... The views are unreal, and pictures will not do them justice. All meals are prepared with an abundance of HEART and SOUL, great passion from Mike and Devon, who work in an open kitchen that is immaculately clean! Abbey and Colleen have all the table service, house keeping, and laundry covered wonderfully, along with many other responsibilities in this hustling, non stop minute to minute guest service orientated Fishing Lodge. We fished three FULL days with Captain Andrew, and putting us on fish is was what he did!!!! Not to mention the patience and professionalism that Capt. Andrew demonstrated throughout our time together. The other Captains filled up as well, when you see the catch being brought up to the cleaning room--Lines tight all the time!!!!!!! Dylan is a viking when it comes to cleaning fish, (practice does make perfect) and Tony did a great job as an all around hand.. Dylan also works in admin, and booked us before we left, he's that good!! The entire staff was impeccable, going the extra mile with sincerity in all of their words and actions!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our group is looking forward to next years trip already!!!!! Wishing Steve, Jill, and the entire Highliner family the very best!!!!!!!!!!! Joe C. read more

The lodge, food and owners were 5 stars. I downgraded the rating to 4 for two reasons. One, it is pretty expensive; and two, we didn't catch anywhere near the catch that other reviewers posted about. Over 3 days of fishing we caught a total of 50lbs of fish per person. That was a mix of halibut, king salmon and rock bass. We caught no halibut over 35 lbs. in 3 days. We never caught our limit of anything except rock bass. Overall the experience was good but we were a little disappointed on the cost of it versus the catch we had. read more

We had a fabulous time! The staff is great, the food excellent, accommodations nice and clean. The town is on a dock, so not a ton of room. If you are looking for luxury accommodations, this isn't for you. If you want to be treated as a treasured guest, eat delicious food and have an absolutely incredible fishing experience, you will not be disappointed. The boat captains are the best. We fished with Dave for two of the days. He took us to his halibut hidey hole. While my husband is an experienced fisherman, this was my first time deep sea fishing. That day I caught 15 fish, 14 halibut (which we were targeting) and a huge Ling Cod. Dave is a fabulous captain. The owner, Steve is a great guy. Can't say enough about the staff, every last one of them!!! read more

Spent 4 fishing days, 5 nights at the Highliner Lodger in Pelican - It was fantastic. I went on this fishing adventure with my dad - he planned the trip and I like to travel - so while I was up for whatever - I didn't really know what to expect. I was impressed across the board. The fishing was fantastic. Great big halibut, - lots of king salmon and a variety of other smaller fish - which (I can tell you now that I am back home) happen to be delicious. Steve and his team can find fish. I'm not really technical on the technical details but those with me seems more educated on this and satisfied. Basically - The boats were heated and appeared well maintained, the equipment seemed to be suited to the task and the captains were very helpful, everyone was very safe with regard to weather and fishing conditions. There is wildlife everywhere - we saw whales, seals, orcas, dolphins, deer, puffins and bear... not a dull moment The staff was great - Thanks Efram, thanks Susan, thanks Joe, thanks Ali - we had a great time. Our fish is delicious, dad still talks about fresh cinnamon buns, and we would love to hang out with you all again. Pelican is about as "off the map" as anything I have experienced while still in the US - so I was not sure what to expect. It was NOT "fish camp". The lodge was lovely - clearly there is a woman's touch here - the lodge was very clean, plenty warm and well - not what you might expect from the rest of Pelican. Jill - our most gracious hostess not only kept dinner conversation lively, but believe it or not baked cakes and cookies for the boat every day. So to all the folks out there who want to catch big fish - you will have a blast. Gals - go have fun - I had a great time. There were a few gals fishing every day. It was NOT a "roughing it while frozen" kind of adventure. We had a great time, caught fish, saw more whales than I have anywhere else and will certainly go back again next year. read more

Warning Job seekers! The Highliner Lodge in Pelican, Alaska was the worst place I have ever worked. I had no single spot to sleep or keep my belongings. I was jostled around to 5 different locations during my 7-week stay. The training is incredibly poor. The day you arrive, they throw you into work with little to no instruction. Most everything I learned was through trial and error. Although the chef did the best he could, I felt deprived of essential nutrients as a result of limited access to fresh ingredients. Worst of all, the owner, Steve casually belittles and humiliates his employees. This led to low staff morale. The environment was simply toxic. After giving my resignation I inquired as to when and how I would be receiving my personal tip money, this was Steve's response: "I don't know why I bother with you. Perhaps you could use a dose of your own advise on self-reflection. At your age, having accomplished nothing remarkable in life, telling Jill & I how to run a business that you know nothing about is ridiculous at best. You will get a direct deposit at the end of this month. Please do not contact me again" Steve never did deposit my tip money that he promised. If asking Steve to treat his staff with respect is "ridiculous at best" I guess his words paint the most vivid picture of his business practices. read more