Port Washington Fishing Charters: Salmon Off Lake Street

Most Port Washington fishing charters board at the marina on Lake Street, and a trip is several hours of trolling Lake Michigan for king and coho salmon and several kinds of trout. The boats are licensed for up to six passengers, and the crew supplies the tackle and cleans your catch at the dock.

Below is when the fish are there, how a trip runs, what it costs and who is on the docks.

When the fish are there

The charter season runs from April or May into October, and kings and coho are the draw through summer. Nicky Boy and Ninja Charters both post an April to October schedule, seven days a week, and TMJ4 reported in April 2025 that the season runs about five months from the start of May.

A FishingBooker guide updated in January 2026 describes kings showing up in deep water from May, lake trout peaking from June to early July, and July and August as the busiest months for trophy kings. September and October bring the biggest kings and brown trout, per the same guide, and steelhead stay on through October. Fin N' Fly says on its site that fishing really gets going in June and that late summer gives the best chance at a fish over 25 pounds.

Chinook can top 30 pounds. The DNR's Lake Michigan report says fall 2025 sampling found them averaging 12.1 pounds, so a 30-pounder is the exception. FishingBooker adds that lake and brown trout can be caught year-round, but the schedules Nicky Boy and Ninja Charters post stop in October, so book for the warm months.

How a charter works

A charter here is a private boat booked by the trip, not a seat sold by the head. The posted rates at Angry Fin Charter Fishing, Fin N' Fly and Nicky Boy cover up to six people per trip. Trips run from four to ten hours: Fin N' Fly lists four, five, six and eight hours, Angry Fin lists five to ten, and Princess Marissa lists five, six and eight.

Fin N' Fly describes the routine as multi-line trolling spreads, a crew that helps you reel in active lines, and fish netted straight into the cooler. No experience is neededOutcast Charter Fishing, which both say so on their sites. Back at the slip, the crew cleans and bags the catch, and Nicky Boy says the cleaning, bagging and icing cost nothing extra.

The marina has a fish cleaning station, per Visit Port Washington, and a restaurant in The Harborview will prepare your fish if you ask at the hotel. Weather decides the day: Fin N' Fly's site says trips cancelled for weather or safety are rebooked, and any other cancellation needs two weeks' notice. One recent visitor to C&D Charters said the captain was ready at 6 AM on a rainy morning, and that the roomy cabin and a covered corner of the deck helped with the weather.

License, cost and what to bring

Anglers 16 and older need a Wisconsin fishing license, and Nicky Boy's site says it must include the Great Lakes salmon and trout stamp, so check the DNR before you go. The DNR lists a 2-day Great Lakes license at $14 that includes the stamp, and Nicky Boy and Outcast say you can buy one aboard. A resident annual license is $20 and a nonresident annual license is $55, per the DNR. Daily bag and size limits for salmon and trout are set by the DNR and change, so ask your captain and check the current rules before you go.

Rates posted on operator sites (some undated) for a five-hour trip run from $660 at Angry Fin and Fin N' Fly to $685 at Nicky Boy. On those sites an eight-hour trip runs from $950 at Angry Fin to $1,053 at Nicky Boy, plus tax, and deposits range from $100 at Angry Fin to $250 at Nicky Boy. Rates change by season, so confirm by phone before you book.

Bring a large empty cooler, since Nicky Boy sells bags of ice at the dock for $5 each, and pack rain gear, layers, sunglasses, sunscreen and soft-soled shoes. Fin N' Fly's site also asks you to keep the bananas at home, and Nicky Boy suggests motion sickness medication taken one hour before leaving the dock.

The operators on the docks

These nine charter businesses work from the harbor, all within about 0.15 miles of the marina, and the boats and trip menus differ more than the target fish do.

Nicky Boy Charter Fishing runs four large boats from Lake Street, seven days a week from April through October.

Angry Fin Charter Fishing is Captain Ben's outfit at Slip 4, and its site lists a 41-foot Sea Ray, a 35-foot Bertram and a 37-foot Hatteras.

Ninja Charters fishes a 35-foot Bertram with indoor and outdoor areas, and its site says it can take up to six passengers and welcomes dogs.

Fin N' Fly Sportfishing works from North Slip 6 and lists king and coho salmon, steelhead, lake trout and brown trout.

Princess Marissa Sport Fishing is based at The Harborview, 135 East Grand Avenue, about 0.15 miles from the marina.

C&D's boats have an enclosed cabin with two full-sized couches and full-service bathrooms, per its site. Outcast Charter Fishing is Captain Ryan Engel's 36-foot Tiara with a private restroom, per its site, which says the captain can issue a 2-day Great Lakes license on the spot.

Renegade Sportfishing Charters fishes from slips NS-29 and NS-30 aboard a 36-foot Pacemaker and a 36-foot Trojan, per its site. Silver Dog Fishing Charters is Captain Alex's boat, and a reviewer from a couple of months back called him a professional angler who always seems to find the fish.

Angry Fin, C&D and Outcast each advertise a bathroom aboard.

Fishing without a charter

Anglers without a boat can fish from the breakwall by the lighthouse, the Coal Dock Park promenade and, in fall, Sauk Creek and Fisherman's Park. The breakwater out to the Art Deco pierhead light is open to the lake, so skip the walk when waves are washing over it.

An angler on a September 2025 Lake-Link thread said October is normally good for shore kings and that the power plant's warm discharge heats the harbor near Coal Dock Park. The same license rules apply from the pier, and kids 15 and under fish without one, per the DNR.

Before and after the boat

Charters start early, so a room within walking distance helps: two of the hotels in Port Washington sit within about 0.2 miles of the marina.

The July Fish Days festival is the weekend to book the room before the boat, since the hotels tend to fill.

Between trips, North Beach and South Beach are about 0.6 and 0.4 miles from the marina, and the 1860 Light Station sits about 0.2 miles away.

For dinner, Port Washington restaurants cluster within a few blocks of the marina.

If the lake does not deliver, the Friday fish fry runs from perch and bluegill to cod.

More to do around the harbor is in things to do in Port Washington.

Most boats leave from Lake Street, and in between it is you, a captain and Lake Michigan.