My name is Tyler Kraft and I am one of the lead fishing guides/captains at Cascade Creek Inn & Charters, a charter fishing lodge located in Sitka, Alaska. I'm here to share the story of my customized charter fishing boat - the Maverick.
The upcoming charter fishing season will be my tenth season of being a Sitka charter fishing guide/captain. From running other boats for other lodges around Sitka during my previous seasons, I knew the type of boat I was looking for. After the '15 summer and prior to the opening season of Cascade Creek Inn & Charters in '16, I looked around but couldn't find the type of boat I wanted. I decided to have my dream boat built instead.
I first met the owner of Alaska Skiff, Matt Stromer, in October of '15. A talented and experienced boat builder based out of Sitka, Matt has built and worked on some of the nicest commercial and charter boats in Alaska.
The building process started in early November '15 and ended in May '16. The sturdy, customized aluminum frame mimics that of a mono-orca hull, known for smooth traveling and stability on the water. A wide 360 degree walk-around cabin is perfect for easily fishing two anglers on the bow of the boat. Four other anglers easily fish on the boat's massive back deck.
The interior is clean and open. It features a mahogany ceiling, a built-in heater, comfortable seating for six passengers, and a convenient bathroom. The Maverick has a pioneer touchscreen stereo, XM Sirius Radio, and Bose speakers. The boat also highlights 360 degrees of windows- perfect for viewing humpback whales, orcas, sea-otters, and Sitka’s natural beauty.
The Maverick is outfitted with the best fish finding and safety technology, featuring a new touchscreen Garmin GPS. Not only does the unit provide GPS, but also a marine radar, and a fish finder. The fish finder is the most relevant piece of electronics aboard any angler’s boat. The unit is linked to a state of art transducer. The transducer sends sonar waves (sound waves) down into the water. They send a flash sonar pulse down to the bottom of the water and bounce back when they hit an object. The unit carries the best innovation in fish finding known as CHIRP sonar. CHIRP is compressed high-intensity radar- or radiated - pulse. The technology translates most importantly into higher-resolution views of what’s beneath the boat, meaning CHIRP helps you see and distinguish targets such as fish and bait better. It is so fun and action packed when everyone gets a fish out of a school!
The Maverick has a 35 pound anchor and 55 feet of three-eighths inch chain. The boat is outfitted with a thousand feet of half-inch rope. We carry these specifications for safety and for our fishing techniques.
The boat is powered by two-twin, 250 HP Mercury Verado outboards. The Mercury's are known for high performance, reliability, quiet while running, and low smoke emissions. The Maverick’s top speed is 40 nautical miles an hour. I usually cruise at 27 nautical miles an hour. The boat runs on gasoline and has a two-hundred gallon fuel tank.
Overall, a better boat equals a more comfortable/more productive day of fishing, and I am super excited for the upcoming Sitka, Alaska charter fishing season. A lot of thought and time was put into the building of the boat and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the results of Matt Stromer and Alaska Skiff. I would like to thank Alaska Skiff for doing such an amazing job building the Maverick. I would also like to thank Gary’s outboard for the installation of my Mercury Verados, and a special thanks to my wife Courtney, my deckhand, and my family for helping me with my boat and small business.
Fish with me and my deckhand on the Maverick this upcoming summer! Learn more about the types of fish we catch, the best time to fish Sitka, Alaska, and our fishing adventure packages.