Alaskan Gamefisher - Soldotna, Alaska

Jody Hildreth

I had such high hopes for this trip after reading their website and other testimonials. However, this was the worst guided nature trip I have ever been on. To call it "guided" would be an understatement. This was just an expensive water taxi ride to a place where bears are known to sometimes feed.

Our trip took place September 1, 2024. We went straight to the Silver Salmon Creek Lodge where bears frequently dig for clams during low tide. We immediately found one bear. Unfortunately, it was wearing a large radio collar. I am a professional photographer and no one is going to buy photos of a bear with a large leather collar around its neck. Mel kept telling us that other photographers said it could be removed in photoshop. I do not like to alter my images that drastically. I understand that Captain Mel can’t control which bears we will see, however, this was the ONLY bear we saw on the entire trip. After about 20 minutes with this bear, we returned to the boat and travelled no more than 1/4 mile down the beach where Mel had spotted another bear earlier, but it went into the woods. We got out of the boat and waded to shore. Then we sat… for two hours!

Mel claims he is the best bear guide on the Katmai Peninsula. He is not a guide at all. He gets bear sighting information from others guides (such as those from the Silver Salmon creek Lodge and pilots that fly people to this same spot). And on days like ours, when no bears were being found easily, he simply waits for one to appear. We waited on that beach for over 2 hours! No other wildlife to see, just listening to Mel talk as if he is a bear expert. Spend some time listening to his backwoods jargon and you will quickly learn he is just a glorified water taxi.

After the more than 2 hours were up we boarded the boat and headed home. No attempt was made to find more bears along the coast. His website says, “we meticulously organize every aspect of our Alaskan brown bear tours, guaranteeing that your adventure aligns with your interests, expectations, and comfort level.”. This trip did not meet any of the participant’s expectations. I photographed with some of them afterwards and they agreed it was a complete waste of time and money. I contacted Mel the next day to let him know the trip fell far short of my expectations.
I was hoping he would find a way to make up for such a failed venture. Unfortunately, he wrote back a long letter full of arrogance and excuses claiming you just have to be at the right place at the right time.

One final downside of our trip was that the boat got beached sideways. Mel asked the four men in our tour to help push the boat back into the water. Not something I expected from a seasoned captain. At the end, we did not get an apology for only finding one bear. We got, “Great having you on board today”.

In full disclosure, I won this trip through a contest, so I did not have to pony up the $1400 for myself and my daughter. However, this trip was the main reason why we traveled from New York up to Alaska and it was supposed to be the highlight of our stay. Instead, it turned out to be the worst day we had. I am sure some who go on Mel's trips have a fantastic time (if the bears are feeding and it happens to be low tide), but we were thoroughly disappointed and Mel's guarantee of fulfilled expectations was just an empty promise.

kristi johnson

We had such a great day seeing the bears with Captain Mel and his daughter. They were efficient and he was super knowledgeable about the bears, where to find them etc. We got to see a mamma with two cubs, a male grizzly grazing in a big field and got some close up action to other on the way back to the boat. It was an experience of a lifetime and one we will never forget. Glad we chose the right captain to take us! Day was awesome. Weather and ocean was perfect. Couldn't ask for much more;

Susanne Livancic

My husband and me made a bearviewing tour to lake Clark NP with Cap. Mel and the Gamefisher.
We had a wounderful time at the beach with the bears and their lovely cubs. We saw arround 8 bears in a quiet near distance, maybe 7 meters away, but we always felt save.
The bears were only interested at their calms and very friendly.
Cap. Mel kneews exactly how to behave and leed us wirh a lot of time to all the bears arround, give us some ideas for taking pictures and helped when somebody needed help.
So it was a unforgettable tour and we would recommend it a lot.
We had a great time!

Yvonne Johnson

The captain is very nice but honestly I think he should have canceled our trip due to weather conditions. We were at least 3 hours behind and only saw 2 collared bears. 45 minutes later we left but had to Wade through water knee high with waves crashing up on us. Unfortunately the water went through the top of the waders so I was soaked. Also no bathroom accommodations other than a bucket and with a full boat no privacy. I do appreciate the captain letting me hang on to his arm and carrying my backpack with expensive camera gear.

Tim Karl

Mel was an awesome guide and we really had a great experience. Very knowledgeable. We never felt nervous and saw plenty of bears. Spent way longer with the bears than any other bear viewing company. Obviously it's wildlife in the wild so nothing is guaranteed but if you're looking for bear viewing I think I would stop here and just book Mel.

Joshua Tokita

We chose this outfit for bear viewing based on a recommendation from one of our close family friends. We attempted to go in 2021 but marine weather didn't cooperate, which led to cancellations twice (we physically went to the shore and there was definitely no question about the rough waters). We asked Mel to keep the deposit for a potential trip in 2022, which he did. We were lucky enough to have decent weather this time and were surprised to find that Mel honored our original 2021 pricing even though he was not under any obligation to do so.

The trip was fantastic - smooth waters, a little overcast, but plenty of bears. We found Mel to be very knowledgeable and patient without our kids who can spit out complicated questions faster than most people can answer them. In addition, Mel is very calm and confident around brown bears. Nothing could really prepare us for a coastal brown bear approaching to within 6 ft of us. He was very calm and reassuring. Also, he interacts very well with other guides and we felt that we had 3 guides for the price of one.

Definitely worth the price. We are a hard family to please and were impressed.

Juan

Incredible experience with the bears last August. Departed from Anchor point in a beautiful day. Arrived at the beach and saw a couple of mums with their cubs and a couple of single bears closer than expected. Mel and Kim were very nice, professional and made us feel very confortable along the trip. Definetly would recomend him.

Jeff Turpin

We used Mel's services for 2 days. We did the bear viewing then halibut fishing. We had to hike a long way to see the bears but they are animals and move around late in the season. As for the fishing. The boat caught our limits but like the bears the sea was really rough and out of his control. Mel and his boat mate Conrad were great.