When traveling to new cities, it’s hard to find activities that all members of the family will enjoy. Ideally, we also want these activities to be cultural, highly educational and loads of fun. I happily found Lucky Catch Cruises in Portland, Maine and it was the highlight of our trip! I promise you that after looking at the photos below you will put a fishing cruise with Lucky Catch Cruises on your Portland travel calendar!
After weeks of research prior to our long weekend trip to Maine, I found the website for Lucky Catch Cruises, a tour operator in Portland. The company offers lobster fishing in Portland on the beautiful waters of Casco Bay.
The boat leaves from Long Wharf, which is located in the center of the Portland action near many of the popular restaurants and shops. We checked in to their kiosk on the wharf, took careful note of the ‘no bathroom on board’ policy, and waited to be called aboard.
On board, the staff presented us with orange rubber aprons (overalls for the kids) and gloves to wear. At first, we were a little scared of where our aprons and gloves may have been prior to our arrival. However, after the fishing boat started cruising and we became full fledged lobstermen, we didn’t give it a second thought.
There were about a dozen passengers on our boat; a mixture of adults and children. Everyone – no matter their age – got in on all of the lobstering action. We all took turns putting bait in the nets and then the lobster traps. The girls also helped pull up some of the traps from the bay and inspect them for lobsters!
The tour was also very educational and we learned a lot about lobsters. Fishing undersized or oversized lobsters attracts a penalty in Maine, so we learned how to measure lobsters. In addition, taking away a lobster that is bearing eggs is unlawful, so we learned to release a female lobster back into the bay (below).
The boat was spotless and the staff super energetic and personable. It seemed like they were having as much fun as we were!
One of my girls has motion sickness trouble. They assured us that no one had ever been sick on the boat before. Sure enough, we had no problems! The boat is speedy, but controlled. We stood, walked around, and worked (!) when stopped.
At the end of the tour, the lobsters we caught were available for sale. We took our lobsters to neighboring Portland Lobster Company where they prepared them for our dinner!
The tour lasted about 90 minutes. Lucky Catch tours run daily from the first weekend of May through the last weekend in October.
I hope I convinced you to try lobster fishing in Portland, Maine! Leave a note in the comments if you do! Also, if you are headed to Portland, check out my picks for best lobster rolls in town!