Home › Business Trip Activities

In Seattle for work with an afternoon free?

You have a free half-day between a keynote and a dinner. You could do the hotel gym and Pike Place again — or you could be on Puget Sound catching fish.

The maths of a conference afternoon

Most business trips to Seattle have a hole in them: an afternoon with no sessions, or a day either side of the conference you had to book anyway because of flights. Most people fill it with the hotel bar, a walk to Pike Place, and a mild sense of waste.

Here is what actually fits. Our afternoon flounder trip departs at 1:00 PM and runs three hours. Shilshole Bay Marina is roughly 20 minutes from downtown and about 25 from the Seattle Convention Center. Leave after a morning session, be on the water by one, be back at the dock by four, showered and at dinner by seven.

Why fishing, specifically

Because it is the only thing on the list that gets you out of the city and onto the water, and because Puget Sound is the actual reason people move to Seattle. You can see the Olympics on a clear day. Seals turn up. Sometimes orcas.

And unlike a museum or a walking tour, it is genuinely memorable. Nobody gets home and tells their family about the aquarium. They tell them about the fish.

You do not need to know how to fish

Most of our business-trip guests have never fished. That is fine and it is normal. Rods, reels, tackle, bait and life vests are provided; Captain Thao teaches you the technique in about five minutes; and the flounder trip is chosen precisely because the fish actually bite, so a first-timer catches something.

The only thing you need is a Washington fishing licence, and a one-day licence can be issued on the boat. See our licence guide.

What to wear when you packed for a conference

You packed for meeting rooms, so you probably do not have the right clothes. You need less than you think:

Layers — it is colder on the water than on shore, in every season. Soft-soled shoes — trainers are fine, dress shoes are not. Sunglasses. That is the list. Skip the waterproofs; if the weather is genuinely bad, we are not going out anyway.

Bringing colleagues, or entertaining a client

The boat takes six, which is usually exactly right for a work trip — you, a couple of colleagues, or a client you want real time with. It is a far better use of a client's evening than another steakhouse, and it costs about the same.

If you are organising something for a team rather than yourself, see our corporate charter page — we invoice, and we can run back-to-back departures for up to twelve people in a day.

What's biting when you're in town

Depends on the month. Salmon in summer, lingcod in May and early June, crab from July, flounder all year round. See the seasons guide, or just call 206-371-6465 and we will tell you what is realistic on your dates.

Common questions

How far is Shilshole Bay Marina from downtown Seattle?

Roughly 20 minutes from downtown and about 25 minutes from the Seattle Convention Center.

Can I fit a fishing trip into a conference afternoon?

Yes. The afternoon trip departs at 1:00 PM and runs three hours, so you're back at the dock by four and at your hotel by five — in time for a dinner.

Do I need to know how to fish?

No. Most business-trip guests have never fished. All gear is provided and Captain Thao teaches the technique in a few minutes.

What should I wear if I only packed for a conference?

Layers, soft-soled shoes such as trainers, and sunglasses. That's genuinely all you need.