Our experience and quality equipment make the difference.
Crackerjack Charters is a small, quality oriented, saltwater guide service. Our boats are all late model, custom built fiberglass vessels equipped with the finest equipment available. Our guides are owner/ operators, full-time Alaska residents, are IGFA certified, and have a minimum of ten years Alaskan fishing experience. While there is always some measure of luck involved in fishing, our experience and state-of-the-art equipment help to stack the deck in your favor for fishing success.
Captain Nik Ranta
Captain Nik Ranta is co-owner and full-time Captain of the Crackerjack Voyager. With over twenty years of Kenai Peninsula fishing experience, Captain Nik operated the Crackerjack for many years before taking the helm of the Voyager. Nik’s catch record over the last fifteen years speaks for itself. Nik is constantly incorporating new (and secret) innovative fishing techniques to insure fun and successful days of fishing. Nik is U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master, and IGFA certified captain. Nik has served as the President of the Seward Charterboat Association and is the commercial fishing vessel oil spill response administrator for Alyeska Pipeline. He is an avid angler and outdoorsman, his experience shows in consistently big catches and happy fishermen. Nik is a year round resident of Seward and spends his off season working as a maritime safety training instructor at the State of Alaska Maritime Training Center. He also enjoys speaking his native language Swedish, mountain biking, and snowmachining in Alaska.
Captain Jeff Seward
Captain Jeff “Poucher” Seward has been with the company for 15 years, he has done it all. Deckhand and then captain for the last 12 years. He is an excellent fisherman and an easy going guy. He is both an excellent salmon and halibut fishermen.
Jeff is an avid outdoorsman, kite skier and kite surfer. When he’s not chasing big halibut and salmon in the Gulf of Alaska he lives to catch rainbow trout and steelhead on his fly rod. Jeff spends his off season doing what he loves, chasing wind and fly-fishing. Jeff is also a yoga expert and his flexibility is legendary.
Captain Andy Mezirow
Captain Andy Mezirow is now operating the all new vessel Gray Light where his focus is light tackle salmon fishing. A lifetime professional mariner, Captain Andy has spent over 25 years working on and teaching others about the Ocean. He has been licensed as Master of Vessels to 200 Gross Tons, on Any Ocean for more than 20 years.
Fishing Alaskan waters since 1983, Captain Andy has guided anglers to over 30 IGFA light tackle world records. Captain Andy has served on the pro-staff and regularly tests new products for Penn Fishing tackle company, Berkley, Cannon Downriggers, Mustad, Simrad marine electronics, and AFTCO. These partnerships insure that you will be fishing with the newest and best fishing tackle available at any price.
In the off-season, Captain Andy works as a fisheries manager and serves on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. This regional management council sustainably manages Alaska’s federal fisheries.
Andy also spends every moment possible chasing warm water game fish like Tuna and Marlin in Kona, Hawaii.
Captain Francisca Barnett “Capt. T”
Captain Francisca Barnett (AKA Capt. T) was raised on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. Capt. T is a life-long fisherman and grew up fishing local Alaskan waters. As a teenager she spent her days working as crew on the back deck of a Deep Creek sport fishing charter boat. She began her Captain career in 1999 after graduating from Ninilchik High School and receiving a tribe scholarship to attend the Alaska Nautical Training Center. After receiving her USCG credentials in 2000 she guided deep sea halibut and salmon trips from Deep Creek. In the winter months Capt. T traveled Northeren California guiding albacore charters and commercial fishing for crab. Later she furthered her maritime career and sailed aboard cargo ships in the North Atlantic. Since 2003 Captain T has made her home port in Seward and continues to share her love and knowledge of Alaska fishing with all her clients. Capt. T is the reigning 2016 Seward Halibut Derby captain winner and looks forward to defending the tittle in 2017!
Captain Nik, Andy, Jeff, and “T” all advocate catch and release, responsible use of our marine resources, and are dedicated to being good stewards of our bountiful fisheries in Alaska.
We are pleased to have most of our crew members returning from the past season and have no reason to expect anything less than bent rods and full coolers at the end of our fishing days this year.