About Us
Owner/Captain Ernie Kirby
Bottom Line Charters is a business owned and operated by three generations of year round Alaskan residents. Ernie was introduced to halibut fishing on Cook Inlet in 1983 and was immediately hooked on it. He became so passionate about halibut fishing, that when he finished his Air Force career, he wanted to start guiding to show others the excitement and fun of catching halibut. In 1993, E & K Alaskan Charters was started, which has now evolved into Bottom Line Charters. At Bottom Line Charters we have a very simple philosophy, "Halibut charters are not cheap, you need to get your moneys worth". We will use all of our years of experience while working hard for you to give you our very best trip every day.
Captain Bryan Kirby
Bryan has been fishing for his entire life and grew up fishing on Cook Inlet and landed his first 100 lb. halibut at the age of 10. Bryan started his guiding career at Bottom Line Charters in 1996 as a deckhand aboard the FV Just Fish. Bryan achieved his Coast Guard License in 2000. Then went on to work for a couple of other fishing charters in the Ninilchik area before returning back to Bottom Line Charters in 2010 and as captain of FV Just Fish. During the 2020 season Bryan purchased the FV Viking Spirit. Bryan can be very intense on the boat as he holds himself up to high standards for getting everyone the quality fish that they deserve, and is willing to put in the time needed to get everyone a shot at the fish of their lifetime.
Dionne Kirby
Dionne, wife of Captain Bryan, spends the fishing season on the customer service end. Answering the phone, vacuum packing fish and helping to keep things clean are some of the services she works to provide. She arrived in Ninilchik in the summer of 2005 and has worked there every summer since and considers herself blessed to be a part of the family business.
Hunter Kirby
Hunter is the son of Bryan and Dionne. He spends the fishing season as the deckhand aboard the FV Viking Spirit. He is working toward becoming the third generation in the Bottom Line Charters business.
Vessel Just Fish
Just Fish is a 28 foot Alumaweld Offshore Hard Top that was built for the waters of Cook Inlet. It is powered by twin 200 hp super charged Mercury outboard motors. Just Fish has an enclosed heated cabin with toilet facilities and state of the art electronics for safe navigation. The boat was designed to not only handle the waters of cook but was also designed for maximum fishing space on the back deck
Vessel Viking Spirit
Viking Spirit is a 28 foot Alumaweld Offshore Hard Top that was built for the waters of Cook Inlet. It is powered by twin 225 hp 4 stroke Mercury outboard motors. Viking Spirit has an enclosed heated cabin with toilet facilities and state of the art electronics for safe navigation. The boat was designed to not only handle the waters of cook but was also designed for maximum fishing space on the back deck