There are a lot of choices out there for fishing in the Gloucester area, but I'm sure glad we chose Gloucester Fleet. We found them through the internet on my iPhone and when I called them Carolann arranged a great trip for all 25 of us. (Originally I thought there was only 15 - but no problem). We all had been to my Cousin's wedding on Saturday in Manchester By The Sea, and many of us just wanted to keep the fun and party going, Mike is a fantastic Captain, and Booty, (the father) manages logistics and ticket sales Turns out Carolann is Booty's wife so it's a real nice family run operation. Everything Capt'n Mike suggested was wonderful, his local knowledge of fishing spots was fantastic. But the real highlight was just about everybody catching fish. At the end of the 1/2 day afternoon trip we starting landing really big keeper Cods, and he stayed right with it even though we ran over time. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l ! I would HIGHLY recommend Gloucester Fleet Deep Sea Fishing for anyone considering fishing in the area. Their equipment was top shelf in excellent condition, and well maintained, and every time somebody hooked a fish the mates immediately showed up out of nowhere to help as if on queue. I've done all kinds of fishing all over the place on many different boats with many guides and outfitters.Thanks Captain Mike for a great afternoon of fishing! You run a first class operation! read more

Great to go back deep sea fishing, great staff, friendly and funny and very helpful to all on board. Just a tad difficult to get to (blaming google maps for this) but a call to their office rectified the situation. This time I want to catch a fish! read more

My experience with Gloucester Fleet wasn't very good. My son loves fishing and as a treat for being top of his high school graduating class, I figured his first ocean fishing trip would be a great reward. On July 8th, I booked a 3/4 day trip for July 20th and also an overnight stay at the Cape Ann Resort hotel. About 11:30 AM on July 19th as I and my son were starting out to the location from New York State, we received a call from Gloucester Fleet confirming the trip. Great! We took pics of the boat that evening. Next morning we head over to the boarding area. My son slept only two hours because he was so excited for the trip. There were no people around which was odd since we were only 20 minutes before the departure time of 7AM. Eventually, we called the Fleet number and spoke to the captain/owner who recalled his wife speaking to me the day before to confirm the trip. But, he had canceled the trip later on because too few customers to justify the fuel expense and called everybody - everybody except us (absolutely no call on my mobile account). So, WE lost money - my two vacation days from work, hotel expense, restaurant dinner, fuel for the trip, all totaled well over $1,000 and also about 8 hours of driving and the huge disappointment. Instead of being very apologetic and perhaps offering a free future trip and covering hotel expense, he said we could drive about 45 minutes (52 minutes per Google) to New Hampshire and if lucky get an 8AM boat that catches mackerel -- or, get this, go whale watching! He said all the other people were understanding -- but they were called the day before. If we'd received the cancelation call there would have been time to rearrange things. Curiously, there was a nearby fishing boat trip from a competitor that was sold out -- no lack of customers. I wonder why... read more

Great experience been there 3 tims this year. Captian Mike and his crew are excellent. Look them up 1st read more

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I recently had a very disappointing day on the Gloucester Fleet fishing boat. Out of 35-40 people on the boat, we only managed 5 or 6 fish total. I understand that having a bad day is part of fishing, but each spot was as bad as I've seen fishing out of Gloucester. On top of that, the captain constantly through trash and cigarette butts into the ocean. Considering his livelihood depends on the quality of the the ocean and fishery, I was very surprised to see him treat it like a trash can. His motto was, "We kill fish" which apparently isn't by catching and eating them, but is through plastic cup and cigarette pollution. On a different note, the lady managing the kitchen and mate helping us on deck were both very nice and helpful. read more

Gluscester Fleet, worst experience EVER!!!! Fishing with the crew at gluscester fleet has been the worst experience for me and my family. We all love fishing, trying to enjoy some quality time with the family in one of our favorite outdoor activities, we decided to book with a different fishing party boat,  we booked an all day trip with these guys at gluscester fleet. The boat is in very bad shape, we heard scary creaks during the entire trip, the crew members were extremely rude and the big guy was wearing dirty and very stinky clothes.   One of the two helpers of the boats, the big stinky one didn't care there were small children on board, he started smoking, never offered to change bait or even be nice with the little ones. The lady at the mini bar, told my 9 year old NOT TO THROW UP on the trash can!!!! Seriously!!!!! Sureeee, she was going to hold it until the people in line to vomit were done! Yes, all the guys were throwing up outside the boat while the ladies and children were using the two tiny restrooms. What bothered me most was the way the crew were enjoying and having a blast looking at us vomiting everywhere. After their rude attitude and humiliation at the end of the trip from hell, they were all outside with the bucket, expecting tips. The captain, hah, never even heard his voice in the event that we all though we were going to sink. He decided to sail on a horrible day. I have been fishing for more than 15 years and have never experienced an ocean so brave, I thought we were going to sink. All of us, around 40 people were ALL throwing up, sea sick, no lie, the entire crew were laughing at us. Can that be possible? We paid lots of money to be treated the right way and enjoy our mini family fishing trip. Not to get bullied! Boston is an awesome place to visit, has wonderful restaurants(jummy lobster rolls), the people are tremendously nice. One thing I know for sure is that my family and friends will never step on the gluscester fleet. I hope you don't make our mistake, that's the only reason I am reviewing it. I want people to have a great time when traveling and spending time with their families. Good luck! I am so sorry there aren't negative stars or at least zero ratings. In order to post a rating, I had to select one star. They don't even deserve that one star. read more

I went out last Saturday (9/21) with 3 residents from where l work and found this company was Top notch. They went out of their way to make us feel special and busted their backs lifting one of my resident's wheelchair. They were friendly, professional and very hard working. We will definitely be coming back here for another outing. Great Job Booty and your crew. Thank you John Corey Robbins Brook Acton, Ma read more

The trip started with a very friendly voice taking our reservation. We showed up and parked right near the boat. First impressions of the boat were good, condition etc. It was cold and we had about 2-3 ft chop. Captain got us on the fish on the 2nd stop. We couldn't get the fish off the hooks fast enough!!! Fish after fish!! We had a great time. Even with people hurling all around us ,the crew was very helpful!! They worked their butts off. it helped that there was only 27 people , so we had plenty of elbow room...It was a long day, but when you max out with fish, alls good in the neighborhood!!! read more

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This is the worst experience ever. Timing was not accurate. Crew was not supportive and too many people. read more

I 100% regretted going on this trip when I spotted Captain Mike throwing trash (plastic cups, dirty rags, and cigarettes) into the ocean when there was a trash can right by his side. If you care about the environment, do NOT support this fleet. If you are still considering purchasing a ticket after reading this, please note that the fishing was also awful. Among all of us (about 40 people) there were only a few keepers during a whole day of fishing. read more

Did a Father's Day all-day fishing trip. Mike, Ryan and Kristy were outstanding. It was a good group of people, lots of repeat, regular customers. Caught lots of fish, cod, pollock and Haddock. Great day for myself and two sons. Had a blast! Will go back. Thanks! read more

Our fishing trip on the Lady Sea started out great. The owner Boody took our reservation and was charming on the phone, and even suggested various lodging where we might find last minute reservations. Chris, who mans the snack bar was also full of interesting information about the area, and helped us with our poles and lines. So far we had a really great impression of the trip and were enjoying ourselves immensely. Here's where it started to go wrong. During much of the trip, we would find ourselves hitting schools of dogfish sharks, which aren't a keeper fish, but we enjoyed catching and releasing anyway. The captian told us that they are a non edible species that fisherman dislike. Which explains the behavior of the young deckhand Timmy I guess... after releasing about a dozen back in sea, he gleefully stomped one to death. Prior to that, he'd seemed like a really nice kid. Guess someone should tell him it's probably not a good idea to let the tourists see him joyfully subject the small sharks to a violent death for his own sheer amusement (even if it is just a fish.) Ok, so maybe I'm being touchy, but I was starting to get upset at this point. In Key West we'd gone on a similar trip and loved it, the staff had been so professional. Apparently, I hadn't seen anything yet. Shortly thereafter, another deckhand, Joey, removed a dogfish from someone's hook, took out his knife, and laughingly severed its spine. He threw the still live but now paralyzed creature into the sea, where it floated helplessly, until it finally drowned and sank. Wow. Needless to say, what should have been an enjoyable tourist trip leaves me hours later disturbed and disgusted at the cruelty of the Sea Lady staff. My husband is an experienced fisherman with many previous party boat expeditions under his belt, and he tells me that it is not customary for the staff to stomp to death or purposely paralyze the non-edible fish. I understand that removing the hook sometimes requires stepping on the fish, and sometimes they are damaged. I am not confusing this commonplace activity with what happened today. What I saw were two people purposely go out of their way to viciously torment the animals while taking great delight in doing so. Very upsetting and unprofessional! read more

I have nothing but great things to say about The Lady Sea. With over sixty years of deep sea fishing experience, I have come to truly appreciate the wonderful comaraderie, and laughter that I have come to enjoy with every trip. I have experienced trips with lots of fish, and plenty of keepers; and trips that were not quite so fruitful. Regardless, I have always left with a smile on my face, and a great story to tell. I am continually impressed by owner, Booty and wife, Carolann. Contrary to other reviews, I have always enjoyed the professionalism and knowledge of Captain Mike, and his crew - Timmy, Joey, Chris, and others. They run a great expedition and I would highly recommend to anyone/everyone. Again, while I certainly enjoy the fishing, I enjoy the wonderful atmosphere even more. read more

Always a good time. Great for family trips, kids, friends, beginners and experienced fishermen. I have been on this boat 8 times this year, come home with fish, relaxed and very satisfied. The crew is friendly, born and raised on party boats, the shore crew is very friendly. I fish 20 times a year using 6 different party boat companies, and the Gloucester Fleet is top 2 for sure. It's a family run business, they run charters, booze cruises, and open boat trips. I take cub scout and boy scouts out with them and they are tremendously helpful. Brandon L.---I was scheduled for that trip as well, but they blew the starter, while fixing it, the compressor failed, all this means nothing to me, but it happens. They truly expected to sail, but when the compressor went, they need to special order a replacement. They lost that trip, and also this coming weekend. I scrambled to find another boat, was unsuccessful. It was out of their control, but I do not know any company that will book you on other boats, its a party boat, not an airline. I suggest you give them another shot, mechanical failure is frustrating for everyone. read more

I was totally fooled with the pleasant voice on the phone but once aboard we were treated horribly by part of the crew, mainly the large dirty one who's attitude is infectious to the rest of the crew. There was a large group of kids on the boat and they were good kids not disrespectful well he shit on them all day. Everyone in this guy's path was treated terribly. I will personally never go again but I hope the captain or owner realizes people pay good money to come aboard they should be entertained to a certain level not feel as if they got the bait and switch. Oh and make some coffee at Crack of dawn people do drink coffee that's what that shiny thing that says coffee maker on the counter is for. read more

Great day of fishing on the Lady Sea! My brothers and I took our father out for a late fathers day fishing trip aboard the Lady Sea and have zero complaints. Everyone was very welcoming and extremely helpful. The Crew was on point the entire trip, with tangles, removing fish or giving pointers to less experienced fisherman on board. Captain Mike was very welcoming to all on board and got us to the fish very quickly. There was about 30 people on board and everyone was hooking up. My group alone was able to take home 12 good size haddock, the best part is Joe is there to filet and clean your fish so it is ready to eat when you get home! Captain Mike was down on deck the entire trip talking with the guest and assisting the crew. When the we started catching Dog Fish he was quick to move us to another spot and we were back on the fish! I would recommend this trip to people at all experience levels! read more

Personally I can't wait to go fishing on this boat again. The discounted rate in April and May can't be beat. My sons, relatives and fishing buddies always enjoy these trips. Captain Mike knows where the fish are whether in 90 ' off Stellwagon bank or 200' off Jeffrey's ledge.Am I a regular? Maybe. I always will be! GO FISH! read more

Made reservations a month in advance called gave credit card...show up the day of the deep sea fishing charter no one around ghost town...put a call in and spoke to Caryoln Ann and she said she had no reservations for me. I had sent previous emails she at first she couldn't find them found them. I wished I had called days before so that is my advice. But for me once that happened I will never go back. Had my whole family together ...one good thing was she recommended another place and we were lucky that they had room but waited 2 hours to get on the boat since there boat went a little later...not sure how a mix up like that can happen after emails back and forth and calling?? Also they didn't even have a boat going out that day. Just be aware!!! read more

If you have the opportunity to ride on the Yankee fleet i'd say go with that option. They are roughly the same price but the overall service and quality of poles is much better on the Yankee Fleet. They had only two ship mates attending to the whole boat of 40 ppl so many times we'd get stuck waiting for someone to come untangle our lines. For a good 20 mins two of our reels were not working so we lost that time fishing. read more

This is certainly the very last time I will ever be going fishing on this boat. I will be telling everyone I know not to use this charter. I will start by giving credit where it's deserved. The Capt. seems like a pretty nice guy. I am basing this on several trips I've taken on this boat. The crew is kind of mixed, some are talented, others are about average. They're somewhat social, but I would give them an overall rating of "average". One good thing for me on this trip was that I discovered electric fishing reels. There was a couple of guys on the boat that had electric reels and they were really awesome. I was able to get all the information from them about these reels and I plan on buying one soon. The trip I went on was a marathon trip. This was posted all over their website as a limited load trip. It was a little pricier than their typical trip and this was for two reasons. 1) The boat was supposed to be limited to 30 people 2) It was supposed to be a 12 hour fishing day (5AM departure, 5PM return). For these two reasons, the trip price was higher than their usual trip, but to me and the others I was with, we were willing to spend the extra money. Our party arrived at the dock an hour early to board the boat. We boarded the boat and found that the entire back and most of the two back sides were filled with poles. This was a little strange considering there was only two people on the boat and we were very early. We all assumed that people boarded, placed their poles and went somewhere, maybe to breakfast and would come back later. This proved not to be true. It became very evident quickly that some of the crew placed poles for some of their "regulars." Also, some people had boarded early and placed several poles for their friends who were supposed to arrive after. I guess this is okay in some regards, but it still seems a little unfair. This is where the first big issue arrived; 5 AM came and the boat did not leave. At approximately 5:20AM two or three people came running across the parking lot and down the dock, they boarded the boat and ran to the back of the boat. Apparently they had called or something and the boat waited for them. No one on the boat was informed that we were hanging around waiting for a couple of late people. We paid to depart at 5 AM, everyone that was on the boat was on time and we expected to leave at 5 AM like we were supposed to and we paid for. This was my first big complaint. Had we been informed of what was happening it may not have been as irritating. This turned into a bigger complaint when the day was cut short and we came back a few minutes before 5 PM. At the very least the boat should have fished longer and returned to the dock at 5:20 PM. This would have been fair and given the entire 12 hours of fishing. Essentially, the trip was falsely advertised and we were ripped off because we did not get the 12 hours of fishing that we paid for. The next big complaint came when it became very evident that the boat was very full. everyone in my party had paid the price we paid because the trip was guaranteed to be 12 hours long and be limited to 30 people. There were much more than 30 people on the boat, it was crowded all day and seating in the interior was not possible for many of the people on the boat. This overcrowding was also a problem because lines were getting tangled all day. The overcrowding caused a lot of problems that should not have happened. I counted everyone on the boat two times, there was 39 people (non-crew). Again, this essentially was false advertising and we were ripped off because we did not get what we paid for. We paid for a 30 person maximum capacity. The two preceding paragraphs are the main reasons why I gave a low rating. The final thing I will mention is that we caught very few fish. I have been on this boat several times, the fishing has always been poor to below-average. Either the captain doesn't know where to fish or isn't willing to go out to the places that are far out where the fish are. This marathon trip that was supposed to be 12 hours and was listed as a opportunity to go to far out water where the fishing was great. We did not go out that far, we drove slow for about three hours and land was pretty much in sight the entire day. I did feel somewhat shorted based on the distance we traveled to fish. However, my review was not based on the minimal fish that were caught. As any fishermen should realize, I know going fishing is a gamble and some days are great and others are not. I just simply have never had a great day on this boat. I've been on many other boats, including the Yankee Fleet which is near this boat, and I have had some great days. They leave on time and to capacity. I give this rating having been deep-sea fishing numerous times a year for the past 30+ years. I go fishing about 10 or more times a year now as I am semi-retired. I write this to justify that my opinion has some basis and it is fairly objective. read more

I had a great time on my trip! We did a 3/4 day deep sea fishing trip. The crew is super nice and very helpful. They helped me catch a "Propah Cod" which was DELICIOUS! I would definitely recommend them to anyone who asks! read more

I'll start by saying that we caught lots of fish, but I'd recommend you stay away unless you like being treated poorly, scratch that, like crap. These were THE worst deck hands ever!  It all started shortly after boarding at 7am. You think they would have fresh hot coffee, at least some cheap stuff, from the nice new coffee machine sitting on the counter. No, the useless girl gave me a cold cup, that was clearly from the night before and offered to microwave it... and I don't mind cold coffee, but not that old crap. This was an ominous sign of what was to become my worst fishing experience ever. First, they charged me $1.50 for that coffee that went straight to the trash, second they charge you for everything, hooks, rods, sinkers, bags, seats... (okay maybe not the seats), the deck hands are impersonal and rude, especially the fat one with the wrecked teeth, and the girl behind the counter is useless and only there to bark at the customers. The deck hands only take fish off the hooks and untangle lines, even with kids, they don't help bait hooks, offer advise, or even chat with you. They start cleaning early and cram everyone inside the boat. But back to Fat-wreckteeth because he's the reason I'm reviewing. The fat bastard didn't even let me take a 2 second pic, not a pic with me in it, just a simple pic before releasing a huge weird fish some guy caught that had to be thrown back (wolf fish - check it out and you'll understand). He told me to get the pic off the Internet, Are you kidding me? He walked around the boat with very dirty, smelly clothes, and barks orders at people in a rude manner. He only helped four guys that appeared to be regulars and left everything else to the other deck hand. Towards the end of the trip, Wreck-teeth got upset bc some people, that were forced inside the boat, bc they started cleaning early, put their belongings on top of a storage bin. He started throwing stuff off, one of which was some smelly old man's dirty,  spit stained pillow that Wreck-teeth tried to throw at my wife and daughter. I grabbed it and threw it back at him. #%$& guy pissed me off. They didn't even want to clean the guts off the leftover bones after filleting my fish, so I can use them for soup, even after tipping them handsomely. I had no choice but to take the fish whole. I get this done on all my fishing trips. There is so much more that happened, but I I'd like to keep this short, relatively, and not bore you with the details. At least three other ppl on the trip said they wouldn't return either. We usually go with Y***** fleet, but went with these guys bc they had good rating - big mistake!!! Those raving reviews must have been from friends or by people who were just content with catching lots of fish. Had the service been non existent, I wouldn't be writing this review, however, given the ill treatment, I just had to share my dreadful experience to warn others.I have nothing to say about the Captain, he was great. Recommendation: train your deck hands or get new ones. Result: I'm not returning... read more

My husband and I fortunately found the Gloucester Fleet after having fished on other charters, and been exposed to deplorable customer service, and some unsafe circumstances. Having fished with this charter a couple of times; most recently on a reduced capacity outing, we were quite pleased. It was a half day trip on a Sunday afternoon, the staff couldn't have been more attentive with maintaining lines, providing a gaff, helping first time users with a jig- there were 15 people fishing, the crew made sure we were on the fish st all times. 40 keepers (4 were ours) were caught. The crew truly cared about the experience each participant was having; I have a disability, and the staff ensured a most enjoyable/ safe trip for me- couldn't have asked for more! An added kudos, the captain had his precious rescue puppy with him; as a dog-lover and supporter of rescues, I was very pleased! read more

The boat crew was very attentive and always right there when you needed help. They had great knowledge about the different types of fish, was very friendly, and did their jobs well. Overall it was an interesting and fun experience. We went on the Lady Sea double decker boat which had plenty of room outside and plenty of seating and tables on the inside. I would definitely go back to this spot :) read more