The SWEET DREAM III fishes out of historic port of Gloucester, Massachusetts, also known as fish town and the home of the tragic events surrounding the loss of the Andre Gail in the Perfect Storm. The SWEET DREAM III plies the inshore and offshore waters of Massachusetts Bay, Cape Cod Bay and the Gulf of Maine. Fishing from Gloucester combined with the speed of the SWEET DREAM III allows us maximum flexibility in finding fish. The primary fishing grounds include all three major fishing grounds east of Cape Ann: Stellwagen Bank, Tillies Bank and Jeffries Ledge. The REEL SWEET is trailered and primarily fishes from ramps on Cape Cod, chasing School Tuna, Stripers and Blues. With the flexibility of trailering, the REEL SWEET can easily fish the waters off Cape Cod including Race Point, Crab Ledge, Fishing Ledge and the waters of Cape Cod bay. The REEL SWEET will also fish around the North Shore and Cape Ann upon request and the target fish are present, primarily striped bass and bluefish.

Fish Availability in Gloucester and Cape Cod waters

E- Excellent, G - Good, F - Fair, NA - Not available

In addition to the fish we pursue, it is common to observe marine mammals including Humpback Whales, Minke Whales, Finback Whales and White Sided Dolphin. In addition to the whales, sighting basking sharks and ocean sunfish (mola-mola) is not uncommon in the warmer months. The tuna tower on the SWEET DREAM III provides excellent viewing for all these creatures. Along with the animals in the sea we encounter a large variety of birds including Gulls, Terns, Shearwaters, Gannets, Petrels and Cormorants. Often it is some combination of these forms of marine life that lead us to the fish.

Cod and Haddock

We love catching ground fish and you can catch them in luxury. The SWEET DREAM III has a full enclosure which is heated for your comfort on those early and late season trips. In 2009 Cod fishing was excellent as both numbers and size continued to improve and we expect the same for 2010.

When fishing for cod, expect to catch the New England ground-fish slam, Cod, Haddock and Pollock. In addition catching their cousin the Cusk and the toothy but tasty, Wolfish (Ocean Catfish) is common as are Ocean (Red) Perch. The fishing method is either jigging with Norwegian style cod jigs and teasers or bait fishing with sea clams or squid. We commonly fish water depths from 100-300 feet. Captain Bruce will help make you a master with either method by days end.

Cod must be 24” to keep with a 10 fish per angler limit.

Haddock must be 19” to keep with no bag limit.

Tuna

We are Tuna specialists, pure and simple. We love to fish for them and to help you experience the fish of a life time. The SWEET DREAM III and REEL SWEET were both built with catching tuna in mind. 

The king of all game fish is the Bluefin Tuna. They are strong and fast and fish over 1000lbs are caught in our waters every year. Bluefin tuna over 73” are classified as Giant Tuna and fish under 73” are school tuna. You may fish for Giant and School tuna at the same time but only one category of fish may be landed. The numbers of giant and school tuna that may be landed are regulated by the National Marine Fisheries Service and may change as the season progresses. The captain will inform you of the current catch limits at the time of your trip. Giant tuna are the property of the boat. When a giant tuna is landed the charter party will be credited 50% of the cost of their trip towards a future trip. The SWEET DREAM III is equipped with top of the line PENN 130 Internationals and custom built rods for Giant Tuna fishing. Giant tuna are caught trolling, chunking and fishing live bluefish from kites. Nothing is more exciting than seeing a fish approaching half a ton crash a live bluefish suspended on the surface from a kite.

The past several years has seen a great run of school tuna in our waters. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 the SWEET DREAM III landed up to 12 tuna between 80-200 lbs on a single trips. This fishery is now truly world class and we are very fortunate to have it right on our doorstep. Because of the way the SWEET DREAM III is rigged with her tower mounted outriggers, we can troll up to 7 rods in our tuna spreads. This means more baits in the water and we raise more fish and get more bites. On the SWEET DREAM III we mainly troll with 50lb standup style fishing tackle using newer PENN V series International Reels. Compare the quality of the tackle used on our boats and you will find we fish more rods and use better tackle. The speed of the SWEET DREAM III means we spend more time fishing and less time running. We give you the luxury sportfishing experience. On the REEL SWEET we can troll or use spinning gear in what is called "run and gun" fishing where we pursue surface feeding fish and cast to them with plugs. We use top of line Shimano Stella spinning reals with custom made rods for these brutes. We also employe new extreme jigging techniques to catch these fish.


Striped Bass and Bluefish

Stripers are a great success story of a how a fishery can be brought back from near collapse. Through conservation and management the striped bass is once again plentiful in the waters of Massachusetts. The Striped Bass is one of the most elegant of all game fish with its large silvery scales and black stripes. Its powerful tail will insure catching a trophy-sized striper will be long remembered. In addition, stripers are great table fare to be enjoyed grilled or baked.

Striped Bass must be 28” to keep with a 2 fish limit per angler.

Pound for pound the Bluefish is one of the hardest fighting fish in the ocean. They will test your tackle with their razor sharp teeth and hard runs and acrobatics. They often can be caught on surface plugs and will tail walk and jump in an attempt to throw the hook. They are great light tackle competition and fun for all to catch.

Sharks

The most common pelagic shark in Massachusetts waters is the Blue Shark. Growing upwards of 15 feet in length and over 400 pounds they make a strong competitor on 30 to 50lb stand up tackle. Blue sharks are generally released.

The prize of sharking is the Mako. One of the fastest and most aggressive fish in the ocean it is not uncommon for a Mako to go airborne once hooked. Mako’s are great eating and is the most common shark found in fish markets and restaurants. Mako’s are found less frequently in our waters but are generally larger in size than those caught south of Cape Cod. The long tailed Thresher Shark is also caught and is good eating. A cousin of the Mako, the Porbeagle is also a common visitor our chum slicks and is also good eating.

Shark fishing is usually done to the east of the ground fishing banks. So it is possible to combine shark fishing with catching some ground fish for the table.