Lady J Sportfishing is the deep sea charter to book on Cape Cod when you want a proven Barnstable Harbor boat that runs the offshore trips as well as the inshore. Captain Philip Caliri, a Coast Guard licensed Master, has fished these waters for decades, and the operation carries a 4.9 rating across 114 trips, one of the deeper records in the Barnstable fleet. The draw here is range: alongside the striped bass and bluefish days, the Lady J runs genuine 10 to 12 hour offshore trips for giant bluefin tuna and shark.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.3 Lady J is third in the Cape Cod ranking and a strong, worth booking call, the pick for a group that wants a senior captain and the option of a real offshore tuna or shark day out of Barnstable. It suits an inshore striped bass trip and a long bluewater run equally. The honest caveat is transparency. The striped bass rate is posted, from $780 for the boat, but the offshore shark and tuna prices are quote only, so you have to ask for the number before you can compare it. For a Barnstable boat with every price and a cabin to match, the Lucky Lady II review is the alternative out of the same harbor. Compare the field on the Cape Cod ranking.
The boat
The Lady J is a 38 foot sportfisher fishing up to six anglers, a capable mid size boat for a harbor whose offshore trips reach well out for tuna and shark. The operator publishes less about the build than some rivals do, listing the length and the six angler capacity without the engine and year detail, so the boat is best known through its long record rather than a spec sheet. What that record says is consistent: a sound, well run boat under a captain who has the license and the years for the offshore work, which is the part of the menu that separates it from the many inshore only boats on the Cape.
The fishing and what you target
This is an inshore and offshore operation. Inshore, the boat works Cape Cod Bay and the rips for striped bass and bluefish, the bread and butter Cape charter fishery, under a one fish striped bass slot limit. Offshore, the 10 to 12 hour trips chase giant bluefin tuna and blue, mako, and thresher shark, with mako now a release fish under the current rules. The tuna and shark are federally managed, so the boat carries the Highly Migratory Species permit and a licensed captain, which the fishery requires. Bluefin run from June into the fall, striped bass from spring into October, so the season sets which trip makes sense on a given date.
Trips and prices
The published price is the inshore striped bass and bluefish trip, which starts at $780 for the boat. The offshore shark and bluefin tuna trips, the 10 to 12 hour runs, are quote only, which is the one real knock on transparency here, since you cannot weigh the offshore price against the other tuna boats without calling first. For comparison, the Provincetown and Harwich tuna boats post their offshore rates, so ask the Lady J for its number and set it beside them. Our cost guide frames the tiers, and the head boat versus private charter guide covers the private format.
The crew
Captain Philip Caliri runs the boat, a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master with decades on these waters, and the 114 reviews behind the 4.9 describe successful trips and a knowledgeable, capable crew. The depth of that record, on a single owner operated boat, is the main thing you are buying, especially for the offshore trips, where local knowledge of where the tuna are holding is the difference between a long ride and a caught fish. The sentiment is positive and consistent, with no pattern of complaint in the record.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator site or the FishingBooker listing, and ask for the offshore tuna or shark price up front if that is the trip you want. Bring food, drink, layers for the long offshore day, and a cooler. For the tuna and shark trips, the federal permit and the licensed captain are covered by the boat. Book well ahead for the prime summer and fall tuna weeks, which fill early across the Cape.
How we scored it
Lady J earns its 8.3 on a deep, consistent review record, a Coast Guard master at the wheel, and a genuine offshore tuna and shark program that many Cape boats do not run. Track record and captain and crew are its strongest factors. It sits in the strong tier rather than the top on value and transparency, held there by offshore prices that are quote only rather than posted. See how we scored this boat and the Cape Cod rankings, including FV Odysea and Magellan Fishing Charters.