Coastal Fishing Charters is a veteran Gloucester six pack, a 35 foot boat called the Lady D run by Captain Nick Danikas, who has held a Coast Guard license since 1983 and fished these waters commercially before that. It is one of the few operators in the port with a full rate card posted on its own site, and it carries a clean FishingBooker record across a wide menu, cod and haddock, striped bass, shark, and giant bluefin tuna. The drawbacks are practical: it is cash only and adds a required 20 percent gratuity, so plan the budget before you book.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.0 Coastal is a strong choice and sixth in the port, a dependable boat under one of the most experienced captains in the fleet. The strengths are the captain’s four decades on the water, a fully posted rate card, a clean 5.0 FishingBooker record, and a menu that covers the whole fishery. What holds it mid field is the booking friction: cash only with a mandatory 20 percent gratuity is less convenient than the boats that take a card and fold the tip into a posted total, and at 35 feet it is a working boat rather than a roomy one. For the top ranked all rounder, see Tuna Tail; for the bluefin specialist, 10 Point. Compare the field on the Gloucester ranking.
The boat
The Lady D is a 35 foot T Jason, a Downeast hull restored in 2017, on a single 440 horsepower Yanmar that cruises around 22 knots, and it takes up to six anglers. It is a capable, well kept working boat, fine for a day on the groundfish grounds or a run to the tuna, though at 35 feet it is on the smaller side of the private fleet and a full deck of six is a busy one. Captain Danikas makes a point that the boat fishes the open ocean rather than staying close to the docks, which is the right approach for the species here.
The fishing and what you target
Coastal fishes the full Cape Ann menu from May into the fall. The cod and haddock trips work the offshore grounds, with haddock the reliable keeper and cod on a short one fish season, and there is an inshore cod catch and release option. Striped bass and bluefish fish close in, the shark combo runs the warm months, and the full day reaches the giant bluefin tuna. Confirm the cod and haddock dates with NOAA Fisheries and the bluefin rules with NOAA’s HMS division before a targeted trip.
Trips and prices
Coastal posts a full rate card on its own site, which is a real plus, but read the conditions: it is cash only, with a required 20 percent gratuity for the captain and mate on top. A 4 hour inshore cod catch and release trip is $450 for up to four, a 4 hour striped bass trip $550 to $600, a 5 hour cod and haddock trip $750, a 7 hour shark combo $850, and a 9 hour full day deep sea or tuna trip $1,300, up to six anglers. The season runs May 1 to October 1. The cash only rule and the added gratuity are the friction that pulls the value score down, since the real cost is the posted rate plus a fifth again. Our cost guide and the private versus head boat guide put the day in context.
The crew
Captain Nick Danikas has fished off Cape Ann since the 1970s and has held a Coast Guard license since 1983, with a commercial background in swordfish and herring before he ran charters, and the FishingBooker reviews reflect that depth: a 5.0 across more than two dozen trips, with consistent praise for his knowledge, his catches, and his patience with first timers. It is a smaller review trail than the busiest boats in the port, but it is clean and the experience behind it is deep.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing, and bring cash, since the boat does not take cards, plus the 20 percent gratuity. The season is May 1 to October 1, mostly weekdays, so plan around that, and reserve ahead for summer tuna dates. Bring food, warm and waterproof layers, sunscreen, and a cooler for your fillets.
How we scored it
Coastal earns its 8.0 on a captain licensed since 1983, a fully posted rate card, a clean review record, and a wide menu, held to mid field by the cash only rule with a required 20 percent gratuity and a smaller working boat. Captain and crew is its strongest factor; value and transparency and service its weakest. See how we scored this boat and the Gloucester ranking for the field.