Sweet Dream Sportfishing is a fast, well found Gloucester six pack with a veteran captain and a rare option that sets it apart: a shared open boat seat for anglers who do not want to book the whole boat. It is a 38 foot Flowers Downeast run by Captain Bruce Sweet, who has more than 35 years off Cape Ann, with his son Eric on deck, and the TripAdvisor reviews of its haddock and tuna days are some of the most enthusiastic in the port. The sentiment is strong; the one caveat is that the countable review volume is harder to pin down than the platform leaders.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.1 Sweet Dream is a strong choice and fourth in the port, level on the overall with Toby Ann and edging just ahead of it on posted pricing and trip range. The case is a fast, safety equipped boat, a 35 year captain, a wide menu that includes a $275 shared seat, and detailed rave reviews of its groundfish and tuna trips. What holds it out of the top tier is the evidence depth: the reviews are glowing but the countable volume is lighter and harder to confirm than the boats with hundreds of logged trips, so we score it strong rather than top. For the deepest review record, see Lyla Rose; for the top ranked all rounder, Tuna Tail. Compare the field on the Gloucester ranking.
The boat
The Sweet Dream is a 38 foot Flowers Downeast on 720 horsepower that cruises north of 28 knots, which is genuinely fast for the class and matters on the long runs to the offshore grounds and the tuna. It carries survival suits, an EPIRB, and a life raft, which is the kind of offshore preparation worth noting on a Gulf of Maine boat. As a six pack it takes up to six anglers. It is a working sportfisher rather than a comfort cruiser, so a 13 hour Iron Man groundfish marathon is a long, hard day aboard, but the boat is built and equipped for the distance.
The fishing and what you target
Sweet Dream is a groundfish and tuna boat. The near shore and offshore groundfish trips work Stellwagen Bank and the deeper grounds for haddock, cod, and pollock, with haddock the steady keeper and cod on a short one fish season. The bluefin tuna trips run the warm months for school and giant fish, and the combos add sharks, with the occasional halibut a Gulf of Maine bonus. Confirm the cod and haddock dates with NOAA Fisheries and the bluefin retention with NOAA’s HMS division, since both change year to year.
Trips and prices
Sweet Dream posts a full grid on its own site, whole boat for up to six. A 6 hour near shore groundfish trip is $950, a 9 hour offshore groundfish trip $1,600, a bluefin tuna trip $1,600, a tuna or shark combo $1,800, and a 13 to 14 hour Iron Man groundfish marathon $2,900. The standout is the open boat offshore groundfish seat at $275 per person, a shared trip that lets one or two anglers fish an offshore day without paying for the whole boat, which on this coast usually means the big party boats. Our cost guide and the private versus head boat guide put both the private and the shared option in context.
The crew
Captain Bruce Sweet has more than 35 years fishing off Cape Ann and holds a 100 ton Masters license, and he runs the boat with his son Eric as mate. The TripAdvisor reviews are where the boat shines: detailed, specific accounts of standout haddock days and tuna trips, the kind of write ups that describe a full cooler and a captain and mate who put in the work. The honest limit is that the countable review volume is lighter and harder to verify than the FishingBooker leaders in the port, so we read the sentiment as strong but on a thinner base, and score the track record accordingly.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or by phone, and ask about the open boat schedule if you want a shared seat rather than the whole boat. Bring food, warm and waterproof layers, sunscreen, and a cooler; confirm what tackle and bait are included when you book. For the Iron Man and the long tuna days, plan on a very early start and a full day on the water.
How we scored it
Sweet Dream earns its 8.1 on a fast, safety equipped boat, a 35 year captain and his son, a wide menu with a rare shared seat, and strongly positive reviews, held out of the top tier because the countable review volume is harder to pin than the port’s most logged boats. Captain and crew and trips and access are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat and the Gloucester ranking for the field.