Toby Ann Charters is one of the most consistent six packs in Gloucester, a comfortable wide beam 36 foot Calvin Beal that has fished Cape Ann year round since 2006. Captain Brian has more than 35 years in the Gulf of Maine, the boat carries a deep, spotless FishingBooker record, and it covers the full local fishery: giant bluefin tuna, striped bass, and cod and haddock. The one real gap is transparency, since the operator does not post its prices on its own site and books by phone or through the platform.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.1 Toby Ann is a strong choice and fifth in the port, level on the overall with Sweet Dream, which edges just ahead of it on posted pricing. Toby Ann’s own case is strong: a comfortable, seakindly hull, a 35 year captain, and a 5.0 record across well over a hundred FishingBooker trips, with no recurring complaint. What holds it here rather than higher is the missing public price, since the own site lists trips but no rates, so you book partly blind and confirm the number by phone or on the platform. For a boat that posts a full grid, the Coastal and Tuna Tail boats are the picks. Compare the field on the Gloucester ranking.
The boat
The Toby Ann is a 36 foot Calvin Beal, the Maine built hull prized for a wide beam that rides comfortably in a chop, and it has fished Gloucester year round since it was built in 2006. That comfort is a real asset on the long offshore runs to the tuna and the groundfish grounds, where a narrower boat beats you up. It runs as a private charter for a small group. The own site is light on hard specs beyond the hull and the build year, so confirm the capacity and the trip details when you book, but the boat’s long, steady record speaks to how it is kept.
The fishing and what you target
Toby Ann fishes the full Gloucester calendar. The headline is giant bluefin tuna in the summer and fall, the fishery Cape Ann is known for, with striped bass and bluefish close in through the warm months and cod and haddock on the offshore grounds, where haddock is the steady keeper and cod runs a short one fish season. Captain Brian’s decades in the Gulf of Maine cover all of it. Confirm the bluefin retention with NOAA’s HMS division and the cod and haddock dates with NOAA Fisheries before a season specific trip.
Trips and prices
Here is the boat’s one real weakness. Toby Ann does not post a price grid on its own site: it lists half day and full day trips and asks you to book by phone or through its FishingBooker listing, where rates start around $650 for the boat. The fishing and the record may well justify the rate, but with no posted grid you cannot weigh it against the boats that publish theirs, which is why the value and transparency score sits below the boat’s other marks. Ask for the rate, the trip length, and what is included when you call. Our cost guide gives a sense of what a New England charter day should run.
The crew
Captain Brian has more than 35 years of commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf of Maine, and the FishingBooker record reflects it: a 5.0 across well over a hundred trips, with reviewers returning to the theme that he finds the fish. That depth of consistent, spotless feedback, built over a boat that has run year round since 2006, is among the strongest track records in the port and the main reason it ranks where it does despite the pricing gap.
Booking and what to know
Book by phone or through the FishingBooker listing, and confirm the rate and trip length up front given the missing public grid. Bring food, warm and waterproof layers, sunscreen, and a cooler; confirm the tackle and bait when you book. For the tuna season, reserve well ahead, since the prime fall dates fill.
How we scored it
Toby Ann earns its 8.1 on a comfortable, well kept boat, a 35 year captain, and a deep, spotless review record, held out of the top tier by the absence of posted prices on its own site. Track record and captain and crew are its strongest factors; value and transparency is its weakest. See how we scored this boat and the Gloucester ranking for the field.