Cape Cod Fishing Charter in Truro, MA

Our Boats | Where We Fish | What We Catch & How | Fishing Regulations | What To Bring

A little bit of preparation makes your Cape Cod fishing charter in Truro, Massachusetts, even more rewarding. Reel Deal Fishing Charters has three fully equipped center console vessels that carry up to six passengers each. Each of our boats has the latest electronics for fishing success, as well as safety. To help you get ready for your trip, we provide the following information on the cost of fishing charters, our boats, and for the best times to fish for your favorites.

Rates & Dates

Dates available from early May to early November for fishing off Cape Cod.

Deposits

A $100 deposit for half-day fishing trips, $200 deposit for full-day fishing trips and a $300 deposit for full-day bluefin tuna trips is required to secure your reservation. Deposits will be higher for custom trips or multiple boat bookings. Fishing charter deposits are transferable up to 1 year from the original booking date should you cancel with at least 30 days notice or if the Captain cancels your trip due to the weather. Cancellations with less than 14 days notice will be charged the full amount of the trip. It is up to the captain to decide if your fishing charter will be cancelled due to weather. While we do go out in the rain, wind speed and direction is the largest determining factor for cancellations. If we decide your trip should be cancelled due to inclement weather, we will do our best to reschedule your trip.

Fees and Changes

These fishing charter rates are for direct phone or email bookings. When booking through our website, there is an online booking fee added to these rates. All our rates are subject to change. Our Captains have always gone the extra mile to be sure our clients have the ultimate fishing experience. This season we are under more pressure than usual due to much higher fuel costs than expected. We are doing our best to balance our rates, fuel cost, and customer satisfaction. We always strive to provide you with the best possible Cape Cod charter fishing experience!

Gratuity

As common practice throughout the service industry, it is customary for our Captains to receive an 18-20% gratuity at your discretion. Thank you!

Multiple Boats

Do you have more than six people in your group? No problem! We have three boats, so we can take out multiple groups of six. Cape Cod fishing charters are great for reunions and other celebrations. An additional deposit is required when reserving multiple days or more than one boat.

Departure Time

Your departure time will be confirmed at the time of booking and again the day before your trip. Our departure times vary throughout the season based on sunrise and tides. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes before your departure time, so that the boat can head out on time. The Captain will wait for 45 minutes past departure time for late arrivals. If you are running late, please contact us as soon as possible. Arriving more than 45 minutes past your departure time will result in your trip being cancelled without refund.

Note: If one of our rod and reel setups is dropped overboard by a member of your group, then replacement value for the setup will be added to the cost of your trip.

2024 Fishing Charter Rates -- Fishing Aboard our 26' SeaCraft boats

(Rates are per trip aboard our 26' SeaCraft center console fishing boats. Filleting fish included except where noted.)

Click A Trip to Book Now	Hours	1-4 Person	5-Person	6-Person
Stripers Half-Day	4.5	$650	$725	$800
Stripers Full-Day	8	$1100	$1175	$1250
Tuna Trips	8 – 10	$1,500*

Flounder	4.5	$650	$725	$800
Tautog	4.5	$650	$725	$800
Flounder & Tautog	8	$950	$1025	$1100
Black Sea Bass & Scup	5.5	$750	$825	$900
Whales & Truro Dune Tours	4.5	$700	$750	$800

*Our Tuna Trip rates are based on departing from Pamet Harbor, Truro. If we trailer our boats to different locations then an additional fuel surcharge may be added. You will be notified of this in advance. We only move our boats to a different location when available information indicates this will greatly improve your chances of catching bluefin tuna.
All rates are per trip (not per person) and are subject to change and availability. Fish will not be scaled. Scup will be left whole.
Looking for something else? Please ask! At times we can offer custom trips such as striped bass and tautog combination fishing trips.
More than 6 people? No problem! We have three boats so we can take out multiple groups of 6. Great for reunions and other celebrations!

2024 Fishing Charter Rates -- Fishing Aboard Done Deal

(Rates are per trip aboard our 33' Invincible center console fishing boat. Filleting fish included except where noted.)

Click A Trip to Book Now	Hours	1-4 Person	5-Person	6-Person
Stripers Half-Day	4.5	$750	$825	$900
Stripers Full-Day	8	$1300	$1375	$1450
Tuna Trips	8 – 10	$1,800*	$2,200	$2,600

Flounder	4.5	$750	$825	$900
Tautog	4.5	$750	$825	$900
Flounder & Tautog	8	$1125	$1200	$1275
Black Sea Bass & Scup	5.5	$950	$1025	$1100
Whales & Truro Dune Tours	4.5	$800	$850	$900

Our Tuna Trip rates are based on departing from Pamet Harbor, Truro. If we trailer our boats to different locations then an additional fuel surcharge may be added. You will be notified of this in advance. We only move our boats to a different location when available information indicates this will greatly improve your chances of catching bluefin tuna. For example departing from Saquatucket Marina, Harwich Port may add up to $200 fuel surcharge or to Falmouth Inner Harbor may add up to $400 fuel surcharge.
All rates are per trip (not per person) and are subject to change and availability. Fish will not be scaled. Scup will be left whole.
Want a 6-hour or 12-hour trip? Custom charters can be arranged upon request. Note to extend your trip it is $220/hour for SeaCraft boats and $250/hour for Done Deal for up to 4 passengers.

Our captains are happy to fillet your fish at the end of your striped bass or bluefin tuna fishing charter. Tips are appreciated. You are welcome to keep the racks if you would like. However, we do not chop up racks due to the wear and tear it puts on our fillet knifes.

Enjoy Henry Gilbey's blog about Cape Cod Striped Bass Fishing with Captain Bobby Rice!

Our Boats

The Reel Deal boats get to the fishing grounds first! Our fleet of center console fishing boats offer a quick ride to reduce your travel time and increase your fishing time.

33' Invincible Open Fisherman, Done Deal

In 2018, our 18th season in the Cape Cod fishing charter business, we celebrated with the purchase of our 33’ Invincible Open Fisherman, center-console, offshore fishing machine, re-powered in 2022 with twin Mercury Verado 400s outboard engines. This vessel, Done Deal, is described as one of the fastest, driest, best riding fishing boats and is equipped with top-of-the-line, high-definition Garmin electronics, including the 12" touchscreen GPS chart plotter, radar, and multiple sonar transducers. Other features include satellite weather, satellite music, Globalstar satellite phone, Garmin inReach satellite device (for offshore trips), VHF marine radio, and EPIRB, as well as live bait wells and night vision lighting. Additional forward seating offers a great place to kick back, enjoy the Cape Cod seascape and relax! Our boat is fully equipped with all required Coast Guard safety equipment. Please let us know if you are bringing children (who weigh less than 90 pounds) on board so that we have an adequate number of child-rated life vests. Please note the special rates for fishing on this vessel.

Book Done Deal Now

26' SeaCraft Master Angler, Reel Deal 3

We celebrated our 13th season in the fishing charter business with the purchase of our second 26’ SeaCraft tournament center-console, offshore fishing machine, powered with twin Mercury Four Stroke 250s outboard engines. Similar to its light blue twin, this vessel is equipped with top-of-the-line, high-definition Garmin electronics, including the 12" touchscreen GPS chart plotter, radar, and high end sonar transducer. Other features include Garmin inReach satellite device (for offshore trips), VHF marine radios, as well as live bait wells and night vision lighting. Our boat is fully equipped with all required Coast Guard safety equipment. Please let us know if you will be bringing children (who weigh less than 90 pounds) on board so that we have an adequate number of child-rated life vests.

Book Now for one of our 26' SeaCraft Boats

26' SeaCraft Master Angler, Reel Deal II

In 2010, our 10th season in the fishing charter business, we celebrated with the purchase of our new 26’ SeaCraft Master Angler, center-console, offshore fishing machine, powered with twin Mercury Four Stroke 250s outboard engines. This vessel, Reel Deal II, is equipped with top-of-the-line, high-definition Garmin electronics, including the 12" touchscreen GPS chart plotter, radar, and sonar transducers including side scan. Other features include satellite weather, music radio (compatible with USB iPhone plug-in), Garmin inReach satellite device (for offshore trips), VHF marine radios, as well as live bait wells, and night vision lighting. Our boat is fully equipped with all required Coast Guard safety equipment. Please let us know if you are bringing children (who weigh less than 90 pounds) on board so that we have an adequate number of child-rated life vests.

Currently, our vessels do not offer bathroom facilities.

We highly recommend Mercury Marine outboard engines and are proud members of their Pro Team! Interested in a Mercury Marine outboard engine? Check out this QR code to obtain more information from Mercury and also be entered in a fishing charter giveaway!

Where We Fish

The majority of our trips leave out of Pamet Harbor in Truro, conveniently located between Provincetown and Wellfleet. This location offers quick access to the best fishing grounds of outer Cape Cod.

Depending on the current fishing conditions, we may also depart from other boat launches on Cape Cod, including Orleans, Harwich or South Yarmouth. Your departure location will be confirmed the day before your trip. We launch our trailered center console fishing boats closest to the best available fishing activity. All our fishing charter departure locations are listed here.

Here is also some interesting current and historical data about Cape Cod water temperatures.

Looking for something to do before or after your Cape Cod fishing charter with Reel Deal? Check out this Historic Truro PDF Guide (updated in 2020) for notable places and sightseeing opportunities in the unique outer Cape town!

Field & Stream magazine notes that “Cape Cod has become what many saltwater anglers consider the premier striped bass fishing destination in the world.” We certainly agree.

What We Catch & How

Our specialties include light tackle fishing for striped bass and blues, Bluefin tuna, and black sea bass. We tend to follow these general rules of thumb for finding fish in season:

Stripers - Mid-May through early October Length to Weight Chart
Blues - Mid-May through early October
Bluefin Tuna - June through early November (Peak Season typically starts in August)
Black Sea Bass/Scup - May & Early June (Other Dates by Request If Available; Recreational Black Sea Bass Season begins May 18, 2024)
Winter Flounder - May through early June
Tautog - May through early June; October

Captain Bobby Rice has an extensive assortment of light tackle spinning rods and reels, as well as conventional gear and all tackle equipment one could need! He also designed and engineered the RD Bomb manufactured by Daddy Mac Lures to crush the topwater striped bass bite. We are also a member of the RONZ Pro Staff. Casting RONZ soft baits can be just the right trick for large striped bass and Bluefin tuna.

Van Staal is our gear of choice for striped bass fishing as this company delivers superior cast, high durability, and excellent fight.

We welcome all levels of anglers and are more than happy to teach newcomers. Let us know how you prefer to fish!

Cooking Your Catch

Check out Captain Bobby Rice's striped bass cooking ideas in On The Water's Captain's Cookbook.

Nutrition Facts

FDA's Advice About Eating Fish

Fishing Regulations

The current recreational fishing regulations for Massachusetts are:

Striped Bass-- 28"-31" Slot size, **New Slot for 2023. 1 Fish per Person. On May 26, 2023 this new slot size will be in place.
Bluefish-- No Minimum, 5 Fish per Person
Bluefin Tuna-- 3 Fish (27" to Less than 47") and 1 Fish (47" to Less than 73") per Trip *NMFS Updated 5/24/2024.
With respect to large Bluefin tuna (greater than 73” curved fork length) permitted to be retained by our vessels under current regulations are the sole property of the vessel and captain. This is a commercial category fish and depending on the current regulations, once landed the boat may be required to return to the dock. A commercial category fish cannot be retained with recreational class fish.
Black Sea Bass-- 16.5" Minimum, 4 Fish per Person, **New Regulation for 2023
Scup-- 11" Minimum, 40 Fish per Person, (May & June) **New Regulation for 2024
Tautog-- 16" minimum (only one fish over 21" **New Regulation for 2023): 3 Fish Per Person (Apr 1 - May 31 & Aug 1 - Oct 14), 1 fish per person (June 1 - Jul 31), 5 fish per person (Oct 15 - Dec 31)
Winter Flounder-- 12" minimum, 8 Fish Per Person
Haddock (Ground fish)-- 17" Minimum, 15 Fish per Person
Pollock-- No minimum, no limit
Cod-- catch and release only

Interested in recent white shark sightings? Check out the Atlantic White Shark logbook.

Will the Restricted Fishing Days (RFDs) affect my bluefin tuna fishing charter? No. We are able to fish for recreational class tuna on Restricted Fishing Days as noted here.

What to Bring

We suggest bringing:

Camera (Lifetime Memories!)
Food (We have open center console charter fishing boats and do not have a large amount of open deck space. Therefore please only bring one medium-sized cooler on your fishing charter. We have no food available for purchase on the boat.)
Beverages (While alcoholic beverages are allowed, intoxication is not. Please avoid bringing hard alcohol. Thank you for exercising good judgment with respect to alcohol.)
Sunscreen (Please avoid Aerosol/Spray Sunscreens - which can make the deck slippery)
Sunglasses
Hat/Clothing to Suit the Weather (It Is Always Cooler Out on the Water). We also have a limited number of sets of Grunden's foul weather gear available. If the weather looks inclement and you have forgotten your gear, no problem. Just ask and we will bring along a set for you.
Non-Marking Sole Shoes with Good Traction (Ideally, Closed Toe to Protect Your Feet)
Cooler/Insulated Bag to Bring Your Fillets Home In. This can be left in your vehicle. We have in-deck fish boxes to keep your catch cool on the water.
Checkout Mercury Marine's guide on Dealing with Seasickness. If you do not have a history of sea sickness you likely will be fine on our open center console fishing boats with outboard engines (no diesel fumes!).

We ask that you please do not bring:

Glass bottles
Cigars
Full Coffee Cups (We love coffee very much too, particularly early in the morning! But full coffee cups tend to spill when we power up and stain the deck. If you could enjoy most of your coffee at the dock, that would be great!)

We provide all the fishing gear for your trip, as well as bottled water at no charge.

Please Note: If one of our rod and reel setups is dropped overboard by a member of your group, then replacement value for the setup will be added to the cost of your trip.

Contact us today to learn more information about our fishing vessels. We proudly serve customers in Truro, Massachusetts, and surrounding communities throughout Cape Cod and New England.