<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Surf casters banked a few striped bass on clams and worms, and although snow and cold was around, the weather was beautiful otherwise, with calm winds for fishing, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Fresh clams are stocked, and no worms are available at the moment because of snow and ice up north where the worms come from, but worms are carried when available, and the shop will try to re-stock them as soon as possible. Boaters belted healthy numbers of blackfish and some ling in the ocean. The store is open 6 a.m. to 12 noon or 1 p.m. daily when the weather is fair.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b>  Two final, individual-reservation blackfish trips will motor out the next two Saturdays, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, and call to get in. The fish refused to cooperate because of the frigid cold on a trip last Saturday, even though seas were calm, and only a couple of keepers and some throwbacks were hooked. A trip Monday sailed with only two anglers, the mate and the captain, because Ralph wanted to see whether the fish would still feed, and the tog did. One of the anglers limited out on the blackfish to 5 or 6 pounds and also caught another keeper but bagged no more than his limit. The other angler scored one fish short of his limit, and so did the mate, and six or eight ling were also nabbed. The weather wasn’t cold, and seas were flat.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> Anglers on the <b>Big Mohawk</b> picked a few blackfish, including some 10- and 11-pounders, Capt. Chris said. The bite was beginning to drop off, but the boat will keep going after the tog until the fishing becomes too slow, and then he’ll call it a season. So he’ll see what happens in the next week. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> Mackerel trips on the <b>Miss Belmar</b> were weathered out the past couple of days, but a trip for the Bostons left port today, Capt. Alan said. No word was heard about the results yet, but previously the fishing was generally good, and the last trip that sailed was slow, but seas and the weather were nasty. Mackerel were last 20 to 25 miles offshore, and if they school farther, the trips will discontinue. But the crew will know by the weekend whether trips will keep running. The Miss Belmar is mackerel fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Anglers got out for tog on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> early last week, before the cold snap, Capt. Tom said. Good catches were decked, and the fish weighed up to 8 ½ pounds, and none was huge, but lots of 3- to 6-pounders were plundered. Quite a few ling also bit, and the trip fished in 100 feet. Charters will keep fishing through the month before Tom takes a winter break.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> On the <b>Jamaica</b> anglers reeled in “fair to very good” catches from the offshore wrecks through the weekend, an e-mail from the boat said. Mostly sea bass to 6 pounds were bucketed, and ling, porgies, pollock and cod were mixed in. Sunday served up the best fishing, and many of the passengers limited out on sea bass and grabbed some porgies. Pollock and cod were sometimes knocked down. Saturday’s anglers scored a few limits of the lumpheads and occasional pollock and cod. Friday’s angling was slower than recent trips, and currents were strong in the morning.  Plenty of life hovered around the wrecks all three days, and the captain believed that the currents caused any slow downs in bites. Monday’s fishing was much better in improved conditions, and that’s all the e-mail said about that day’s catch. Waters lately were 49 to 51 degrees, ideal for attracting the fish to migrate to the offshore wrecks, and the crew expected good catches on upcoming trips. Recent pool winners included Richard Santos from Kenilworth with a 7-pound sea bass, Cuont Haont from Brooklyn with a 20-pound cod and John McCole from Englewood with a 10-pound cod The Jamaica is fishing at the offshore wrecks every Wednesday and every Friday through Sunday through April. A trip is also scheduled for 11 p.m. tonight, and another is on the books for Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> Mackerel got boated until the end of last week on the <b>Dauntless</b>, and then the fish moved too far offshore, because the boat mostly bottom fishes and needed to stay close enough to the coast to bottom fish after chasing the mackerel in the mornings, Capt. Butch said. Mornings are usually best for catching the Bostons. But if the mackerel bounce closer to shore again, trips will head after them. Bottom fishing held up, mostly producing ling, usually 20 to 25 per angler. But blackfish, cod and even a few bass were mixed in. Surprising to see sea bass remain in the cold waters closer to the coast, but eight or ten decent-sized ones were usually taken per trip. The bottom fishing was mostly done in 120 to 150 feet, and that’s where trips had found mackerel until now. But once mackerel move beyond 20 miles, that’s too far for the vessel to come back and bottom fish the rest of the day.  The bottom angling was “winter fishing at its finest,” Butch said. “Freeze your butt off and catch fish,” he joked. The Dauntless is one of the state’s few boats if not the only one that bottom fishes close to shore all year long, straight through winter. The fish are there, and patrons catch them up. Trips are bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Offshore trips kept bailing sea bass, a good year for the fishing, said Ronnie from <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b>. The <b>Voyager</b>, docked at the shop, is running overnight trips for the lumpheads that leave every Thursday through Saturday, and 12-hour cod trips will begin every Friday on February 6. Ronnie saw a few anglers fishing for herring at Manasquan Inlet but didn’t know whether they caught any. Winter is the time to look for herring there, and Sabiki rigs will do the trick. Surf anglers would’ve had to have been crazy to fish in the cold, Ronnie joked. Janice Van Bel from Toms River escaped the cold on a trip to Costa Rica, fighting a 400-pound blue marlin and a 130-pound sailfish on 30-pound test. New gear for 2009 is arriving daily at the shop, and stop by and look around. Fly-tying material is on-hand for tying teasers and bucktails during winter. Be sure to catch Fisherman’s Supply at Surf Day at Brookdale Community College on February 21, the Berkley Striper Club’s Fishing Flea Market on March 1, the Asbury Park Surf Fishing Club’s Flea Market on March 8 and the Saltwater Fishing Expo in Somerset on March 20 to 22. Fisherman’s Supply is open seven days a week.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> is available to fish whenever the weather allows, Capt. Fred said. Bottom-fishing is on the menu, and the last bottom trip filled the box with sea bass to 6 pounds, cod to 15 pounds, pollock and ling. A catch of tog might also be able to be scratched up.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> Capt. Mike from the <b>Tuna-Tic</b> checked in with some of the first news reported about the upcoming season. Not a fishing report, but interesting. He lowered his charter prices back to 2007 rates because of lower fuel prices, hoping the prices remain low, trying to help anglers in the tough economy, he said in an e-mail. That’s great news, especially after soaring fuel prices, the highest ever, last season. Time to put that behind, and also put behind last year’s worst stretch of rough weather during the offshore fishing season that Mike remembers. The weather caused many trips to be cancelled on boats. The Tuna-Tic will be docked this year at Lighthouse Marina in Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island, instead of Waretown on Barnegat Bay like last year. That should also help with fuel. But the boat always begins the fishing season in April to June docked at the Highlands for “the best striped bass fishing in the country,” he said. But here’s some of the biggest news: Mike added a new vessel to the fleet, and it’s a party boat! The Islander will run both open-boat trips and charters from Lighthouse Marina in Barnegat Light    

<b>Seaside</b>

A veritable heat wave blew in Sunday with highs in the upper 30s, and a couple of customers surf fished then, and one beached a short striped bass while dunking salted clams on a high-low rig, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. A couple of anglers also braved the surf on Saturday, when temps reached the low 20s, but none returned and reported results. Some customers on Friday bought supplies for cod and pollock fishing that was productive lately. A little snow fell locally Sunday, and a bit more was expected today, accumulating to an inch, but roads were clear. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.    

<b>Mystic Island</b>

A few people telephoned to ask whether Collins Cove on the Mullica River was frozen enough for ice fishing for white perch, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. But although the end of last week was frigid--and the shop’s report on Saturday said the temp then, the warmer day during the cold snap, was 21 degrees--another cold blast lasting several days would be needed before anglers could likely drill some holes in safety. Temperatures were forecast to range from the teens to above freezing this week. If another cold snap blanketed the area Thursday through Saturday, for example, then ice fishing could be possible. But for now, surely any ice was too thin. Anglers were cautioned to be extremely careful at all times when attempting to ice fish. “No fish is worth a person’s life,” the report said. Collin’s Cove is arguably the best-known location for ice fishing in South Jersey. White perch gather in the cove during winter, escaping the colder waters of the middle of the Mullica River. Live grass shrimp, the No. 1 bait for the perch, are stocked at the shop, one of the few, if not the only, stores in the state to carry them in winter. Bloodworms and minnows will also work and are usually stocked. This winter was colder than last year, and last year at this time customers at least fished for pickerel on the lakes. But skim ice on the lakes this season prevented that fishing. On Thursday the low dropped to 7 degrees, and the marine forecast called for freezing spray. That’s cold! Scott’s is open during slightly shorter hours in winter but remains open every day except Tuesdays. If anglers were delaying reel and tackle repairs to be ready for spring, they shouldn’t: Repairs already stacked up at the shop. Be sure to get them in while there’s time to complete them for the new fishing season. Business was also cranking at the store’s web site <a href="http://www.pennparts.com" target="_blank"> PennParts.com</a>, and apparently anglers were tinkering with tackle in winter. PennParts.com features mail order for every Penn part manufactured, and many that are no longer made. But the site is also a public service with a wealth of information, like schematics available free online. Check it out.  <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> We have ice! White perch anglers started making catches through the holes at Collins on Sunday and kept on through the week, Scott said. Some anglers reported pulling up 20 to 40 in 2 hours and sometimes could even cull the fish, keeping only the biggest. The action ranged from hot and heavy to sporadic to none, and dry spells occurred, and so did fast spells. Some said incoming tides were best, and others said outgoing were, and the best times were difficult to put a finger on. Now the only question was whether the ice would remain thick enough, and Friday was expected to be relatively warm, and the days afterward were expected to be colder but not too cold. Seemed like if Friday didn’t melt the ice too much, anglers might be able to hope the thickness would at least remain steady instead of building. If temperatures plummet again for a stretch of days afterward, maybe the ice fishing will continue. Live grass shrimp, the best bait, are stocked, and most of the anglers bought them. A few also bought minnows for the fishing, and none bought bloodworms in the past days, but bloods are also stocked and can work. Although the plank that helps anglers cross from the marsh to the ice had been missing, somebody left a new plank there. Always be extremely cautious about walking onto the ice, and never assume the ice is thick enough or safe. See <a href="http://www.scottsbt.com/mapchart/collins.htm" target="_blank">directions to Collins Cove</a> on the shop’s web site, and check out the photos of the fishing from past years, too.

<b>Longport</b>

Nobody fished in the brutal cold, but the crew on the <b>Stray Cat</b> is trying to sail every day on open-boat trips for sea bass, cod and pollock, Capt. Mike said. The fish are reeled aboard in 200 to 300 feet on 12-hour trips. Give a call if you want to go, and “you’ve got to play to win!” he said. The fish are out there, and the season’s been good this year. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 1/20:***</b> The weather looks great, and two open trips will steam to the 20-mile wrecks Thursday and Friday, limited to 10 passengers, and call to jump aboard. The seldom-fished wrecks offer great catches, Mike said. <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/22:***</b> The weather looked clear, and Mike expected today’s trip to sail, he said last night. If the boat gets out, he’ll try to give an update. Reminder: An open trip is also supposed to run Friday, like it says above, and call to jump aboard.

<b>Ocean City</b>

One of the party boats from Ocean City was reportedly putting customers into buckets of sea bass, plenty of the fish, on offshore trips last week, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>.  Other fish like cod and pollock were apparently mixed in. Another head boat from Wildwood was supposedly serving up tog for patrons through the week. But otherwise the cold front kept customers from angling even for white perch on the rivers. Still, customers kept stopping by the shop. Fin-Atics is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, resuming full-time hours March 1.

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