VIRGINIA

Chincoteague Inlet

Winds did nothing but blow, and striped bass seemed to school up and down the local coast, but the winds kept trips from going after them, said Capt. Perry Romig from Topless Fishing Charters. Even a trip today was cancelled yesterday because of forecasts, and he knew nobody who was able to sail for the rockfish lately. This was certainly the time when fishing for the big bass should be on. The large, mature, migrating stripers pour down the coast from up north to spend the winter off Virginia, creating the largest gathering of the big linesiders anywhere. Stripers from Chesapeake Bay can also be mixed in, leaving the bay for the warmer ocean in winter. Perry heard from boaters who said the bay had chilled to 43 or 44 degrees, and the stripers had left for the ocean. They usually gather outside the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel at first, before moving up and down the coast, following the bait, apparently depending on water temperature. Call: 757-824-5580. Visit Web Site.

Virginia Beach

Striped bass fishing was busted wide open Monday, and anglers limited out early on big ones, said Capt. Steve Richardson from <b>Backlash Sport Fishing</b>. The fish swam directly off Virginia Beach from Rudy Inlet to Cape Henry. Steve was away deer hunting in Maryland this week, but the boat was on the fish. Call: 757-286-0711. Visit Web Site.

Fairly solid fishing for striped bass was creamed both north and south, and the bigger ones were mostly clubbed a little south in the past days, but some boats tackled them to the north at Fisherman’s Island, said Capt. Bob Robinson from Fin Seeker Sport Fishing. That’s on the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and the fish there were eeled. Trolling and jigging pummeled the biggest rockfish, but smaller schoolies were bucktailed or plugged around the bridge tunnel. Fin Seeker will chase them any of those ways, whatever anglers prefer. The ocean was probably 47 degrees, and the fishing was prime time. Come on down and get ‘em while they’re here, he said. Call: 757-618-7421.
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NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Offshore boaters from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center took advantage of a weather window on Sunday, limiting out on yellowfin tuna at the Gulf Stream, Affie Meekins said. The weather was too rough for offshore trips on Monday, so two of the offshore boats and one light-tackle boat ran for striped bass. They all limited out on the fish, all big ones, including four citation stripers—a 37-pounder, a 36-pounder and two 35-pounders—but they had to sail far north to Corolla, North Carolina, a dozen miles south of Virginia. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Horrendous weather such as today’s 25- to 30-knot winds made fishing difficult, but blackfin tuna were known to be holding at the Northeast Rocks, said Steve Hissey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. One of the charter boats is slated to sail for them Wednesday, when winds are forecast to be light and variable, but a big swell will probably remain that could hamper the fishing. Another boat decked a good catch of yellowfin tuna the other day, but 40 miles north off Oregon Inlet. Surf fishing was productive for a bunch of puppy drum, and thank goodness for them, Steve said. Some of puppies were taken on rubber grubs at Ramp 55 in Hatteras, and others were hung on small pieces of finger mullet at Ramp 43 north of Cape Hatteras Point. The surf was a frigid 46 degrees, hard to believe the puppies would chew so well in those temps, but they did. A few flounder were around in the surf, but most were shorts. The usual sharks and skates or trash fish roamed the suds. Visit Web Site.

Atlantic Beach

Seas and the weather forced the giant bluefin tuna fleet to stay docked in the last week, a source from Captain Stacy Fishing Center, who asked to remain anonymous, said. A few had begun to be hoisted in previously. The government closed down snapper and grouper fishing, putting an end to winter trips that annually sailed for them on the party boat Captain Stacy, very tough on business at the marina. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Miami

Sailfishing was just beginning to heat up, said Jackie Glinski from the Blue Waters II. Live bait swum from kites got bites 2 miles off the coast in 120 to 140 feet. Kingfish were fairly active, swiping live and trolled baits a little closer to shore in 90 to 120 feet. A few mahi mahi appeared at a rip 4 miles out, but they come and go, and disappeared after a day.  A few amberjacks could be pumped up from one of the wrecks. Call: 305-373-5016. Visit Web Site.

Boca Grande/Pine Island

Trips through the week knuckled in groupers, sharks, mangrove snappers and grunts at the reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, said Capt. Larry Conley from Reel-Ality Sportfishing. The groupers were mostly gags that move closer to shore at this time of year. Up to 20- and 26-inchers were tugged up on live pinfish. The size of the groupers mostly depends on the size of the pinfish, and if pinfish the size of a hand could be found, that usually guaranteed a keeper gag. Anglers aboard often help out in catching baits like pinfish, enjoying the experience, but the size of the baitfish that swim around can always change. The pinfish currently held along the 7- and 8-foot channels close to shore but were beginning to move offshore. Red groupers become more common close to shore in summer, and then gags swim farther from the coast, migrating inshore when the weather cools. Larry was unsure about the species of sharks that were battled, but they were 6- and 7-footers that chomped on mullet baits 7 to 10 miles from shore, a handful for anglers to wrestle in so the leader could be cut for a release. The mangrove snappers were pulled from waters 7 or 8 miles from shore in 45 feet on live shrimp. The grunts also inhaled the shrimp. Amberjacks to 20 and 30 pounds might be gathered around the box car reef 20 miles from shore by now, and Larry last year described catching the powerful fish. The season was currently closed for catching the a.j.’s but will open January 1, and Larry did no fishing farther from the coast where they’re located, because of the closed season. But they hold along the sunken box cars and will slam a bait like a pinfish. But anglers on the boat last year often got them to rocket up to the surface, exploding on Zara Spook top-water lures. They’d peel off 30-pound, braided line from the reel like it was nothing. A cold front moved in, but daytime air temps at this time of year usually reach 75 degrees. Some of the warmer days before the front topped out at 83 degrees. The Gulf was supposed to build to 8-foot seas until Friday in the cold front. Call: 239-471-0875 or 215-932-8411 (cell). Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

A bunch of different fish gave up good angling, including sailfish, blackfin tuna, mahi mahi and snappers, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from Captain Easy Charters. But sailfishing was especially productive. A charter landed four sails on Sunday, and another waxed five a few days ago. A charter on Thursday limited out on healthy sized king mackerel to 20 pounds, a wide-open bite, and a bait couldn’t be kept in the waters more than a few seconds without an attack. That trip also wrangled up a few dozen yellowtail snappers while reef fishing.  Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site. Check out Captain Easy’s Facebook page that includes reports, photos and videos.

A great week of fishing was clobbered, said the report on Over Under Adventures’ Web site. Sailfishing picked up by the weekend, after spottier angling for them earlier last week. King mackerel, smokers that mostly weighed 12 to 25 pounds but sometimes topped 40 on trips, showed up in good numbers by now. They were lots of fun on 20-pound line with 3-pound wire leaders, all the action anglers could handle. Big live baits were key, because they’d swim deeper than smaller baits in the week’s strong currents. Even a few wahoos were pounded. Cero mackerel and Spanish mackerel, both 3 to 7 pounds, put up fun fights on lighter, 12-pound tackle. The ceros moved out of the back country, started giving up catches on every cast on Gotcha lures or small, live baits. Mutton snappers, including several caught that weighed 8 to 10 pounds, started to move in, and fishing for them should keep improving. Big groupers were sometimes grabbed, and yellowtail snapper fishing was wonderful. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

Lots of yellowtail snappers were coolered at the beginning of last week,
pretty steady fishing for them, including large ones 2 and 3 pounds, on the
Miss Islamorada, Capt. Ben Loy said.  Anglers aboard drift shrimp or cut bait in a chum slick to pick them up. A cold front during a couple of days triggered a slew of hogfish—a cool-looking species known to taste excellent—to get active. Fourteen were reeled up Saturday, and 10 or so were nabbed Monday, all on shrimp on a short shot of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. Some black groupers to 12 and 15 pounds were nailed Sunday and are usually hooked on live speedos or grunts. A few king mackerel, not a lot, were fought to the boat lately on live cigar minnows. The kings were abundant at this time last year, but a couple of more cold fronts should draw them in this season. All the boat’s fishing takes place at the reef, usually within 4 miles from land, in 30 to 90 feet. Monday’s weather was 75 degrees, and another cold front was moving in, expected to drop nighttime temps to the 50s, cold for the Keys. Average daytime temps usually reach 75 to 80 in winter. The Miss Islamorada sails 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from world famous Bud N’ Mary’s Marina. Call: 305-664-2461. Visit Web Site.

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