New Jersey Fishing Reports

Fishing with Outcast Charters on Saturday dusted up an okay catch of tog, not the 10- and 11-pounders like before, but this time mostly 3- and 4-pounders, and a couple of 6’s, Capt. Joe said. Just a pick throughout the day, he said, but three cod and probably eight ling were in with them. Another trip will fish this week, “so see how it goes,” he said. New York’s blackfish season reopened Sunday, and previously trips picked up the anglers from Jersey, because Jersey’s season remained open. But now charters can either sail from the boat’s dock on Staten Island or be picked up from Jersey.

Neptune

Last Lady Fishing Charters on a trip Saturday wrapped up its fishing at least for now, before Capt. Ralph takes a winter vacation, he said. The trip first fished for blackfish at 17 Fathoms, but the angling was slow, so the boat was moved to a local wreck. Quite a few schoolie cod, including two keepers, came up. Maybe a dozen fat ling were coolered, and the anglers ended the day with those fish and maybe a half-dozen blackfish in the box for a nice day on the waters. Ralph thanks everyone who fished aboard this past season, and hopes to see everyone again soon when he resumes trips. If fish start to chomp again in the next weeks, he might fish then and will give a heads up if he does.

Belmar

***Update, Thursday, 1/21***: Catches of blackfish held up through a few days ago on trips, and they began to slow down on outings since then, said Capt. Chris from the Big Mohawk. Waters cooled, and this was January after all, but he’ll have to wait a couple of days and see how the angling turns out. Anglers on the vessel did land some, including some sizeable ones. Bait or crabs were still available, and the trips remained perfectly feasible on that front. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Anglers on a make-up trip Wednesday limited out on blackfish and caught ling and cod on the Nan Sea J, Capt. Tom said. But blackfishing dropped off a lot on make up trips Thursday through Saturday, though seven or eight per trip, up to 7-pounders, were bagged per outing, and ling and cod were taken. Cod, small, schoolie fish, were reeled up on all the trips, and a few were keepers, and one of the trips totaled 15 cod. Waters were 37.5 to 40 degrees. All fishing will be on make up trips the rest of the season, and space is available, and call to climb on deck.

Blackfishing slowed a lot, and the waters became cold, and fishing for the tog could bounce back, said Bob from Fisherman’s Den. But if the fishing fails to recover within days, the boats sailing for blacks will probably switch to fishing for ling and cod and such. But lots of mackerel were mugged, a mess of the fish on every trip. Two of the party boats put a bead on them, scoring every day. Nobody surf fished, and that action was practically nonexistent by this point in the season. Trout angling for stocked fish at Spring Lake was the only other fishing that customers did. The shop is usually open until 10 or 11 a.m. daily and will probably keep those hours as long as the party boats continue to sail this winter.

Brielle

***Update, Thursday, 1/21***: Capt. Jerry from Fish Monger Charters checked in with an update on the crew’s doings. The boat is hauled from the waters, is undergoing standard winter maintenance and will be splashed and ready to fish again in mid March. The charter and open-boat season starts with blackfishing on April 1 in deeper waters. Crabs are carried for bait, and so are fresh clams for ling and cod that usually mix with the blacks in the deep early in the month. As waters warm, usually by the end of the month, the fishing moves closer to shore, until the blackfish season closes May 1. Those April’s charter dates are beginning to book up, and the open trips, a few of them, will sail when no charter is slated. In May attention will partly focus on ling, and Jerry hoped the angling was at least half as good as last year. But trips in May will also do lots of jigging for striped bass and blues. Combo trips are available, and a bunch of dates remain, and the fishing makes for “some great cooler-filling fun!” he said. June is time to liveline bait for trophy striped bass that migrate up the coast. When no charter is scheduled on weekdays, twice-daily open-boat trips, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, will do the livelining. All weekends are already booked for charters for that fishing, but some weekdays remain. July and August are fluke time. Both weekends and weekdays have begun to be booked for the flattie fishing, but some prime dates remain. Anglers were already asking whether Monger’s open-boat BYOB – Bring Your Own Bucktail – Fluke Marathons, running 10 to 12 hours, will sail once again, and they certainly will. The trips, for the third season in a row, will fish big baits, bouncing bucktails in the rough stuff – the rocks and the reefs – where the big doormats live. The BYOB schedule, booking quickly last year, will this year be set in early February, and join the boat’s e-mail list to receive the schedule in Monger’s newsletter. Jerry welcomed all the anglers who recently joined the list. In fall or November to December blackfishing will be a big focus, and all charter dates are already almost sold out in the short season. All weekends are claimed, but a few weekdays are available in December. So book early if you expect a spot. Some open-boat dates by reservation will run on weekdays, allowing anglers who can’t book the whole boat a chance at the tog. Jerry expects to give updates periodically on the planned schedule and what’s booking quickest and such. Contact Fish Monger to book trips, ensuring the dates you want.

On the Big Kid a charter Wednesday first angled for blackfish at 17 Fathoms, Capt. Wally said. The bite was slow in the morning, and they switched to bottom fishing at Shark River Reef, pulling in a bunch of ling and a couple of cod in 1 ½ hours. The trip ended up with seven blackfish, 30 ling and two cod for the day. The blackfishing at the time seemed a matter of waiting for them to feed, because a friend who stayed at 17 said catches turned on once the tide changed. Waters were 42 degrees then, and trips on the Big Kid will continue to scope out blackfishing and see how the catches go, and the tog could keep cooperating, considering the water temp. The bottom fishing was good, and trips will continue to do that angling, and the boat sails all winter long.

All anglers on the party boat Jamaica shoveled up a good catch at the offshore wrecks Friday, an e-mail from the boat said. They pumped in pollock to 32 pounds, cod to 25 pounds plenty of jumbo porgies and some ling, and both the wrecks fished held plenty of life. Pool winners were Bobby Bohrer, Philadelphia, with a 32-pound pollock, Boris Jelic, Lakewood, with a 30-pound pollock, and Ed Fisher, Stratford, with a 25-pound cod. Saturday’s offshore trip pounded plenty of jumbo porgies and some cod and pollock to 20 pounds. Pool winners were Chris Reuter, Kinelon, with a 20-pound cod and Dave Thomas, Taminent, Pennsylvania, with a 15-pound cod. Trips on the boat are catching more cod and pollock this year than before, the e-mail said, and more should move in as waters cool. Offshore trips are fishing for cod, pollock, hake and jumbo porgies every Friday through Sunday into March. For further info, call the boat or check the vessel’s Web site, and check the site for the schedule and updates.

Point Pleasant

***Update, Thursday, 1/21***: On the party boat Gambler blackfish, a healthy catch, bit at first in the morning on a trip Wednesday, and a couple of patrons limited out by 9:30 a.m., Capt. Bob said. The fish seemed less willing to feed as the day went on, apparently because of suddenly strong currents, Bob thought. But then the anglers managed to swing ling over the rails, and a few blackfish continued to come up, and a couple of cod were clocked. A 7-pound blackfish was the pool winner, if Bob remembered, and all patrons likely hooked at least one or two keeper blacks. Trips lately fished for blackfish in 125 feet, deeper than before, and the fish seemed to move deeper because of colder waters. The Gambler is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays. A cod trip was supposed to fish today, and the vessel is sailing for cod, pollock and ling 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays at the wrecks 20 to 50 miles from shore. Trips had been targeting mackerel on certain days, but those outings are finished. Bob wasn’t asked the reason, but mackerel seemed to migrate too far offshore this season.

***Update, Thursday, 1/21***: Bottom fishing was okay, not great, but okay on the party boat Dauntless, Capt. Butch said, and mostly ling were drummed up, but so were a few blackfish and cod. Customers bucketed 10 to 20 fish apiece, and a few mackerel were claimed on a couple of days, but the Bostons looked unlikely to move close enough to shore this season for the crew to count on catching them. Only one of the state’s party boats appeared to sail for mackerel, but when the fish are 35 miles from shore, the distance is impractical during the hours that most boats ran. If mackerel do move closer, the Dauntless hones in on them in the mornings, when the fishing is best, and bottom fishes afterward. But for now, trips will probably stick with bottom fishing, and the catches were being made in 120 to 180 feet. Waters were 40 to 42 degrees on the fishing grounds, and those temps will probably remain, unless severe weather comes in. But forecasts called for no such weather in the next week at least. The weather was beautiful on trips in the past days, and conditions allowed the boat to sail the last seven days in a row or so. The Dauntless is sailing all winter long like always, is one of the few vessels that does in the state, and trips run 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Seaside

With the warmer weather, a few anglers fished the surf Saturday and Sunday, and nobody weighed in a catch, “but there was a general improvement in mental health after a little beach time,” said the report on Grumpy’s Tackle’s Web site. A semi-busy day was actually had at the shop on Sunday, and sharpies hit the suds until the weather deteriorated in rains. Remember to attend the Anglers Rally in Washington, D.C., from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday, February 24. Buses will depart at many locations, and the staff at Grumpy’s is trying to arrange a bus leaving from the store. Or check for bus locations at the sites of these organizations: <a href="http://ssfff.net/index.html" target="_blank">Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund</a>, <a href="http://www.unitedboatmen.com/" target="_blank">United Boatmen</a>, and <a href="http://www.joinrfa.org/" target="_blank">Recreational Fishing Alliance</a>. “Complaining (to your buddies) about the arbitrary bag limits, size restrictions, shortened (and) closed seasons, etc., … has not done a bit of good!” the site said. “Make a difference by making an effort to attend. Every face down there will help!” For the latest reports from the shop, <a href=" http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishing_reports.cfm" target="_blank"> click here</a>.

Beach Haven

***Update, Thursday, 1/21***: Capt. Frank on the party boat Miss Beach Haven wrapped up the boat’s fishing for the season, he said. Trips will kick back off on April 1 with blackfishing. The boat blackfished Saturday, and the angling was slow. Water temps had really dropped to about 38 degrees. But a 12-pound hog won the pool. Frank thanks everyone who sailed aboard this past year and looks forward to seeing everyone in spring.

Mystic Island

Air temperatures above freezing all night Saturday and light rains and 40-degree temps Sunday turned Collins Cove into soft ice unsafe for fishing, said the report on Scott’s Bait & Tackle’s Web site. Relatively warm weather and rains are predicted for the next days that should clear the ice right out of the cove. But lots of winter is left, and maybe anglers will get another solid shot at the ice fishing. The cove, located on the Mullica River just upstream of the Parkway Bridge, is the one of the state’s best-known spots for white perch fishing and the best-known for ice fishing for them in the state. The schools gather in the cove to escape the colder currents in the river. Ice fishers got on a truly good run of the fish through this spell of ice, the first time the cove froze this season. Boaters will surely go after the fish as soon as the ice clears. A report on one of the fishing Web sites said anglers had planned to fish the ice on Friday, but no word was heard back from them, and that was the last mention of possible ice on the waters on the shop’s site. ***Update, Thursday, 1/21***: The ice melted on Collins Cove, and one angler posted a report on the shop’s Web site, saying a boating trip to the cove produced a dozen perch, half of them good-sized, in less than 2 hours, Scott said. That was practically the only fishing news, and nobody fished for tog, though Scott had thought someone would try for the blackfish in the better weather recently. Maybe a couple of anglers a week stopped by to gear up on tackle for party boat trips for cod, mackerel and such. A few minnows and a small amount of live grass shrimp, both good baits for perch, are stocked.

Absecon

Ice anglers fished for white perch on Saturday at Collins Cove on the Mullica River, said Capt. Dave from Absecon Bay Sportsman Center on Sunday. Whether ice remained after Saturday was in question, because of warmer weather lately. Live grass shrimp, the favorite bait for perch, had been available at the shop for the angling, and Dave will try to get more if boaters and bank anglers seem to want them for perch now. One angler last week said he scored all right on tog a mile or less from shore. The shop is open for limited hours in winter, and call ahead to confirm.

Longport

Tog fishing gave up almost no activity in the past days on the boat, said Capt. Mike from the Stray Cat. Ice-cold waters turned out bergals and very few tog. The trips had originally been planned to head offshore to warmer waters for fish such as tog, cod, pollock and ling by now, but more anglers wanted tog, so the trips trips tried for the blackfish inshore. But now trips will only run offshore, either on an open-boat basis or on charters. Trips are available daily, and certain dates are scheduled for open trips, and anglers can call for a flier with the schedule. But open trips will also run whenever enough anglers want to go, and call the boat to be kept informed about when they’ll fish.

Ocean City

No customers actually reported fishing along the coast in some time, said Bill from Fin-Atics. Blackfish had supposedly been caught from the ocean, but whether they continued biting might’ve changed. Nobody even talked about white perch fishing up the brackfish rivers, a popular winter fishery. Maybe more will begin fishing for the slabs, because the cold snap ended. Fin-Atics is open Fridays through Sundays.

Sea Isle City

Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle did some fishing from the Florida Keys that this winter he’s doing during several periods to Easter, offering traveling charters when he’s there. John and Will Martin joined him this time, Joe said, and on Saturday fought a bunch of redfish and a bunch of black drum, mostly on New Penny Gulp Shrimp on 3/8-ounce jigheads, but sometimes on live shrimp. On Sunday they tugged in several black drum, a handful of sizeable speckled sea trout and some ladyfish before storms chased them off the waters. Live shrimp hooked most of the fish this day. Winds blew during the days, and there was some weather. But daytime temps reached 75 degrees, and the record cold snap had ended. Most of the fishing took place near Flamingo, where the shallow waters were as warm as 75 degrees. Waters in Florida Bay proper were as chilled as 55 to 58 degrees, but were beginning to warm back up. Fishing was affected by the cold snap, and that included large fish kills. No snook bit, but they should turn back on after time. But the catches on the trips were good news, were made despite the previous cold and the current winds and storms, were better than might’ve happened because of the conditions. Joe tried sneaking out to the ocean side to reach Alligator Reef and Hawk Channel for catches such as sailfish, but was met by 6- to 8-foot, breaking seas and turned back. He planned to fish from the Keys today, too. Packages are available that arrive at the Keys on Fridays, fish all day Saturdays and part of Sundays, and depart on Sunday evenings. They’re a perfect weekend getaway, and the charters fish for everything from snook, speckled sea trout, redfish, jacks and bonefish to sailfish, blackfin tuna and more. The type of fishing largely depends on the weather and is done everywhere from the back country in the Everglades to the ocean. Quite a few of the trips are already booked, and check out more info on the <a href=" http://www.gibsonstackle.com/page6.html" target="_blank">Traveling Fisherman Charters</a> page on Jersey Cape’s Web site. Also see <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a> that includes blogs and photos from these last Florida trips.