The blizzards Saturday and Wednesday kept most coastal fishing trips from heading out this week.

Therefore no report was posted until today, and this is going to be a short one.

So goes February.

But the good news is that some fish continue to bite, such as cod, pollock and ling in the ocean and white perch in the brackish rivers.

Though this is the height of the off season, that’s about to change in what feels like a surprisingly short time.

That's because striped bass season opens March 1 in the bays and rivers.

We’re almost there!

<b>Staten Island</b>

Here’s good news: <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b> is beginning to plan for the upcoming season. Trips will launch April 1, starting with daily, open-boat fishing for winter flounder, Capt. Anthony said in an e-mail. The trips do fill up, and half of April was already booked, and reservations are required, so claim the spots now. Charters can also be booked. Clams, mussels, sandworms and chum, including corn, will be supplied. Anthony expects a very good run of the flatties, because of the cold winter, and also because the fish will be pressured less than ever before. He didn’t say why they’ll be less pressured, but the tight New Jersey regs on the fishing this year is probably the reason. In May two trips daily will begin to fish for striped bass on Raritan Bay and off Breezy Point, and full-day trips will also be available. The trips do a combo of live-bait, bunker-chunk and clam fishing for the linesiders. By the third week of May charters and split charters will begin to sail for monster striped bass in the ocean with live bait on open bottom and chunks at structure. Many of the bass to 30 pounds were whacked in past seasons, and a few 40-pounders were shellacked. The trips fish on a 26-foot Regulator center console with twin 250-horsepower engines, cruising 32 knots, allowing more fishing time and less running, sailing as far south as Shark River. Book early, because customers had to be turned away last year. Fluke fishing will take off next on the boat, not only during the open season, but also during the closed season, because Barbara Anne this year obtained a Research Set Aside Permit that allows the fluking then! While other boats will have to stop fluke fishing, Barbara Anne will keep after them. Also, Anthony this season is adding Special Monster Fluke-a-Thon Trips, open-boat outings, once a week starting in June, targeting the rocky bottom and wrecks, where the big doormats live, for approximately 11 hours. The fish to 12 pounds were drilled in the past, and so were multiple 6- to 8-pounders. Bucktails and bait will be fished, and the first bucktail is supplied, and so is all the bait. The anglers will provide the rest of the bucktails, and 4-to 6-ouncers will do the job, and 6-inch Gulp grubs in chartreuse and white should be used as teasers.

<b>Belmar</b>

None of the daily blackfish trips could really sail on the <b>Big Mohawk</b> because of the weather, Capt. Chris said. The fishing was winding down, but he’ll take a look at the weather and the angling and see how long the trips will continue. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

The snowstorms forced the <b>Big Kid</b> to stay in port, but the weather might allow charters to fish again through the weekend, Capt. Ken said. He was just waiting to get rolling again when the weather cleared. The last charter piled up a load of ling and some cod, a great day of fishing, and those fish are on tap. The boat is one of Jersey’s few charters sailing the whole winter long, and here’s the chance bend a rod. Call to get on the waters.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

The party boat <b>Dauntless</b> bottom fished Tuesday, between the blizzards, and last week, Capt. Butch said. Tuesday’s trip put patrons on mostly ling, some quality cod and a good-sized pollock. That was about how the fishing was going these days: serving up mostly ling with a few cod and pollock mixed in. The anglers on the trip probably averaged 8 to 15 fish apiece. The boat fished in 150 to 200 feet, on the deep end of where it’s usually been fishing, because catches were made in the deep on the vessel previously. Waters were 39 or 40 degrees, the same temp as lately, but waters will probably somewhat cool after this last blizzard. Only a few mackerel were boated on Tuesday, and a couple of anglers aboard who concentrated on jigging for macks might’ve landed 12 or 15 apiece last week. Mackerel seemed scattered now, but when more are around, the boat usually goes after them in the mornings or toward the end of trips, bottom fishing the rest of the time. Few boats sailed in the past week because of the blizzards Saturday and Wednesday, but the Dauntless sometimes got out. “This is an old-fashioned winter,” Butch said. He traveled to the dock to check on the boat Wednesday evening in the blizzard, and he couldn’t see the ocean in the white out, but he could hear the ocean pounding. The Dauntless fishes all winter, is one of New Jersey’s few head boats, if not the only one, that do this type of bottom angling through the season. Trips run 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Hardcore anglers probably fished for white perch on the Mullica River between the blizzards, but no word was heard from any who did, said Maureen from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The shop is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in winter, so that limited opportunities for news, too. But perch anglers seemed to score plenty previously, according to the shop’s past reports, and the perching is usually a good bet in winter. One kayaker landed 75 in a few hours, the last report said. The shop’s Web site said a low supply of live grass shrimp, but a supply, is on hand. The shrimp are the favorite bait for perch. A low supply of minnows is also on hand, and salted clams are stocked, the site said.

<b>Longport</b>

Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> was waiting for the snow to stop for the boat to get off the dock, he said. The blizzards kept trips from sailing through the past week, but open-boat trips for cod and pollock are slated for Sunday and for Presidents’ Day on Monday. They’ll fish the 40- to 60-mile wrecks, and call to claim a spot. At Longport this week’s blizzard dumped 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground Wednesday night, turned to rain and sleet after morning, then turned back to heavy snow in the afternoon. Looking ahead, anglers, up to 15 per trip, should book spring charters now for sea bass to hold the dates. 

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> through the weekend ran some of the annual trips to the Florida Keys that he’s fishing on during winter, he said. Jay VonCzoernig and Dustin Laricks joined him, fishing the back country toward Flamingo on Saturday. Strong winds blew, but they tackled several redfish and dozens of ladyfish and jacks nonetheless, fishing with 3-inch New Penny Gulp Shrimp. On Sunday they fished the reef on the ocean side in even windier conditions, putting the brakes on mangrove snappers and hogfish on shrimp on jigs. A 6- or 7-foot blacktip shark grabbed one of the fish and was hooked, and some king mackerel bit off the monofilament lines when the anglers trolled. More of the Keys trips will fish through Monday during this holiday weekend, and more are tentatively slated for the following weekend. Joe is offering the charters to the Keys through the beginning of April. Weekend packages are available that arrive Friday evenings, fish all day Saturdays and part of Sundays, and return Sunday evenings. Joe can set up accommodations for anglers, or anglers can arrange their own accommodations. See 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 recent Florida trips.

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