VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Rockfishing was a little slow Monday but was generally on fire along the ocean, said Capt. Bob Robinson Fin Seeker Sport Fishing. Anglers beat the pants off the striped bass Sunday and got back on solid catches Tuesday, after the slow down. Folks aboard had a good time with the fish, all big ones, and lately wrestled them 20 miles to the south. But the location constantly changes through the season. Most trips troll umbrella rigs and Mojo’s, an oversized bucktail used to get the rig down. But anglers can also jig or plug for the linesiders if they want, when the schools run along the surface. The time for the fishing was now, and waters in winter around Virginia Beach attract the largest population of big stripers anywhere, basically the entire population of mature breeders that migrate from the Northeast to spend the cold months here. The fishing during some years can last into February and even March, and during other years ends sooner. But they were here now. Call: 757-618-7421. Visit Web Site.

Loads of rockfish to 40 pounds flooded the ocean, getting hammered on trips, said Capt. Steve Richardson from Backlash Sport Fishing. None of the striped bass was humongous, but Steve has said in the past that anglers can expect to catch 35-pounders on average days, and can luck into 45- and 50-pounders on many days. He’s had trips that limited out on 16 that were all 50-pounders, but that’s rare. Different waves of sizes randomly push through during the season. But the fishing was currently good, and the schools can swim the ocean right off Virginia Beach or 10 miles north or south or more, and anglers never know from day to day. Trips motor out of Rudee Inlet and search the radar for birds working bait on the waters. Cold weather that assaulted the whole eastern side of the nation made the fish a little sluggish in the mornings, but anglers caught. Steve hoped the fish will stick around, and next week was supposed to be warmer. Trips usually troll for the linesiders with a custom rig, but they can cast jigs or plugs if they prefer, when the schools swim the surface. Call: 757-286-0711. Visit Web Site.

Rough weather kept forcing the weekly Norfolk Canyon party boat trips to be nixed with Rudee Inlet Charters, including during this past weekend, Capt. Skip Fuller said. But the trips, running 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday, are heading out every time possible. Blueline tilefish, a few golden tiles, snowy groupers and blackbelly rosefish are caught. Limited to 40 passengers, the trips take 4 hours to reach the canyon, if running in a straight line. The fare is only $170, a great price for offshore angling. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Fish were out there, but getting a day of calm weather for boats to sail was rare, said Virginia Lawhorne from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Boats last sailed Friday, and the anglers limited out on striped bass on the ocean at Corolla, North Carolina, 40 miles to the north. The weather was cold, and ice covered the creek at Virginia’s home today, and anglers hoped the chill pushed the stripers closer to Oregon Inlet. But they got no chance to see whether the fish did move closer, because of the weather. Offshore boats last sailed Wednesday, and the crews limited out on yellowfin tuna. Yellowfin fishing’s been good off Oregon Inlet, if, again, boats could only get out. Visit Web Site.

Morehead City

Over Under Adventures kept hard at it while fishing for giant bluefin tuna, and the crew stayed at Morehead City even through the holidays, a report on Over Under’s Web site said. Nothing was mentioned about the weather, but a tough winter for weather kept trips to a minimum up and down the Eastern Seaboard, and no report about giant fishing rolled in from Over Under in a while. But a trip steamed Saturday, belting a 74-inch 250-pound giant. The boat arrived before daybreak at a mile-long temperature break in 95-foot depths 24 miles west of the R-14 buoy. Mahi mahi started jumping around the vessel as it neared the 60- to 64-degree break, spanning a mile. Bait was marked at mid column, and began to ball up near the 64-degree side of the break. A few tuna were marked deep, and the boat trolled the area, kept circling. At 7 a.m. the giant clobbered a 3-ounce Joe Shute Redhead with a crystal skirt on a down rod. The other rods were cleared, and the bluefin was subdued 40 minutes later. Charters and open-boat trips are hunting giants through the month, and the open trips are especially economical. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

Atlantic Beach

Giant bluefin tuna fishing, although weathered out on most days, was pretty good, said Loretta Davis from Captain Stacy Fishing Center. Someone else from the shop explained that the weather prevented anglers from trying for the fish, but about seven giants were tackled in the past week. Two were taken on the Captain Stacy IV. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Miami

A cold front and northern winds like the one in the past days can trigger sailfish to pour south to local waters. They seemed to begin to move through, said Jackie Glinski from the Blue Waters II.  A big bite went down 2 to 3 miles off West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale on live bait, and boaters in a tournament beat them up. Good-sized king mackerel were waffled closer to Miami and Miami Beach a mile and a half from shore on live bait. Spanish mackerel got active close to the beaches in the 30- to 40-foot shallows, and sizeable amberjacks were muscled up from the wrecks. Two or three boats on last week’s full moon took advantage of the swordfishing that’s become the rage in the deep during the daytime instead of the usual nighttime. They scored the fish, and pricey electric reels are needed to crank them up. Call: 305-373-5016. Visit Web Site.

Boca Grande/Pine Island

Anglers aboard creamed a bunch of groupers, many of them gag groupers, almost every day on the Gulf of Mexico, said Capt. Larry Conley from Reel-Ality Sportfishing.  Probably 10 goliath groupers were lambasted through the week. Goliaths grow to maybe 600 pounds, and 80-pound line can’t even stop them. The biggest ones are almost impossible to land, unless anglers are lucky, because the fish dive into the reef and bottom structure like holes and ledges, breaking off the line. Smaller ones, under 100 pounds, can usually be landed. Much of the boat’s fishing for all species took place at the box car reef 20 miles from shore. Live pinfish were usually used for bait, but so were live shrimp. Larry saw anglers on another boat fishing with dead bait, and the anglers viewed the bottom with an underwater camera, saying they saw all kinds of fish. But the dead bait caught nothing, while the live bait bailed a mess of fish with Reel-Ality. A half-dozen sharks maybe 6 to 8 feet were also reeled in on dead mullet from the same waters. Amberjack season opened on January 1, and smaller a.j.’s swam the same area around the box cars. Bigger ones 20 and 30 pounds should move in to the area soon, and last year Larry’s anglers had a blast battling the tough fighters. Other snappers including muttons and lane snappers were angled from the reef 7 miles from shore. Speckled sea trout season recently opened, and charters on the vessel catch them mostly in 3 to 5 feet close to shore. Trips at this time of year usually don’t pursue redfish, because the reds swim the shallows like a foot deep, too shallow for Reel-Ality’s 28-foot boat. Reds swim deeper waters in the warmer season. Looking ahead, if anglers want giant tarpon, trips are being booked for spring. Boca Grande is the world capital for the huge, powerful silver kings. Reel-Ality can take up to four passengers, and many charters can only fit two. Big tarpon stack up at Boca Grande Pass in spring, and most anglers fish for them from late March to June. Plenty of space remains for the trips but will begin to be booked. Call: 239-471-0875 or 215-932-8411 (cell). Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

Smoker king mackerel to 40 pounds were pummeled, and lots of 10- to 15-pounders were waxed, and fishing was outstanding, said the report on Over Under Adventures’ Web site. Several sailfish were nailed and released. The weather turned unusually cold, and mornings were forecast to dip into the high 30s or low 40s. But sailfishing should come alive in those conditions, and mutton snappers should turn on in the chill, even if cold slows down reef fishing and makes bait tough to find. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

Four sailfish were beaten on a trip Wednesday, and fishing for the sails was mostly steady through the week, said Capt. Bruce Anderson Captain Easy Charters. Most of the fish got walloped on live ballyhoos 3 to 4 miles from shore, and a few blackfin tuna, not a lot, were mixed in with the sails. Red snapper fishing was also good, amazing really, at wrecks in 200 feet about 5 miles from shore. The fish, weighing up to 15 pounds, eagerly swallowed live bally’s, cigar minnows or sardines. The biggest in the Keys usually reach 20 pounds. Mutton snappers were mixed in with the reds, and king mackerel were abundant nearly anywhere. They were a by-catch on both the sailfish and red snapper grounds, and fishing for the kings was solid when anglers wanted to target only them. The cold snap that pounded the entire eastern U.S. dropped air temps to the 50s at Islamorada in the past days. But the fish kept biting. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Key West

The series of cold fronts helped bring on winter fishing full swing from the Lower Keys, said the report on Over Under Adventures’ Web site. The hope was that the northern winds set up a pattern that could make fishing excellent for a wide variety of species. Fishing for the pelagics sailfish, blackfin tuna, king mackerel and occasional wahoo should be great. Reef fishing should hold up for yellowtail snappers, mutton snappers and a host of other species, for angling that packs coolers. When sunny weather warms waters, flats anglers can expect bonefish and permit to sneak into the shallows and can also sight fish for sharks and barracudas. On the flats, bait fishers can toss crabs or shrimp on light tackle, or fly casters can work streamers imitating forage. One of the more interesting options from Key West this winter also includes deep-dropping for some of the largest swordfish of the year, when the bigger ones move into the Florida Straights in cooler waters. Ted Lund, former editor of Saltwater Sportsman, heads up Over Under’s operations from Key West this year for the first time. Lund, who’s fished from the Keys for 30 years, has also been managing editor of Sport Fishing, editor in chief of Fly Fishing in Saltwaters and a freelance outdoor writer and photographer for publications including Sports Illustrated, Yachting and the Miami Herald.  Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

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