NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Blackfish to 9 pounds, very good catches, and some ling were slung aboard, said Capt. Tom Weiss from the party boat Captain Al. A few cod 10 to 14 pounds were iced on most trips, good to see, because daily trips will target cod and ling starting Saturday. Last year’s cod fishing was good aboard in winter. If the cod are in, trips concentrate on them. If not, trips fish for a mix of cod and ling at the wrecks. Daily trips are currently focusing on blackfish through Friday, the final day of New York’s blackfish season. Trips fished in 17 fathoms, and waters were 48 degrees. The Captain Al is this site's closest Long Island cod boat to New Jersey. Trips run 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

The weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon steamed Saturday with Rudee Inlet Charters, Capt. Skip Feller said. Blueline tilefish to 15 pounds were piled up, a good catch. The whole day was foggy, but seas and winds were calm. The trip fished shallow in 300 feet, if that can be called shallow. Sometimes the trips will fish deeper, and then catches including black belly rosefish, barrelfish and wreckfish can be pumped in. On Saturday’s trip, lots of large bluefish to an 18-pounder had appeared at the canyon and were landed. A few out-of-season sea bass were let go. Long-range weather forecasts look good for this coming Saturday’s trip. The unique, deep-drop trips are running to Norfolk Canyon, 4 to 4 ½ hours from port, 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday. In other news, anglers from the marina began to dock striped bass from Chesapeake Bay. They had to motor a distance up the bay, but the catches were made somewhat earlier than usual. Virginia’s ocean striped bass season will be opened on January 1. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Manteo

Canyon Runner Sport Fishing began fishing for bluefin tuna from Manteo for the first time in 2010, running into “flat out the best tuna fishing we ever did,” an e-mail from Canyon Runner said. The fishing aboard, lasting four weeks that winter, was even better in 2011 and 2012. An average of 10 to 15 bluefins per trip were caught. The fish mostly weighed 100 to 300 pounds, and what’s more, most were jigged or popper-plugged. Dozens of the bluefins were larger, up to 600 pounds, throughout those years. The angling turns on between mid February and mid April, and Canyon Runner will return again this coming season. Charters and open-boat trips will sail, and half the dates are already full. Call: 732-272-4445. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Sailfish were reeled in with Captain Easy Charters, Capt. Bruce Andersen said. The fishing was starting for the season, and peaks in the next months, and was already fairly good. Most sails aboard were slow-trolled on live ballyhoos along the offshore edge of the reef, 3 to 5 miles from shore. But on one trip, about a dozen sails fed on a big ball of sardines, and some of the sails were caught on pitched baits. King mackerel began to appear in the same waters, and fishing for them will also peak this season. Blackfin tuna and mahi mahi were also in the mix in the same area on trips. No trips aboard bottom-fished in past days. But mutton snappers, black groupers and gag groupers could be bottom-angled on the reef. Grouper season is open through December 31. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

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