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New Jersey Inshore Saltwater Fishing Report 2-11-13


<b>Belmar</b>

The party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> will resume blackfishing on Tuesday, a post on the vessel’s Facebook page said. That will give the ocean time to settle, it said. This was after Friday to Saturday’s blizzard, and the last trip ran Thursday. Blackfishing was good, and plenty of customers limited out. A sprinkling of ling and cod were also caught. “Come on down, take a break from the February blues, and enjoy a day of fishing,” the post said. Trips are blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 2/14:***</b> Trips were still catching blackfish, Capt. Chris said. The fishing aboard Wednesday was more difficult, until blackfish began to bite toward the end of the outing. But catches on trips included good-sized blackfish at times, and a few cod and ling. The boat will keep running for blackfish, and green crabs are supplied for bait, and white leggers are available for sale.

Come see <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> at <a href=" http://sportshows.com/philly/" target="_blank">The Greater Philadelphia Outdoor Sportshow</a> from Thursday through Sunday, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. Meet the crew from Parker Pete’s at their booth 208 at the show, in Oaks, Pa. Grab a coupon for $75 off a six-person charter, limited to one per customer, from the show’s Web site. If you can’t get the coupon from the site, e-mail your name to Pete at captpete@parkerpetes.com, and the coupon will be waiting for you at the show. The Parker Pete’s crew at the show will demo all their fishing rigs and show some of their fishing gear. “We hope to see you there,” Pete said.

<b>Brielle</b>

Nothing was heard about fishing since mid-week, because of weather, but sea bass fishing was good offshore then, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The catch was reportedly incredible on a Point Pleasant Beach party boat trip Tuesday to Wednesday. Supposedly, many of the sea bass were large, and porgies and a few pollock were also boated on the trip. Blackfish were decked from the ocean. A trip on the party boat Jamaica II from Brielle reportedly ran into blackfish catches non-stop for 3 hours at a wreck in 180 feet, and wasn’t even targeting them. The party boat Big Mohawk from Belmar reportedly landed good blackfish catches. Fishing for ling on the ocean sounded fair. Nothing was reported about striped bass, and if any were around, snow runoff that will cool the ocean will probably end that bite. The Reel Seat is open Fridays through Sundays. Catch the 50-percent sale on Shimano inshore jigs. Stop by to check out Century surf rods that were just stocked.

Weather was “still a bit windy,” an e-mail from the party boat <b>Big Jamaica</b> said, when Sunday’s trip, departing on Saturday night, got underway. During the storm Friday to Saturday, 18-foot seas were recorded at the buoy 20 miles south of Fire Island. Seas were surely larger offshore. But when the trip steamed, after the storm, seas were following, so the ride wasn’t bad at all. The crew expected that currents might be stronger on the fishing grounds, and that could somewhat slow fishing. But so many sea bass and porgies swam the waters, and the ocean was relatively warm on the fishing grounds, that a good catch was expected “by the end of the day,” the e-mail said. At the first wreck fished, currents ran strong, and readings looked good, but only a few eels and one sea bass were caught. Usually a trip would give the fishing a little time, and shift around the wreck. But not wanting to waste time, the captain moved to another wreck, though fishing probably would’ve picked up at the first, the captain believed. At the second wreck, currents remained strong, but fishing was pretty good. Experienced anglers caught better than inexperienced did. Some anglers were coming close to limiting out, but many were not. Time was getting late, so the trip was moved to another wreck, and the captain figured the trip would stay late if fishing was good. Currents were still strong, but fishing was good all around the boat. Many double-headers of sea bass, even a few triple-headers, were crushed, and some jumbo porgies came in steadily. Eight or ten weakfish and a few bluefish were nabbed. Most anglers ended up limiting out on sea bass and copping 15 porgies apiece. Pool-winners were Melbourne Hutchinson, Trenton, with an 8-pound pollock, and Marc Gussen, Closter, N.J., with a 6.4-pound sea bass, among his limit of sea bass, and 10 porgies. Anglers who limited out also included: Kevin Cole, with a limit of sea bass and 15 porgies; Monsky Momongan, with a limit of sea bass; Ron Hirsh, with a limit of sea bass, five porgies and six ling; Hubert Gadsden, with a limit of sea bass; and Ray R., with a limit of sea bass and a number of porgies. Weather looks good for Wednesday’s trip, and space is available. The Big Jamaica is fishing offshore for giant sea bass, jumbo porgies, cod and pollock every Wednesday and every Friday through Sunday, departing at 11 o’clock the night before. One of the trips will also fish this coming Monday, Presidents’ Day, departing at 11 o’clock the night before. <b>***Update, Thursday, 2/14:***</b> All anglers limited out on sea bass and bagged a good number of porgies on Wednesday’s trip, an e-mail from the boat said. “Giant sea bass and jumbo porgies are still biting!” it said. A few white hake and ling were also waxed. Pool-winners were: Morris Duckett, Allentown, Pa., with a 12-pound white hake, a limit of sea bass and several porgies; and Gim Yee, Flushing, N.Y., with an 8-pound white hake, a limit of sea bass and 16 porgies. Lots of warm water kept pushing in from the Gulf Stream, so sea bass should have no reason to migrate farther offshore until March or April. The outlook was good for the rest of sea bass season that will be closed on March 1. The crew expects good catches until then.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Fishing was weathered out during the weekend on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The crew was going to “wait for the ocean to settle down, and shoot for next weekend,” it said. The Norma-K III is fishing for blackfish and ling 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and for ling and cod 3 to 9 p.m. Saturdays.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/14:***</b> A fairly good catch of ling was looted Wednesday on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Ling usually made up most of the catch on trips, and a few cod and blackfish often turned up. Most anglers probably totaled 10 to 20 fish apiece, and some might’ve caught somewhat more. The boat fished shallow in 130 to 150 feet, and trips tried fishing deeper a couple of times. But dog sharks and eels swam abundant deeper, and ling seemed to stay shallower, avoiding them. Waters were 38 to 42 degrees, depending on the day. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

At <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>, steady progress was being made on repairs, a report on the shop’s Web site said. The store has been closed since flooding from Hurricane Sandy. But striped bass season will be opened on March 1 in rivers and bays, and the shop will offer the annual reward of a $100 gift certificate for the first striper weighed in from nearby Graveling Point. The shore angling spot, at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River, is always one of the first places to give up stripers each year. The warmth of the river and the shallow flats at Graveling attract the fish. Whether the store will be ready to be opened on March 1, a Friday, wasn’t certain, but Monday, March 18, is a back-up date. “I just cannot add any more pressure to my plate,” Scott from the shop said in the report. So he was leaving the date flexible.

<b>Wildwood Crest</b>

“Good trip, but rough,” said a report about a combo tilefish and sea bass trip offshore Wednesday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> on the vessel’s Web site. Damond Dukes, Philadelphia, won the pool with a 20-pound tilefish, cracked a few other tiles and limited out on sea bass to 5 pounds. John Lisa, Cherry Hill, iced nine tilefish to 15 pounds and a limit of sea bass to 5 pounds. Jerry Stettler, Philadelphia, beat eight tiles and a limit of sea bass to 5 pounds. Fishing was also good on one of the trips Thursday, and weather was good. David Roundle, Stroudsburg, Pa., whacked 12 tiles to 15 pounds and six sea bass to 7 pounds. John Paulick limited out on sea bass to 5 pounds and drilled seven tiles to 12 pounds. Tom and Tean Covington, Pittsburgh, combined for 20 tiles to 15 pounds, and both limited out on sea bass. The Atlantic Star is sailing offshore for giant sea bass on 18-hour trips every Saturday and Sunday and for a combo of sea bass and tilefish on 19- or 20-hour trips every Wednesday. A combo sea bass and tilefish trip is also set for Presidents’ Day this coming Monday.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/14:***</b> Blackfishing sailed Sunday, after Saturday’s snowstorm, on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. Catches were slow, not good, but fishing conditions were difficult. Seas weren’t bad, but the trip had to be sailed a ways to find clean water, because of the storm, and currents screamed. Most anglers used 12 to 16 ounces of weight on braided line to reach bottom. Only a handful of keepers and maybe 20 throwbacks were managed. But a few sizeable keepers were clocked. Frank Trifiletti, Margate, won the pool with a 9-pound blackfish. Maybe the ocean will settle, and the tautog will snap again. The fishing was good previously, and diehard anglers still telephoned this winter, wanting to jump aboard. If anglers want to head out, give a call. Trips will sail for blackfish at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, if weather allows. Call to confirm. Forecasts on Wednesday looked like Saturday would be the better day for weather, but that could change.

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