NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Fishing for cod began slowly last week on the party boat Captain Al, but picked up on Thursday and Friday, Capt. Tom Weiss said. On Friday’s trip, a good catch of cod was cracked at 50- to 60-foot depths or inshore. Gale winds blew through the weekend, and no trips sailed Saturday and Sunday. The boat was back out Monday, and cod fishing was no good inshore. So the trip was moved farther off to 90-foot depths, and an okay catch of cod was clubbed. A good mix of cod and ling came in. When the trip fished inshore, waters held life, including blackfish, out-of-season in New York, that were released. But cod had apparently moved. Lots of bait was read on Monday’s trip that looked like herring. No mackerel were hooked aboard in the past week, though a few began to be landed on the boat two weeks ago. A local boat sailing for mackerel found none. The Captain Al is this site's closest cod boat to New Jersey, and the fishing often peaks in January. When cod are in, trips go after them. Otherwise trips wreck-fish for a mix of cod, ling and whatever bites. Trips run 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

On the weekly, deep-drop, party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon, fishing was good on Saturday with Rudee Inlet Charters, Capt. Skip Feller said. Catches of sea bass, including large ones to 5 ¾ pounds, were very good. Blueline tilefish to 12 or 13 pounds were cranked in, and four snowy groupers were heaved aboard. Bluefish were also beaten. The trip steamed to depths as much as 500 feet, fishing shallow at first. Then the outing was moved deeper a moment, where the groupers bit. The trip didn’t fish “deep-deep,” Skip said, so no black belly rosefish and wreckfish were caught. But sometimes trips push out that far. The unique trips, running 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday, sail to Norfolk Canyon, 4 to 4 ½ hours from port, each winter. Catches can include sea bass, blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, black belly rosefish, wreckfish, barrelfish, groupers and more. Sometimes when weather is predicted for a Saturday, anglers will be offered to sail on that Sunday or Monday, if weather looks better then. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

At Virginia Beach Fishing Center, striped bass fishing was slow on the ocean Thursday, a report on the marina’s Web site said. But a 190-pound bluefin tuna was docked. On Friday, boats were motored to the ocean for stripers and bluefins, but were turned back to port, because of rough, cold weather.  On the next day, Saturday, weather was gorgeous to be on the water. But fishing was slow. Sometimes harsh winds will push striped bass beyond 3 miles from shore, the report said. Fishing for them is closed there. Then anglers will wait for favorable winds, the report said. Tuna bites were heard about that day, but none of the fish was boated. Fishing began slowly on Sunday, and boats kept returning to port with no catches. But toward the end of the day, “we were relieved to find out that some boats experienced ‘fish on’!” the report said. One of the charter boats, Waterman, returned with sea bass, and a private boat brought in a citation striped bass, the report said. But the report listed three citation stripers that day: a 57-pounder from a private boat, and a 49-1/2-incher and a 45-1/2-incher from a charter. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Hatteras

Several trips pasted yellowfin tuna, and fishing for them heated up, a report said on the Web site from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. One of the trips, overnighting on the ocean, limited out on yellowfins. The catch also included a few blackfin tuna bagged, “another big shark,” the report said, that was released, a few tilefish and a red scorpion fish. That trip surprisingly hooked a pilot whale that dumped an 80 reel several times, before the fish could be landed and released. In Pamlico Sound, puppy drum were boated when winds were calm, because water temps remained good for the fishing. But this week’s weather, the coldest yet this season, forecast to dip to 36 degrees, could change that. Winds slowed surf fishing somewhat, but puppy drum and a few black drum were beached. A few speckled sea trout were dragged to shore early last week, before the winds. Anglers wondered whether the cold would begin to push striped bass this far south. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Was a great week of fishing with Captain Easy Charters, Capt. Bruce Andersen said. Sailfish were landed on charters, but cobia and wahoos became a focus, because lots of the fish swam around. To catch the cobias, weighing up to 45 pounds, trips looked for stingrays that cobias followed, in 20-foot depths inshore of the edge of the reef. Cobias forage on food that rays, with big wings, stir up. Anglers pitched live grunts toward the rays to fight the cobia on light tackle. Lot of fun, Bruce said. The wahoos were sometimes high-speed trolled and other times were taken on slow-trolled, live speedos, farther from shore, in 100 to 250 feet. That’s 5 miles out. Weather was good, and winter’s been mild. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Some of winter’s annual traveling trips to the Florida Keys fished aboard this weekend, with Mike Spaeder and son Mike, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service from Sea Isle City, N.J. Sunday’s trip began fishing near Cape Sable in the Everglades, looting redfish to 8 pounds, snook to 8 pounds, speckled sea trout, jacks, ladyfish, mangrove snappers and “a bunch of stuff,” Joe said. Toward nighttime, tarpon were targeted, and one was missed, and a 150-pound lemon shark was released. Saturday’s trip also began fishing near Cape Sable, tackling reds, snook, specks, jacks, sheepshead, bonnethead sharks, a remora eel, pufferfish and bluefish. Toward the end of the day, tarpon were hunted, and two were released: a 70-pounder and a 40- to 50-pounder. Tarpon fishing’s been averaging one, if not more, landed per night. When the anglers first arrived, they also played with tons of jacks, ladyfish and mangrove snappers on a short trip close to port. The Florida trips fish each year from Christmas to Easter, usually on weekends. Anglers can arrive on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, and be back to work Monday. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation. Visit Web Site. Call: 609-827-3442.

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