NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Only one trip, on Sunday, sailed aboard since the last report, in the past week’s cold, Capt. Tom Weiss from the party boat Captain Al said. But fishing for cod was good on the trip. A few ling were sacked, and plenty of blackfish, out of season in New York, were caught and released. Cod fishing was best in 70 feet, about 45 minutes to an hour from port. The deeper the waters fished, the fewer cod were caught. The cod weighed up to 13 or 14 pounds, and were mostly 4 to 8 pounds. All were taken on clam, and anglers tried jigging, but jigs landed no cod. Bait was marked that looked like herring and mackerel, but no herring or mackerel were hooked. The rest of this week is supposed to be warmer, and trips should sail in the next days. The Captain Al is this site's closest boat to New Jersey sailing for cod daily. Trips run 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Weather blew a gale, and the weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon was kept docked Saturday with Rudee Inlet Charters, Capt. Skip Feller said. Snow even fell on Friday.  But long-range forecasts look like this Saturday’s trip will steam. The most recent trips, covered in previous reports, piled up lots of large sea bass, plenty of blueline tilefish and some snowy groupers, black belly rosefish, wreckfish and barrelfish. The sea bass and bluelines are cranked from shallower depths, and the other fish are pumped from deeper. Whether trips spend time deeper depends on seas and whether anglers are busy cleaning up on catches from shallower or are ready to move on. 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. Anglers could combine a trip this weekend with a visit to the <a href="http://midatlanticsaltwaterfishing.com/" target="_blank">Mid Atlantic Saltwater Fishing Expo</a> from Friday to Sunday in Hampton, Virginia. Rudee Inlet Charters will have a booth there, and celebrity appearances will include seminars by Mark Davis from Penn’s Saltwater Fishing Adventures television show. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

Was a rough week of weather, a report said on Virginia Beach Fishing Center’s Web site. Icicles hung from boats, and snow covered docks. A few boaters attempted to sail Sunday, baring weather as long as they could. But they caught nothing. “Don’t be discouraged by the recent rockfish dry spell,” the report said. The fishing could turn on at any moment. On Monday, instead of fishing for the striped bass, boaters motored offshore, deep-dropping for good catches of sea bass and blueline tilefish.  Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Manteo

Ninety trips were already booked to fish for bluefin tuna soon on the two boats from Canyon Runner Sport Fishing, an e-mail from Canyon Runner said. So one more boat is being added to run a few trips, and so are a couple of other boats that will host the trips part-time. A few spaces remain for charters and open-boat trips, so book them now. The fishing, sailing from Oregon Inlet from mid February to mid April, has averaged 10 to 15 bluefins landed per trip in recent years. The tuna averaged 100 to 300 pounds, and dozens were nailed that weighed 350 to 600 pounds, in the past three years. What’s more, the fish were caught only 20 to 30 miles from shore. Call: 732-272-4445. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

One boat from the docks was sailed north, where sea bass season was open, and the anglers went to town on sea bass and blueline tilefish offshore,  a report said on the Web site from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. In the surf, northern kingfish and sea mullet were nabbed, and a few puppy drum and speckled sea trout were beached. Weather wasn’t great, but this week was supposed to reach near 70 degrees. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Fishing was good, mostly for a mix of fish, with Captain Easy Charters, Capt. Bruce Andersen said. One trip, for example, landed four sailfish, a 40-pound wahoo, a few king mackerel and a half-dozen mangrove snappers. That was the best catch in past days, and fishing was similar on other trips. The sails are usually slow-trolled on live ballyhoos just offshore of the reef, 3 to 5 miles from port, in 100 to 200 feet. Sometimes live baits can be pitched to sails seen showering bait. The kings and wahoos are usually trolled on live baits in the same area, with some differences in technique, such as larger baits like speedos for wahoos. For the mutton snappers, live baits like pilchards or ballys were dropped to bottom at wrecks in 200 to 250 feet. Looking ahead, the next couple of months are good for fishing, usually for a mix of catches like this. During some years, sailfishing remains good through February and March, and during others, it begins to taper off around now. But sails are caught year-round. Catches of kings and wahoos can pick up, and so can fishing for amberjacks. An amazing number of blackfin tuna showed up last year around this time. Bottom fishing for snappers can start to be done more often. Weather was mostly good, with occasional rough days. This winter’s been warm and mild. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

With two anglers, some of the traveling trips to the Florida Keys fished this weekend with Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service from Sea Isle City, New Jersey. The annual trips are offered each winter, usually on weekends, and the anglers fished close to port Saturday, the day they arrived. They reeled in a bunch of jacks to 10 pounds and some mangrove and mutton snappers. On Sunday they fished the Everglades, whaling large snook, some bigger than 10 pounds, one of them 15 pounds. They axed speckled sea trout, redfish, jacks and ladyfish. The trips fished with live shrimp on jigheads and Gulp shrimp on jigheads. The anglers had no opportunity to fish for tarpon, because of travel plans, but the trips this season have scored good fishing for tarpon. Weather was pleasant Saturday and Sunday morning. Winds blew strongly Sunday afternoon, but one of the great things about the trips is that no matter the weather, lots of fish can be caught. This winter’s been warm at the Keys, helping fishing. Anglers can arrive on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, and be back to work Monday. Call: 609-827-3442. Visit Web Site.

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