NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Fishing during the weekend was “picky,” Capt. Tom Weiss from the party boat Captain Al said.  A handful of cod and ling were swung in, but the ocean was cold, and so was weather. The ocean was 38.5 degrees, and runoff from snow in upstate New York affected the temp, apparently. That was bound to happen, Tom said. Trips fished as deep as 180 feet, and pool-winning cod weighed 10 pounds. The fish that were caught spit up herring, and readings looked like herring. But when anglers tried to jig the baitfish, none was hooked. The Captain Al is this site's closest cod boat to New Jersey. When cod are in, trips target them. Otherwise trips fish wrecks for a mix of cod, ling or other bottom fish. The schedule was changed, and the boat will now fish 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

The weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon steamed Saturday with Rudee Inlet Charters, but fishing was difficult, Capt. Skip Feller said. Dog sharks were abundant. Blueline tilefish, wreckfish, barrelfish, black belly rosefish and bluefish were decked. But the dogs usually grabbed bait before the other fish could, no matter where the trip fished. After fishing shallower, the trip pushed deep to 600 feet, but the dogfish remained. Water temps varied greatly, ranging from 45 degrees in the shallows to 61 in the deep. Seas were choppy, and winds blew 15 or 18 knots all day, though the conditions were supposed to improve. “Kind of just one of those days,” Skip said. On previous trips, covered in past reports, fishing was usually great, for a mix of deep-water fish like those on this trip, and dogs weren’t a bother. 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. Sometimes when weather is predicted for a Saturday, anglers will be offered to sail on that Sunday or Monday, if weather looks better. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

Fishing for striped bass was slow this winter for boaters from Virginia Beach Fishing Center, and that was unusual, a report on the marina’s Web site said. Many thought stripers failed to winter off the coast this year. Actually, stripers schooled the ocean off Virginia this season, but beyond 3 miles from shore, where fishing for them is closed. Boaters who didn’t fish for them saw them. Gannets this past week worked the ocean a few hundred yards from shore, and some of the charter boats scouted the area, but only bait, no stripers, swam the waters. One of the best things about the marina’s captains is that they don’t give up, the report said. They searched for stripers the whole season. Large, mature stripers winter off Virginia each year. The fish are the entire migration from the Northeast Coast. In past years, fishing for them was world-class during the cold months off Virginia.  Deep-drop fishing offshore was great this season for tilefish, sea bass that became out-of-season on Friday, black belly rosefish, wreckfish, barrelfish and groupers. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Manteo

Bluefin tuna were fought Sunday on all four boats fishing for them this season with Canyon Runner Sport Fishing, a report on Canyon Runner’s Web site said. Three bluefins 70 to 72 inches were bagged on three, and an 85-incher was bagged on the other. Plus, more bluefins were released or lost. On one of the boats, six were fought, and two of them were landed. One was kept, and the other was let go. The vessels fished south of Oregon Inlet and were spread out, “so there is finally a nice body of fish there,” the report said. The season was early for the bluefin fishing that can last from mid-February to April, so the crew hopes the angling only gets better. Trips this week were expected to fish through today, before the mid-week storm rolled through, and resume afterward. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing. Call: 732-272-4445. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Spring was “right around the corner,” a report said on the Web site from
The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina, and several boats from the docks fished offshore. Blackfin tuna swam abundant, and one of the boats caught yellowfin tuna. A few tilefish, false albacore and mahi mahi were landed, and so was a mako shark. Great time of year to go fishing, and it was good see the docks busy again, the report said. From the surf, not much was banked, and waters were in the mid 40s. Dog sharks and skates were all that was heard about. But puppy drum fishing is coming this spring from the beach. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Mutton snappers, including sizeable to 20 pounds, were cranked in with Captain Easy Charters. “Like, a lot,” Capt. Bruce Andersen said. Live bait like ballyhoos and pilchards were dropped to wrecks in 200 to 250 feet to catch them. Quite a few blackfin tuna were bombed along the surface in the same area aboard. Sometimes sailfish popped up while charters fished the wrecks for muttons. Live bait was pitched to catch and release them. Sailfish were also slow-trolled and released on live ballyhoos closer to land, along the offshore edge of the reef, the usual place to find them. Plenty of sailfish remained, and fishing for them peaks in winter, though sails are landed year-round in these waters. Mahi mahi, including a good catch aboard Monday, were in the mix. Fishing was very good, even if weather might’ve been colder and rougher in past days. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

A couple of cold fronts moved through in past days, so yellowtail snapper
fishing slowed that was good before aboard, Capt. Ben Loy from the party boat Miss Islamorada said. Monday morning was 45 degrees, and the day warmed to 68 in the afternoon, chilly for Florida. Still, fishing was good, and Monday’s trip first fished a patch reef, and a couple of dozen mangrove snappers were tugged in. Anglers free-lined chunks of bait into a chum slick to catch them. Then the trip moved to a small wreck in 120 feet. The anglers were given a weight to sink bait to the bottom, and they pumped in porgies and more mangroves. Everyone left with a bag of fillets. Visit Web Site.

Winds blew, and weather was cold, when some of the traveling charters to the Florida Keys started fishing on Saturday with Jersey Cape Guide Service from Sea Isle City, N.J., Capt. Joe Hughes said. But the trip, with Brooke Berner and fiancé, pasted a bunch of large jack crevalles to 5 pounds, a couple of snook and a black drum, fishing near port in Islamorada. At the end of the day, eight or nine tarpon bit, and three or four were jumped, but they got off, either breaking line or spitting the hook. At first, the tarpon bit the same jigheads with live and Gulp shrimp that were fished on light tackle for the smaller fish. The tarpon broke off, so heavier tackle was fished next, but the tarpon still got off. But while the silver kings bit, they chomped on every other cast a while, and that was neat. Tarpon fishing’s been good aboard, and landing the fish is never a sure thing. Anglers even count jumping them to track success. But Jersey Cape’s been landing good numbers this winter. The two anglers jumped back on deck Sunday in better weather, so they headed across the bay to the Everglades. They whaled more than 10 snook, large fish, including several topping 10 pounds. Then they rounded out the day fishing back near Islamorada, probably bailing 30 jacks, one after another. Traveling charters fish from Florida every winter through Easter, mostly on weekends. Anglers can arrive on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, and be back to work on Monday. Call: 609-827-3442. Visit Web Site.

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