<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/14:***</b> “Dead in the water,” Joe Julian Sr. from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b> said. The gale kept anglers from fishing in past days, but the wind began to calm now. Blackfishing wasn’t bad, when boats last sailed for the tautog. Green crabs are on hand, and white leggers will be stocked Friday, for bait for them. Bait carried also includes sandworms, bloodworms and nearly everything. Tons of tommy cod swam along Bayonne Bridge.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> last fished on Thursday, for blackfish, pasting excellent angling, Capt. Pete said. The biggest of the tautog weighed just under 9 pounds, and many weighed 3, 5, 6 and 7 pounds, he said. The fish were sizable, and gave up a steady pick, on and off. The trip fished in 50 and 60 feet of water, and the ocean was 49 to 50 degrees. A few cod are also biting. Weather kept the boat from fishing since. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s anyway, about individual spaces available on charters. Visit <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to subscribe to the email blast to be kept informed about the spaces. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page, where it says Join Our Newsletter.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/14:***</b> The party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> last blackfished a couple of days ago, Capt. Chris said Wednesday in a phone call, and the angling was good. No trips fished aboard since, because of weather, but weather looked good for the fishing to resume beginning today. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Green crabs are provided and white leggers are available for sale on the boat. The bait might’ve been scarce at some places after the weather, but the Big Mo’s got the crabs. <b>***Update, Saturday, 1/16:***</b> Some good-sized blackfish, including a few 10-pounders and a pool-winning 11-pounder, were clubbed aboard Friday, the boat’s Facebook page said. White crabs caught the tog best, and a few cod were mixed in. Thursday’s blackfishing was just a pick on the boat, “a bit slow, the fish were a bit sluggish to the bait,” it said. But some of the fish weighed 10 pounds.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/14:***</b> The <b>Katie H</b> is probably finished chartering for the season, Capt. Mike said. But if fishable weather happens, he might sail offshore for cod or something. He was pretty happy with the past fishing season. Charters usually resume with striped bass fishing, and the trips usually begin searching for the bass in May. But stripers can arrive at a different time every year, and if water stays warm like now, maybe the fish will show up early. Trips usually begin fishing for sea bass next, and big-game charters aboard begin with shark fishing afterward, usually in June. Tuna trips begin soon afterward, and the Katie H fishes inshore, but is also a big-game, offshore specialist.

The following report was posted Saturday as an update and is being re-posted today, Monday, in case anybody missed it:  Strong wind and cold, wet weather slowed angler participation, and not much was available to report, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Party boats stayed docked Saturday, and probably would for several days afterward. When they sailed for blackfish, the angling was good. Boats that fished for striped bass about hung that up for the season. Shore anglers “found action changing to less glamorous species,” he said. They jigged sea herring, large numbers, on Shark River on Sabiki rigs, and the river was loaded with the herring. “The sundials are also another fish being targeted,” he said. The surf still held stripers, but not large numbers like a week or two ago. Don’t give up on them yet. “This has been a strange season – anything can happen,” he said.

<b>Brielle</b>

The ocean held a swell Saturday, “kinda rough,” Capt. Ryan from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> wrote in an email. But fishing aboard that day “(managed) to catch some nice codfish, big ling and some leftover porgies and sea bass,” he said. Most anglers left with a good catch of meat, considering the seas. Wes Shourt from Manahawkin won the pool with a 30-pound cod, one of three he bagged. Chester Reisner from Philly bagged three cod, six ling, six porgies and a few sea bass. The swell was a surprise, and offshore weather must’ve caused the heave. Twelve-hour trips are fishing for cod at 5 a.m. every Wednesday and Sunday. Fourteen-hour trips are sailing for cod at 3 .m. every Saturday. No reservations are required.

A few scattered striped bass, mostly throwbacks, not many, were trolled on the ocean early last week off Seaside Park and Island Beach State Park on umbrella rigs, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Surf anglers currently still picked stripers occasionally in the Deal and Asbury Park area, mostly in early mornings and late in the day. A couple of 30-inchers were known about. Blackfishing was good on the ocean, when conditions were. Then limits were boated with no problem, in 70- and 80-foot depths, and up to 12-pounders were reported caught this past week. Blackfish were hooked along Manasquan Inlet, though cold water would’ve usually chased them to the ocean by now. Hickory shad and herring swam the inlet. Mid-range wreck-fishing was productive, 30 or 40 miles from shore. Lots of big porgies, dinner-plate-sized, were pounded. A few cod were hung on the trips, not great fishing for cod.  The Reel Seat is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/14:***</b> Weather blew a gale the past three days, so no trips fished then on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Today’s trip was expected to sail, and a bunch of anglers telephoned to confirm the fishing would resume. When the trips last fished, during the weekend, the boat was kept in shallow water, close to shore. So blackfish were targeted. The shallows, in 60 to 90 feet, were fished, because weather was rough then, too, but not as rough as the gale that canceled the past several trips. The fishing then tugged in the fish, not good fishing. But some anglers limited out, and some caught more than a limit, keeping no more than their quotas. Some bagged two or three of the tautog, and so on. Sometimes herring were also swung in, and no ling and porgies were taken, because the deep wasn’t fished. The ocean during the angling was 48 to 50 degrees, and the Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

No trip fished Saturday on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the party boat’s website. The crew shaped up for the daily blackfishing trip, and anglers showed up, but the ocean looked rough, so the trip stayed docked. Trips were cancelled since, because of forecasts for a gale, and Matt hoped to resume fishing Tuesday. But Friday’s trip sailed, and blackfishing was slower, though a few anglers limited out. Keepers and shorts bit better at first, but the angling slowed to a pick and pluck afterward, at each spot. Dickie Sanborn from Point Pleasant won the pool with a 9-pound blackfish. Green crabs and white crabs caught on the trip, and both were usually carried aboard lately. Thursday’s trip’s blackfishing was good, covered in the previous report here. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Saturday, 1/16:***</b> Friday’s blackfishing was a little better than Thursday’s aboard, Matt wrote in a report on the boat’s website. “I really can’t say it was good,” he said, and the angling was slow, but the fish were picked at each place fished. Pool-winning blackfish were respectable-sized, though, weighing 9 pounds each day. High hooks limited out on four of the tautog, and some anglers bagged one to three, “and some with no luck at all,” he said. But the ocean is warm, so he hopes the angling improves. Those were the first trips to fish this week, and was good to get out, after the week of rough weather, he said.  For today, weather looked “up and down,” but the crew planned to shape up to sail.

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b> is fishing from the Florida Keys, docked at Islamorada, for winter, and a trip Friday tackled wahoos and mahi mahi, Capt. Mike said. The fish weighed up to 20 and 25 pounds, weren’t big, and were trolled 6 ½ to 7 miles from port, offshore of the reef. The offshore edge of the reef is 3 ½ miles from port. Stretch 25s and 30s were the plugs to fish, got the bites, in gold-and-black and silver-and-black. The water was 79 or 80 degrees, and weather was warm. Wind blew strongly Sunday and today. The Cat will be returned to Longport, home port, in spring. 

<b>Ocean City</b>

Striped bass had still schooled within 3 miles of shore last week, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Fishing for them is closed beyond 3 miles, and on Sunday, boaters reported the nearest stripers schooling 5 miles directly off Great Egg Harbor Inlet. Eric listened to them on the radio, and some said the stripers, bait and whales everywhere there were some of the most they’d ever seen. The stripers were big, and looked to include ones well over 40 inches. No stripers were known to be hooked from the surf in the past week. Nothing was heard about blackfishing. Fin-Atics will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Justin thought.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The southern migration of striped bass might’ve moved on, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. But he couldn’t be sure, and fishing for the stripers lasted longer than usual this warm season. The angling would’ve usually tapered off several weeks ago. Joe this weekend will run some of his traveling trips to the Florida Keys. The trips, fishing from Christmas to Easter each year, began during Christmas week. Catches then included snook, a permit, a tarpon, 40- and 50-pound lemon sharks, a 150-pound bull shark, jack crevalles, mangrove snappers and more, covered in the last report here. See <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>. Joe is in New Jersey throughout winter, when no Florida trip is booked, and can continue to fish from Jersey.

<b>Avalon</b>

Two trips duck-hunted during the weekend with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. A trip Friday limited out on the ocean, and a trip Saturday bagged six or eight of the birds on Delaware Bay. Wind blew strongly on Saturday, and returning through Townsend’s Inlet was hairy, including because a sneak box is towed on the outings, so the trip Friday hunted the bay.  One or two fishing boats were seen sailing from the inlet Saturday, and returned back, after meeting the ocean seas. No other boats were seen on the bay. Lots of baitfish 10 or 12 inches jumped around the bay, like they did on the last trip that hunted the bay aboard, covered in a previous report here. The hunters on the trips had a great time, Jim said, and he’ll guide duck hunting through January 31, the final day of duck season. He’ll guide snow goose hunting from February until the first week of April, when the goose season is closed. Fins offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including the waterfowl hunting and saltwater fishing. Salmon and steelhead fishing on upstate New York’s Salmon River, and snowmobiling, is offered from Jim’s nearby lodge. He usually fishes for the steelheads in April, when the angling is often best. Fly-fishing for trout is also available on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches.

<b>Wildwood</b>

A trip searched for striped bass at first Saturday on the ocean aboard, said Capt. Jim from <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>. The anglers wanted to try for stripers, but he told them the trip would switch to blackfishing soon, if no stripers turned up. No stripers appeared, and fishing for them might be finished for the year locally. Then the trip blackfished, and the angling couldn’t help but hook one after another, mostly throwbacks. But a handful of keepers were landed, and the trip blackfished closer to shore than Jim would normally fish for the tautog. That was so the trip could pop back inshore to grounds legal for striper fishing, if birds were seen working the water. Striper fishing is only legal within 3 miles from shore. When the trip searched for stripers at first, no bait was marked, and few birds worked the water. The ocean was dirty in an 8-foot heave, but far apart, 10 seconds between. The anglers were happy with the fishing, and some landed their first-ever blackfish, Jim said. He’ll probably target blackfish exclusively now, unless stripers show up again. A few stripers were reported to swim close to shore two Sundays ago. Fins is slated to fish every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested.  Telephone for availability. Rough weather would probably keep trips from fishing early this week.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/14:***</b> Blackfishing sailed Saturday on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. No trip fished Sunday, because of wind and rain, and on Saturday’s trip, several anglers limited out. They included John Riccardi from Williamstown and buddy Paul from Pennsylvania, Ken Minnett from Mays Landing, Craig Constantino from Voorhees and a few others. The boat’s usually blackfishing at 8 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday, and telephone to confirm the schedule. Paul was thinking about running the trips this Friday, because weather might be okay and anglers wanted to go, through Monday, because Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Whether crabs for bait would be available was a question, another reason to telephone to confirm the schedule.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> did no fishing this weekend, but knew about striped bass boated from the ocean Friday, he said. Friends on two different boats scored well on the fish that day. One of them returned to the area Saturday, and struck out on stripers, found none.

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