<b>Keyport</b>

When the boats in the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b> had the weather to sail, blackfishing was great aboard, Capt. Mario said. Up to 12-pounders were decked, and open-boat trips are slated to blackfish daily, and open trips will also fish for cod on some days beginning Thursday. Reservations are required for either trip, and charters are available, and Down Deep runs two 40-foot boats.  Join the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about special open trips. Also see the site’s open-trips page for available dates.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 1/22:***</b> Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> thanks anglers who fished aboard for great angling in 2015, he wrote in an email. “I look forward to an even better 2016 season,” he said. Last Lady will resume fishing in mid to late April, and weekend charters are filling fast. Prices are the same as before, and see them on <a href="http://lastladyfishing.com/charterfishingrates.htm" target="_blank">Last Lady’s website</a>. Annual individual-reservation trips, sailing every Tuesday, will begin in June. On the boat this past year, cod and sea bass were “king,” he said. Cod fishing aboard couldn’t have been better, and book those trips now for 2016. Mid-May through September are best, and Ralph doesn’t like to cod fish on weekends. Regarding sea bass, the season for the fish is yet to be announced for 2016, but the trips should be booked now. June is best, and the season will likely be closed beginning on July 1. “New this year – shark fishing,” Ralph wrote. Shark trips will sail from late May into July, and not on weekends.  Trips aboard have whaled mako sharks to a 654-pounder, thresher sharks to a 666-pounder and tiger sharks to an 855-pounder, and have won or placed in many shark tournaments. The boat will be even faster this year, cruising to the shark grounds at 16 to 18 knots. “New blower on motor being installed,” he said. That’ll be handy for cod fishing, too. Also on this past year’s trips, striped bass fishing was slower than in past years. During the spring striper run, bait was scarcer than previously. Fluke fishing was good at times last year, but could’ve been better. Bluefish disappeared from July through September “again,” he said. Blues were plentiful in Long Island Sound and 50 miles from shore around then. Fishing regulations were the big problem last year, he said. “Absurd in my opinion,” he said. “Just look at all the sea bass we had to release. Thank God for ling and cod. They saved the season in 2015.”

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/21:***</b> Blackfishing was good aboard, pretty consistent, a decent week, said Capt. Chris from the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>.  Catches included sizable, like a 10- or 11-pounder Wednesday, and a 16-pounder Sunday. On Wednesday’s trip, not a lot of the fish were hooked, but some good-sized were. The fishing’s been like that. Trips are blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and green crabs are provided, and white leggers are available for sale aboard.

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 1/19:***</b> Boating for blackfish was fair to good, when the fleet could sail, between rough weather, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Charter boats and party boats sailed less than the crews would like. The migration of mackerel filtered in, no big numbers yet, and some of Belmar’s captains will try to sail for the Bostons. Lots of herring schooled Shark River, and some anglers bagged them to pickle or to save for bait for crabs and fluke in summer. Surf anglers looked for late-season striped bass last week, “but not much to report,” Bob said. An additional shop, Fisherman’s Den North, will be opened at Atlantic Highlands Marina this spring, and the crew from the Belmar store is working on that.  

Mackerel, enough to keep fishing for them interesting, and lots of herring were pitched aboard Sunday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. The boat began sailing for mackerel that day, and will fish for them at 7:30 a.m. daily, weather permitting. Today and Tuesday are supposed to be windy, and Wednesday and Thursday look like the next fishable days. Check the boat’s website reports or call the vessel to confirm. <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/21:***</b> Wind was expected to keep fishing docked aboard through Wednesday, a report on the Golden Eagle’s website said Tuesday. But wind was expected to back off enough for today’s and Friday’s trips to sail, it said. <b>***Update, Monday, 1/25***</b> Fishing took some time to locate mackerel on a trip Thursday aboard, but the angling was okay, once the fish were found, a report on the boat’s website said. “… we were able to bang away at doubles and triples,” it said. The fishing wasn’t so good on a trip Friday, and trips afterward through today were expected to be weathered out. Tuesday or Wednesday looked like the next fishable days, and an update was expected to be posted on the boat’s site about that today or Tuesday.

Blackfishing sailed Friday and Sunday with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. The fishing was tough on Friday’s trip, and the fish seemed not to want to bite. On Sunday’s trip, wind blew and snow fell, but experienced anglers limited out on the tautog aboard, and fishing in the snow was fun. The fish weighed up to 8 pounds, and some big were known to be caught on other boats nearby. There was good life. Lots of blackfish bit that were a half-inch undersized. Blackfish are biting, and the fishing is a matter of picking a good day of weather to sail for them. Parker Pete’s will keep after blackfish, and plenty of dates are available for trips throughout the month.  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, Saturday, 1/23:***</b> “Tides are high, but nothing we haven’t seen before,” Parker Pete’s Facebook page said this morning during the blizzard. <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/244243992263470/videos/1017444334943428/?theater
" target="_blank">Watch the video</a>.

<b>Brielle</b>

Good catches of blackfish were boated on the ocean in past days, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Many anglers limited out, and some of the fish weighed 14 pounds. Customers mostly fished for them at Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs and other wrecks and pieces in 70 to 80 feet of water. Eric just heard rumors of migrating mackerel showing up, and heard no details yet. Cod and ling fishing were slow, mostly because so many out-of-season sea bass bit at the wrecks fished for them, 30 miles from shore. The sea bass hadn’t migrated farther off yet, though they’d usually, by this time of year. Striped bass fishing was “done,” he said, for the year, both on boats and in the surf. Lots of herring were jigged from Manasquan Inlet.  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, 1/21:***</b> No trips fished in past days on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, because of weather, but the vessel fished during the weekend, Capt. Butch said. The angling was alright, and Saturday’s trip fished close to shore, in 60- to 90-foot depths, because weather was somewhat rough. Mostly blackfish and a few cod were pulled in. On Sunday’s trip, weather was better, so 120- to 140-foot depths were fished. A variety of fish – blackfish, cod, a handful of ling and a few mackerel – were clutched. So the southern migration of mackerel showed up. Some of the cod also spit up mackerel, “so there must be more (mackerel) somewhere,” he said. The ocean was 46 degrees to almost 50, and sizable, out-of-season sea bass were also hooked and released during the angling. Lots of herring and big schools of bunker schooled near the beach. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Forecasts look like severe wind could prevent trips this weekend.

“Little more like winter today,” Capt. Matt wrote about Sunday’s trip on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, on the party boat’ s website. Snow fell, “and there was a chill to the air,” he said. Blackfish were hooked at every place fished on the trip, but the angling was slow and picky. A couple of anglers limited out, some bagged one or two “and some had a tough day all around,” he said. But the ocean remained warm, so Matt hopes the fish will bite better on the next trips. An 8-pound blackfish was the pool-winner, and a few other sizable blackfish were broken off.  The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. However, weather looks rough for today through Wednesday, so the boat will undergo maintenance then, and Thursday is expected to be the next day with weather good to sail. <b>***Update, Monday, 1/25:***</b> “Well, we survived the storm,” Matt wrote on Sunday, the day after the blizzard, in a report on the boat’s website. “No harm, no foul,” he said. “Just a lot of cleaning up to do.” Fishing will resume Wednesday aboard. “Going to give it a few days to settle down,” he said.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

One of the crew from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> stopped at the shop Saturday, reporting boating white perch on Mullica River near the Garden State Parkway Bridge, Chris from the store said. The fish could apparently be hooked there, and that was all that was heard about fishing, and the shop is closed for a winter break and will be reopened in March. But rod and reel repairs are being accepted, and telephone to confirm that someone will be at the shop to take the repairs. The staff is often at the store, preparing for the coming season. Lots of new supplies will be carried this coming year, including Super Strike lures, Hogy lures, Joe Shute offshore tackle and Baitmasters frozen offshore bait.  A new wall of offshore tackle will be stocked. The crew is also busy revamping the shop’s website.  Scott’s will hold a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/121494394896225/" target="_blank">Fishing Season Kick Off Event</a> on Saturday, April 2, featuring tackle reps from Avet, Berkley, Penn, S&S Bucktails, Tony Maja, St. Croix, Tsunami and more, sales, giveaways, food, drinks and more.

<b>Absecon</b>

The store just sold out of bloodworms, and more probably won’t be stocked again until just before March 1, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. The bloods this season are fished for white perch in brackish rivers, and if customers begin seriously looking for bait for the perch this winter, Dave will see whether he can stock grass shrimp for that. Nothing was heard about perch fishing, and almost no fishing was heard about, and this was about the middle of the slow winter season. A boat running open trips from Atlantic City reportedly scored well on blackfish on the ocean. Photos on Facebook were seen from Sea Isle City about striped bass boated on the ocean, but no details were known. Dave is usually at the shop, but telephone to confirm before stopping by, because he’s holding no set hours. Fishing was good at Dave’s  <a href=" http://www.abseconbay.com/fishguatemalaparlamasportfishing.html" target="_blank">Guatemala charters</a> business. Sailfishing was fantastic, and warmth from El Niño seemed to help.  Marlin fishing seemed good, and Dave can help if anybody wants to travel down to the fishing.

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b> is in the Florida Keys for winter, and Capt. Mike did no fishing from there in past days, and drove back to New Jersey for a few days, arriving on Sunday, he said. He met snow all the way from North Carolina to Longport that day, and will return to the Keys later this week. Anglers can jump aboard to fish from the Keys this season, and Mike just obtained all the permits, including for sailfish, tuna, snappers, groupers and lobsters. The boat will be returned to Longport in April to fish from spring to fall.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Ocean striped bass fishing was still off the charts, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. When boaters had the weather to sail, they located big stripers, good numbers of them. They hooked the fish in all different ways, including trolling and jigging. One customer insisted on eeling them, and eels are stocked. So are live spots. Green crabs are carried, when suppliers have the weather to catch them. The crabs ran out briefly at moments recently. White leggers are stocked whenever Mike can find them from suppliers, and fresh clams are carried, also when available. Frozen baits are on hand. Blackfishing was pretty steady and improving, and blackfish caught weighed up to 12 and 13 pounds. On the local party boat’s trips for the tautog, most anglers limited out. The store is open for no set hours but when weather’s fair and anglers are likely to fish. Anglers can telephone the store to confirm, or messaging on Facebook is the best way to reach the shop. Mike will be away from the store this week, but one of the crew will man the shop.

Mike Spaeder and son this weekend joined some of the traveling charters to the Florida Keys aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. On a trip with them Saturday, three tarpon were hooked, and one, 66 inches, probably 150 pounds, large, was landed and released. The trip also reeled in speckled sea trout, jacks, lemon sharks, black drum and ladyfish. On a trip with them Sunday, wind blew, and rain fell hard. But a 60-pound tarpon was caught and released on 10-pound line, and jacks and mutton snappers were pumped in. One of the great things about the Keys is that there’s always someplace to fish, no matter the weather. Anglers can book a trip and be pretty confident they’ll be able to fish. Weather forecasts usually don’t determine whether a trip will fish, but where. The weekend’s trips fished mostly in the bay, but also in the Everglades. The ocean side can also be fished. The trips, fishing each year from Christmas to Easter, mostly on weekends, can be like a mini vacation. Anglers can arrive on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, return Sunday evening, and be back to work Monday morning. Or they can fish on a different schedule. Joe can arrange flights and accommodations, if anglers want. The Spaeders were also going to fish today, because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, aboard. 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>.

<b>Avalon</b>

With <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, trips hunted Canadian geese in Pennsylvania in past days on a farm, Capt. Jim said. Wind blew too strongly for trips to hunt ducks on the ocean from Avalon or on Delaware Bay, like trips did recently aboard, covered in past reports here. The goose hunting was great, and on the first trip, the three hunters limited out on three apiece in 90 minutes. Another trip hunted the geese two days later, and results were the same: Three hunters limited out quickly. The goose hunting is open through January, and so is sea duck hunting. Snow goose season opens in February, and Fins will hunt them then until the season is closed beginning in early April. Saltwater fishing usually kicks off in May for the year with Fins, beginning with trips for striped bass and, on Delaware Bay, drum. Fins offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including saltwater fishing from New Jersey, and duck and goose hunting in Jersey and surrounding states, following the migrations. Salmon and steelhead fishing on upstate New York’s Salmon River, and snowmobiling, are available from Jim’s nearby lodge. Fly-fishing for trout is also offered on Pennsylvania’s trout streams like the Yellow Breeches.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Capt. Jim from <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b> ran no fishing trips, and heard about no boats fishing, he said. But the boat’s available to fish, and blackfish are biting. The newspaper on Saturday reported striped bass boated on the ocean near Sea Isle City. Reservations aren’t required to fish with Fins & Grins but are suggested. Telephone for availability.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/21:***</b> The party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> blackfished Saturday and Sunday, and a good catch was plumbed Saturday, Capt. Paul said. John Riccardi from Williamstown, Alex Levantovsky from Philadelphia and two or three other anglers limited out, and Dave Thompson from Green Creek bagged the biggest, an 11-1/2-pounder, that day. On Sunday, a good crowd climbed aboard, but blackfishing was horrible. The trip hardly found bites, not even from bergals. Had a nice day Saturday, and horrible Sunday, Paul said. The boat was scheduled to blackfish this coming Saturday and Sunday, but forecasts look like snow or wind will weather that out. But Paul’s got bait, and weather looks warmer next week, and if weather holds, the boat will blackfish the following Saturday and Sunday, January 30 and 31. The boat departs at 8 a.m.

From the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George did no fishing, and knew about no boats that fished in past days, he said. The next couple of days are supposed to be windy and cold. A dusting of snow fell on Sunday.

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