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Offseason Fishing Report 1-11-17

NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Trips for cod fished a couple of days, during fair weather, and the angling seemed to keep improving on the party boat Captain Al, Capt. Tom Weiss said. A few kept being cranked in from 50 to 75 feet of water, shallows close to shore where cod usually first appear in winter. The fish were arriving about on schedule, and eventually they’ll school farther from the coast, when water becomes colder. The water was 39 degrees yesterday morning and 42 later in the day on a commercial trip that blackfished aboard. The water had been 43 to 44 degrees, and the weekend’s snow seemed to drop the temperature, at least for the moment. The cold snap around the weekend and the snowstorm Saturday kept anglers from showing up to fish sometimes. When that happened, the crew commercially fished for blackfish on the boat. The blackfishing was great, and yesterday’s trip limited out on the tautog. Recreational blackfishing is currently closed in New York. Trips are slated to fish for cod 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and the vessel is this site’s only that’s scheduled to sail for cod every day in winter. If cod are in, the trips target them. Otherwise, the trips wreck fish for a mix of cod, pollock, ling or whatever will bite. But cod have been in, and they only school in range so long each winter. Don’t delay fishing for them. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

Delaware/Maryland

Striped bass fishing in this area seemed to finish before it ever began this season, online reports said. A cold snap hit just when the southern migration of stripers usually treks to the area, and that seemed to shove stripers to deeper water beyond 3 miles from shore, where fishing for them is closed. Or Delaware reports said that, at least. Reports about striper fishing from Maryland seemed to end a couple of weeks ago, like there was no reason to mention stripers. Delaware Bay was 40 degrees near Delaware last week, probably too cold for stripers. Boaters currently will sail for blackfish on the ocean, including from Delaware. Strong wind that roughs up seas is the challenge this time of year. Boaters look for occasional calm days.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

No boats from Virginia Beach Fishing Center fished recently, because of weather, Ryan from the marina said. Nothing was heard about striped bass or bluefin tuna that can school the local ocean this season. The stripers or rockfish usually already arrive by now. They winter off Virginia, because of warmer water than where they come from: the Northeast. In recent winters, very few schooled within 3 miles from shore off Virginia. Plenty schooled beyond 3 miles, but fishing for them is closed there. The bluefins could show up any moment, and they arrive tight to shore during some winters and not in others, for unknown reasons. Like the rockfish, the tuna migrate from the Northeast. Some were already heard about that were caught from North Carolina, farther south. But they could still pop up off Virginia this season. Tilefish, mostly bluelines, a few goldens, were the only catches heard about from local boats. Party boats and private boats fish for them toward Norfolk Canyon, when the vessels have the weather to sail in winter. Visit Website.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

The last time boats fished was on Dec. 28 from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Norma from the marina said. Just no charters were booked since, but a few are supposed to sail this weekend, and weather looks good. Anglers hope the bluefin tuna run will show up soon. Trips from Morehead City, farther south in North Carolina, ran into a few bluefins, the only bluefins that Norma heard about so far this season. But the arrival of the tuna near Oregon Inlet should be impending. When the trips last sailed on Dec. 28 from the marina, they smoked some good catches of yellowfin tuna and sometimes blackfin tuna. Visit Website.

Atlantic Beach

A few bluefin tuna were docked so far this season at <b>Captain Stacy Fishing Center</b>, Faith said. That’s in Atlantic Beach, near Morehead City, and the fishing seemed very hit and miss. A photo of a 96-inch 357-pound bluefin at the marina was posted on Captain Stacy’s Facebook page last week. But few trips fished from the marina yet this season. Visit Website.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

A good week of fishing was whipped aboard, Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters said. A couple of sailfish were landed on every trip. Lots of king mackerel could be hooked. On one trip, a youngster fought a 40-pound wahoo to the boat and landed his first-ever sailfish. The trip also limited out on kings. Sails, kings and the wahoo gathered 5 miles from port, just offshore of the reef. The sails were mostly nailed on live bait swum from kites, a popular, effective method. Trips also bottom-fished, loading up on yellowtail snappers, lots, on the reef in 60 to 80 feet of water, on light tackle during chumming. A strong cold front arrived Sunday, bringing rough weather. Trips sat out fishing that day and Monday, waiting for calm. The season’s mostly been warm and mild. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Website.

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