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New Jersey Inshore Saltwater Fishing Report 1-11-18

<b>Keyport</b>

The <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>’s been iced in but will try to fish this weekend, Capt. Mario said. The ice should thaw, and open-boat trips will sail for blackfish, cod and ling, if weather is fishable. Charters are available. Spring striped bass charters and open-boat trips are being booked. Reserve preferred dates.

<b>Neptune</b>

A blackfish trip will probably be weathered out Friday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Forecasts called for wind 15 to 20 knots with gusts to 30. Ralph spoke with some who sailed for the tautog yesterday, and seven bagged in a trip was the most he heard about. That was on some of the first trips since the cold snap prevented fishing. He’d like to sail offshore for cod, and the boat will fish all winter. Special rates are available for this season, and call Ralph if interested in fishing. Also contact him if you have fewer anglers than a full charter, and he’ll put together a trip.

<b>Belmar</b>

The party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> motored out yesterday, for blackfish on the ocean, for the first time in days, Capt. Chris said. Cold weather kept trips docked previously. On yesterday’s trip, a few handfuls of blackfish to 9 or 9 ½ pounds were bagged, not good fishing. Trips are blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Green crabs are provided, and white crabs are for sale aboard. Chris wasn’t asked what caught best on the trip, but recently he’s been saying jigs did, though bait hooked a few.

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> is probably finished charters until spring, Capt. Pete said. Winter became “shockingly” cold during the snap that ended this week, he said, and that probably ended the trips aboard. Spring striped bass charters are being booked, and they fill up, so reserve dates. Parker Pete’s will exhibit at the Saltwater Fishing Expo from March 16 through 18 in Edison at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center. If Pete’s going to give any seminars at the winter outdoor shows, he’ll announce that.

<b>Brielle</b>

A 14-hour trip will sail for cod Saturday and 12-hour trips will run for ling and cod Sunday and Monday on the <b>Jamaica II</b>, the party boat’s Facebook page said. Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. No fishing sailed in the past week aboard, it said, and that was apparently because of weather.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

No fishing headed out in a week on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b> because of weather, Capt. Butch said. The crew tried to sail yesterday but too few anglers showed up. Lots more telephoned to ask about fishing today aboard, and if only half show up, that will be enough to fish. Trips are slated to bottom-fish 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily for blackfish, ling and cod. The trips mix-in mackerel fishing this time of year, if the migration swims within range, and Butch heard about commercial boats finding a few. Maybe the trips will be able to mackerel fish.

Blackfishing ran Tuesday on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Water at the slip thawed Monday, so the trips could resume. A few good-sized blackfish were taken on the trip. Some were lost, too, and the fishing was nothing great, but the captain “felt out the ground,” and had a good idea where he’d fish next. A 10-pounder won the pool, and current flowed strongly, so bring heavy sinkers, the report said. Plenty of green crabs were carried aboard, but white crabs ran out. Bring whites if you’d like to fish with them, and they catch well this time of year, it said. Trips are blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Longport</b>

Blackfishing will steam today on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Ice broke up that kept the boat docked previously. Five to eight inches, thicker than Mike ever saw there, locked in the boat. The cold killed some of the crabs for bait. They took a hit, he said, but a few survived. The warm front is supposed to cause pouring rain Friday and wind Saturday that will likely prevent trips. But open-boat trips will fish whenever weather’s fit. Mike plans to run far from shore for blackfishing, because the ocean close to shore will probably be cold. Extended, 12-hour, open-boat trips will fish on Saturday through Monday of Presidents’ Day weekend, Feb. 17-19, for ling, cod and whatever will bite.  

<b>Cape May</b>

Capt. Tom from <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b> hopes to resume blackfishing aboard on Sunday through Tuesday, he said. Ice in the slip kept the boat from sailing currently, and rough weather, because of the warm front, is forecast for the next couple of days. The trips last sailed on Dec. 29 and 30. Decent catches of the blackfish to 9 pounds, 26 of them bagged on one day and 23 on the other, were decked. Afterward, the cold kept the boat in port. Charters and open-boat trips sail aboard, and dates are being booked for this year for all species, from sea bass to drum, tuna and everything between. Tom will give a presentation at the Saltwater Sportsman Seminar on Feb. 24 in Linwood near Atlantic City. The seminar’s host, George Poveromo, filmed striped bass fishing with Tom last fall from Atlantic City that will be aired on George’s television show beginning March 5 for eight or nine times. On the Water magazine’s TV show filmed blackfishing from New Jersey with Tom that will air in New England on Comcast. Tom was trying to find out when, but thought that will air soon, maybe this week or next. 

The fishing season is wrapped up on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. If he changes he mind, he’ll give an update. Otherwise, the boat will resume fishing in spring, probably beginning with blackfishing. The boat blackfished on daily trips until the cold that just ended. Ice still locked in the boat, preventing the vessel from sailing, yesterday. Lots of ice remained in the local area. Maybe that will thaw by the weekend. Even if weather warms to 60 degrees like forecast for Friday, strong southerly wind will probably blow, preventing the fishing aboard. The boat would need to sail far from shore, because the ocean would be cold close to shore, after the cold weather and plenty of ice that remains. Delaware Bay was frozen over, even keeping the ferry from sailing. The distance that the Porgy IV would need to sail for blackfishing, because of the cold water, would further make the wind impractical to sail in. In spring, Paul would like to fish for mackerel, but he couldn’t know whether the migration will swim within range. The fish haven’t in recent years, and that might make too few anglers interested in mackerel, if mackerel did show up. It’s also a big ocean, and with few or no other boats trying for mackerel, the fish would be difficult to find.

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