Delaware

The Bandit, which fishes from Belmar, New Jersey, from spring through fall, is now fishing for tog from Indian River, Delaware, for the winter, allowing anglers to load up on the fish while Jersey’s tog bag limit is reduced during the season.  Jerry the mate sent an e-mail saying the boat’s first three trips were a success, and some patrons bagged their 10-fish Delaware limit on each outing, and many anglers averaged 4 to 7 keepers, and all customers were able to take home fillets. Tog from 7 to 9 pounds were the pool winners, and the fishing should be good all winter. The water was 53 degrees, and larger fish should start showing in greater numbers in the 70- to 90-foot depths as soon as the water cools a couple of degrees. Open-boat trips are sailing for tog every Friday through Sunday by reservation, and passengers are limited to 25 on the 77-foot vessel, so the rails are never crowded. Trips will also sail for sea bass, because interest is high for that fishing in the area, and charters are also on tap. Watch the boat’s web site for updates about its schedule and other info. Or call 732-692-9521.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Few striped bass were boated because of warm weather, but two 38-pound and 33-pound stripers were weighed in Thursday,  said Bambi Scarborough from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Fishing for tilefish and sea bass was excellent near shore, and big-game boaters were bagging limits of yellowfin tuna. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Surf fishers were pulling up puppy drum, blowtoads, some flounder and a few blues from the wash, said D.M. Gray from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. Only a scattering of striped bass got beached, because of relatively warm, 60- to 62-degree water, and eventually the wash should chill down and turn on the striper bite. Last week was shorts and T-shirt weather. Yellowfin tuna fishing was very good, and offshore boaters were limiting out on the tuna fairly quickly.  Visit Web Site.

Atlantic Beach

Windy weather put a damper on boating through the weekend, although skies were clear, said Loretta Davis from Captain Stacy Fishing Center. When boaters last pointed the bow offshore, they reported picky fishing for giant bluefin tuna. Bottom-fishing trips on the party boat Captain Stacy were cancelled over the weekend because of rough seas from the winds, and the boat is slated to sail again this weekend for fish such as red snappers, groupers and triggerfish. The boat is generally sailing on Saturdays and Sundays and sometimes on 24-hour trips. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Jupiter

The West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s Silver Sailfish Tournament, one of the world’s oldest sailfish tournaments, took place last week, and the number of sails that participating boaters caught dropped way off compared to usual, said Capt. Tony Matarese from Showtime Sportfishing Charters. He thought 150 to 175 sails were hooked and released on the 50 boats in the event, and 400 to 600 sails is the norm, and 958 of the fish were entered last year, but that was a record-breaking year since the 1930s. The unusually mild winter, southern winds and the full moon seemed to slow the fishing last week, but a cold front with north winds was expected this week, and that’s what anglers are looking for. The bait and sailfish were still probably to the north, because of the warm temps, and cold fronts push the migration south. The fish can migrate quickly, and, for example, a friend once tagged and released a sail locally, and the fish was caught again off Cancun five days later. Dolphin were nearly nonexistent this past week, and a few wahoo were fought, and sometimes king mackerel bit, and bottom fishing was slow for yellowtails and such fish. East winds roughed up and dirtied the water, so cobia were scarce. But the colder weather, and coming off the full moon, should pick up the bite, and the season’s only getting started. Call: 561-743-6942. Visit Web Site.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Boca Raton

Quick weather changes and the unusually warm winter kept fishing up and down and fairly unpredictable, said Capt. Ron Mallet from the Just Add Water. Colder weather was forecast for this week, and that should get sailfish moving through and biting while they migrate south. At one point this past week east winds kicked up seas, and a charter got into dolphin and sails. On another trip the anglers picked at some king mackerel. The water is the warmest Ron can remember at this time of year, and the ocean temps were 78 to 79 degrees last week, and he prefers about 74 degrees, and 70 to 72 is even better. Live bait catches the fish on Ron’s trips, and sometimes when the weather’s rough he fishes the harbor and canals on charters, and currently the action there is fairly dependable on jack crevalles and barracuda, and tarpon fishing is picky at the moment in the back waters, but sometimes tarpon attack baits. Call: 954-423-8700. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

Sailfishing was a little spotty through the week, but charters landed a few, and a cold front this week should make sailfishing very good, said Capt. John Oughton Pretty Work Charters. Mackerel fishing was also somewhat slow because of the warm weather, and temps need to cool a bit. John sailed for blackfin tuna last week, and small, 10- to 15-pounders were nailed, but “we got what we needed,” he said. Bottom fishing for yellowtail snappers was very good, and some nice groupers were hauled up from the depths. Call: 305-481-6527. Visit Web Site.

Reef fishing for snappers was very good, and nice-sized wahoo were grabbed, and sailfishing was also decent, said Capt. Bruce Anderson Captain Easy Charters. A charter from Montreal last Monday had a great day, reeling in 35 yellowtail snappers from 2 to 3 pounds, 7 or 8 good-sized king mackerel to 20 pounds, a few dolphin and a sailfish. On Tuesday Doug and Emily from Maryland also had a great day, landing 30 to 35 yellowtails, a half-dozen kings to a 55-pound bruiser, and 7 or 8 dolphin to 20 pounds. A trip Thursday strictly chased sailfish and nailed three of the fish. Anglers on the trips swim live ballyhoos or speedos for the sails and kings, and they anchor and chum for the snappers. The winter is unusually mild, and water temps are in the high 70s but normally range from the low to mid 70s. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

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