VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Striped bass fishing suddenly slowed down, said Wayne Dickson from Virginia Beach Fishing Center. “It’s just that time of year,” he said. Some of the fish were still around, but boaters had to search for them. Although previously lots were landed in the local ocean and several miles to the south, Wayne thought that recently they were schooling 16 or 17 miles to the northeast. (Editor’s note: Jersey anglers might want to pay attention to that news, because maybe the migration is on the way!) Virginia’s striper season is open through March 31.  Head boats from the marina seemed to land good catches of sea bass and tog, and those boats sail every Saturday. Visit Web Site.

LOUISIANA

Venice

Fishing was a bust last Tuesday for Paradise Outfitters, despite great weather, the report on its web site said. Anglers on two boats with Paradise that day tried for big yellowfin tuna, wahoo and swordfish in the Gulf of Mexico but scored a doughnut, except for two blackfin tuna that were boated at the Midnight Lump. But one of the boats fished the same spot the next day and came back with four wahoos to 60 pounds, one yellowfin and five blackfins, and another that night nailed a 250-pound sword. On Thursday an experienced crew of anglers sailed on a charter and went 9 for 9 on wahoos, including four big ones over 60 pounds apiece. They picked the fish here and there but ended up with a good boxful. Another group that day tackled four wahoos and five blackfins. Paradise Outfitters fishes for big game and also targets rigs and wrecks for species like snappers, cobias, groupers and amberjacks. Call: 985-845-8006. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Clearwater/Tampa/Tarpon Springs

The pilchard run was starting to bring in all fish in good numbers, said Capt. Rich Knox from Absolute Flats Fishing in an e-mail. Snook to 25 pounds were moving out of their back-country haunts where they winter and were being caught around the islands and docks and in the deep channels while charters chummed with live pilchards. The snook were also tearing up livelined shrimp at night along the docks in the rivers. Small tarpon from 10 to 60 pounds were also on the move, chasing pilchards and putting light-spinning rods to the test. Redfish from 2 to 10 pounds were common quarry near the barrier islands and on the flats along the mainland. Speckled seatrout to 6 pounds were mixed in, and large schools of trophy specks were swimming along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway. Plenty of cobia were beginning to show on the reefs for anglers tossing dead or live pilchards or pinfish. And don’t be surprised if a smoker king mackerel slams a pilchard and screams the drag. Reports were also heard about the kingfish hitting a little farther from shore, where Spanish mackerel also supposedly roamed. Book now for a giant tarpon charter when the monsters show up this spring. Call 727-376-8809 or 800-890-9373 or Visit Web Site.

Jupiter

Just when sailfishing seemed to end, the sails marauded the fishing grounds again, said Capt. Tony Matarese of Showtime Sportfishing Charters. On a trip Saturday six sails were seen, and two refused to bite, but a triple header and two singles were caught. Lots of dolphin also bit this past week, and the bigger ones ate live bait, and the smaller were nabbed on the troll. A shot of king mackerel were also getting caught, and amberjacks were being hauled in from the deep wrecks and along the continental edge. All of this fishing was taking place 3 ½ to 4 miles from shore, and the water was a little rough and dirty for cobia fishing. Cobia prefer clear water, and they trail manta rays along the beaches during those conditions, picking up the food that the rays stir up. Anglers then pitch bait fish or crabs toward the rays and score the lemonfish. Call: 561-743-6942. Visit Web Site.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Boca Raton

Great weather made great fishing and a busy week of productive trips, said Capt. Ron Mallet from the Just Add Water. Mostly mahi mahi bit, and many were 3- to 7-pounders, but occasionally 15-pounders were banged. Decent-sized, 20-pound-range king mackerel charged baits, and big, 7- and 8-pound Spanish mackerel were mixed in, and so were false albacore. All the action was 1 ½ miles off the inlet on live pilchards, and even the Spanish ate the pilchards, because the fish were so big. Hammerhead sharks have begun to appear, and a few were seen swimming around, and a few amberjacks have started to make the deep wrecks home in 215 to 300 feet about 2 miles offshore. Ron saw no sailfish this past week, but the sails should still make appearances through the end of May. In the previous report the northern migration of fish seemed to be starting, but that prediction turned out premature, and the fish this past week were all heading south. During winter the fish push south to escape the colder temps, and at some point they turn around and start moving north as the water warms. The ocean yesterday was 77 degrees, warm for this time of year, but day after day of southerly winds are needed to turn the migration around. Ron’s charters battle barracudas and jack crevalles on light tackle at the inlet and harbor when seas are too rough to fish the ocean, and fishing for both is normally steady. A charter yesterday was suffering from mal de mar on a kicked up ocean, so they stayed inside the back waters and had a ball landing a dozen ‘cudas and one jack. Call: 954-423-8700. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

Charters on the Pretty Work were tackling king mackerel, even if the numbers were smaller than a few weeks ago, said an e-mail from Over Under Adventures. But groupers seemed to be taking up the slack, and mutton snappers, amberjacks and cobia were being bagged. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site.

Anglers with Captain Easy Charters started doing evening shark trips, and the action was red hot, Capt. Bruce Anderson said. Mostly blacktips attacked baits, and nurse, bull and lemon sharks sometimes showed up. A charter Tuesday was the first of the season to look for sharks, and the anglers battled more than 10, mostly blacktips from 40 to 75 pounds but also a bruiser bull about 200 pounds. The trips usually run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the anglers chum by throwing out carcasses from fish landed on other types of fishing trips earlier in the day. The anglers hook a carcass like a kingfish head or parts of an amberjack and then hold on. The fishing takes place only 5 minutes from the dock, and a few tarpon were also beginning to bite at the same location on the same baits. Tarpon season should turn on in about a month, and for now, anglers might switch to a mono leader instead of a wire shark leader if tarpon seem to be around. During trips earlier in the day, lots of amberjacks could be pulled up from the depths at the Hump or wrecks in 300 to 600 feet inshore of the Hump from 8 to 11 miles from land. King mackerel fishing was good at the reef 3 or 4 miles from shore, and plenty of bottom fish like snappers could be boated at the reef, although Bruce did no bottom fishing in the past days. Dolphin could already be caught, although May to June is the prime dolphin season. The mahi will show up at various spots from day to day, and on one trip they might be found inshore of the Hump in 150 feet, and the next day they might be schooling far offshore. Water temps were in the upper 70s and about normal for this time of year, even though the temps had previously been high from warm days early in the winter. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Bahamas

Mixed bags of wahoo, yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna and mahi mahi were the catch on charters leaving the dock from San Salvador on the Low Profile,  and a few billfish were beginning to be spotted, said an e-mail from Over Under Adventures. The wahoo were smaller than a few weeks ago and ran 35 to 45 pounds, but occasionally a 70-pounder was hooked. The yellowfins weighed 40 to 50 pounds, and the mahi were big and mostly 20 to 30 pounds, and one angler nailed a big bull on a fly rod when the dolphin was able to be teased to the boat. Some trips also sailed from Rum Cay for similar fishing. Visit Web Site.

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