DELAWARE

Indian River

Strong winds forced tog trips to be cancelled on the Bandit throughout the past week, Capt. Scotty said. So there was nothing to report, but the boat will keep sailing for the blackfish through the first weekend of April before returning to its home port in Belmar, N.J., to fish the rest of spring through fall. The boat is fishing for the blackfish from Delaware for the second winter in a row, offering individual-reservation trips from Fridays through Sundays and charters the rest of the week. The individual-reservation trips are usually made up of two or more groups of anglers, but single anglers can also book a spot, and no walk-ons are accepted. Scotty hoped the weather would be calm enough to sail this coming week, and this Friday and Saturday’s trips are full, but a few openings remained on Sunday. Delaware’s tog grounds get less pressure than Jersey’s, and the water is somewhat warmer, keeping the fish biting longer in winter. The tide might be turning now, or the water might be as cold as it’ll get this winter, before temps start creeping back up. The fish were still chomping on baits the last time the boat sailed. A local hotel offers a discount to anglers who fish on the Bandit from Delaware. The crew is also looking forward to the vessel’s season in Jersey, and Garden State charters are already being reserved for bottom fish, blues and stripers that will begin in May. Call: 732-692-9521. Visit Web Site.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Boaters from Virginia Beach Fishing Center who fished for striped bass in the nearby ocean this morning had already caught their fill and returned by the time John Crowley gave this report at 10 a.m., he said. So the catches continued this week, and the marina’s web site reported some off and on action during windy weather the past several days. But it also reported an incredible day of fishing for the linesiders Thursday, including three 50-pounders and nine 40-pounders weighed in. John today said that the keepers recently ranged 30 to 50 pounds, and customers always trolled the fish. Fishing for stripers in nearby Chesapeake Bay is closed and opens May 16. Party boats from the marina returned to port with lots of sea bass Saturday, and the fish were closer to shore than before. The head boats are fishing for the humpbacks 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. several times on weekdays and on longer trips on weekends. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Offshore anglers from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center boated a few bluefin tuna, and one reported landing a yellowfin tuna, and that was about all that was happening, Katie Gaskins said. Inshore fishing was in a lull for now. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Customers mohawked puppy drum in Pamlico Sound yesterday, said Dave from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. His brother and a friend reeled in 25 of the fish that day. The bag limit is one of the red drum from 18 to 27 inches per angler per day, so anglers catch and release the rest, tossing artificials such as Gulps, twister tails and Tsunamis, fun with 6- to 8-pound tackle. A few puppies were also picked up from the surf on cut bait, and a few flounder also came from the suds. Lots of dog sharks also stole baits there. On the offshore boats bluefin tuna put tackle to the test. Visit Web Site.

LOUISIANA

Venice

Fish like wahoos and amberjacks were putting up fights in the Gulf of Mexico for anglers with Super Strike Charters, Capt. Damon McKnight said in an e-mail. But tuna fishing, including fishing for big, triple-digit yellowfins that usually haunt the waters in winter, was slim pickings the last month. The Allisons disappeared after January, and Super Strike’s best trip for them this winter tackled a double-header of 179- and 176-pounders. Blackfin tuna fishing was incredible for charters a number of times early this season, but that didn’t last either. So the fishing was a little different this year, and the weather’s been a little crazy, such as strong north winds one day followed by honking south winds the next. Seas were often sloppy, and anglers would find that the fish weren’t swimming the usual places they normally do. But action with ‘hoos, jacks and such was fortunately taking up the slack, and the wahoos are big at this time of year. Super Strike made a little history on February 19, when a 775-pound mako shark was boated on a trip. The huge fish, landed on an 80-pound monofilament leader (!), will break the Louisiana state record by 10 pounds if it qualifies. “I guess it was just supposed to happen,” Damon said about the non-wire leader. A few dates, but not many, are left for charters in March, and Damon expects the fishing to remain about the same, except more tuna should start to appear. Super Strike fishes for big game and rig, wreck and reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico. </b> Call: 800-318-1720. Visit Web Site.

Charters with Paradise Outfitters ran into weather a number of times through the week, and on one of those days the anglers opted to cast for redfish at the rocks instead of fishing offshore, the report on Paradise’s web site said. They headed out on three vessels, and each group limited out on the reds. But one boat the same day ventured offshore in rough but fishable seas and returned with five huge wahoos. Besides wahoos, cobia were also making up catches, even if seas were stiff, and king mackerel were plentiful, scamp groupers were sometimes hauled up, and a lone, 30-pound yellowfin tuna was taken. The weather cleared Saturday, when a group ran offshore on two different boats. One bagged three small yellowfins, and the other first looked for wahoos but got invaded by king mackerel. So the anglers put top-water poppers on wire leaders to watch the kingfish blow up on the lures. Exciting but not edible, “unless you like kingfish, the other gray meat,” the report joked. That group then tried fishing the rigs, but only small amberjacks showed up. On the way home a mess of sharks, bonito and blackfin tuna were found corralling a big bait ball of pogies, otherwise known as bunker back north in Jersey. At one point hundreds of spinner sharks that weighed more than 100 pounds apiece surrounded the boat. Two blackfins, some bonito and some sharks were landed among the fray. Another boat that day came back to port with six yellowfins, a wahoo and four jacks, and two marlins circled the vessel on the trip. Paradise fishes offshore in the Gulf for big game and also targets the Gulf’s rigs and wrecks for snappers, cobia, groupers, amberjacks and other fish. Call: 985-845-8006. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Clearwater/Tampa/Tarpon Springs

A half-day charter after the last cold front mugged more than 30 speckled sea trout from 2 to 6 pounds on pilchards, pinfish and shrimp, Capt. Rich Knox from Absolute Flats Fishing said in an e-mail. So trout fishing was holding up, and good numbers of redfish were hitting around the barrier islands, on the flats and at the river mouths. The reds will start to school up more and more as the weather warms, and the changing season was already getting snook to move out of the back waters and onto the flats and around the islands. A trip with two anglers landed skinny but impressive-sized snook before the cold front. Inshore slam trips for snook, reds and trout in the same day are being booked for early spring. So are giant tarpon charters for May and June from Boca Grande, world famous for its run of the silver kings. Call 727-376-8809 or 800-890-9373 or Visit Web Site.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Boca Raton

The weather was beautiful last week, and no great days of fishing took place, but a bite would turn on about every other day, Capt. Ron Mallet from the Just Add Water said. A charter Friday went 1 for 3 on sailfish, nailed some king mackerel and walloped a 35-pound barracuda, the biggest ‘cuda Ron saw in some time. Live pilchards hooked all the fish close to shore, and the weather was great for kite fishing. Two of the sails came up to check out a pilchard on a kite, but the one that was hooked bit a bait on a plain rod, not on a kite. Ocean fishing through the week turned up sails, kings and bonito, and mahi mahi were scarce, although east winds that swung a little south showed up that normally push them in to shore. But not this time. As always, Ron’s anglers usually mixed in light-tackle fishing for jack crevalles and barracudas in the harbor, and that action kept up its solid pace. The harbor fishing is actually one of the advantages of Just Add Water, because it’s usually always an option when rough weather cancels ocean trips or simply when charters, like those with children, prefer the calm waters of the harbor. So there’s almost always something to fish for. Sailfishing’s been more inconsistent than usual this winter, and it was hard to say why. Maybe the fish already pushed farther south this winter, although places such as the Keys were doling out less consistent catches than normal. Or maybe the sails mostly stayed farther north because of a warm winter. The local water remained 73 or 74 degrees, warm for this time of year. But sailfish were still being caught. Although picture-perfect weather stuck around last week, pouring rains and windy conditions were the deal yesterday and were forecast to continue this week. Maybe that’ll equal more sailfish catches when it’s over?
Stay tuned! Call: 954-423-8700. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

Big mutton snappers, including several more than 20 pounds, were the main event keeping anglers busy with <b>Captain Easy Charters</b> through the week, although a little of everything bit, Capt. Bruce Anderson said. A few dozen muttons were wrestled up from wrecks in 100 to 250 feet, about 5 miles from shore, on the week’s trips. Live bait such as ballyhoos, speedos and cigar minnows got them to bite, and groupers, king mackerel, sailfish and mahi mahi sometimes showed up in the same waters and were hooked as a by-catch, not specifically targeted at the wrecks. Big amberjacks were also reeled up at the Hump around 11 miles from shore. So fishing was good, and the weather was in the high 80s, mostly calm. Ah, the Keys …. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Key West

A three-day, open-boat trip to the Dry Tortugas got weathered out with Yankee Capts this past week, Capt. Greg Mercurio said. But a two-day, open-boat trip to the Tortugas sailed afterward on Friday night, and waters were churned up and muddy from the weather that cancelled the previous trip, and the fishing suffered. Few catches were made, so the crew was waiting for conditions to turn around. This time of year normally gives up mutton snappers, and lots of red and black groupers typically turn on through April. Two open trips are slated to fish the Tortugas for two-days apiece this week. The 90-foot party boat Yankee Capts fishes the Dry Tortugas, 60 miles from port at Key West, on one-, two-, three- and four-day, open-boat trips in addition to charters. On the open trips, as many as 48 passengers live, sleep and eat onboard. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages can be purchased. The crew and boat have been fishing from the Keys for 30 years and currently offer the Tortugas trips through May. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the vessel sails for cod from Gloucester, Massachusetts, and in September and October its trips target tuna from New Bedford, before returning to the Keys. Call: 888-88-CAPTS or 305-923-2926. Visit Web Site.

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