Offshore trips on the party boat Jamaica turned out some of the best cod fishing in some time, and an “old-fashioned” spring run seemed to be developing, an e-mail from the vessel said. Saturday’s catch of the fish was the best in years on the boat. About 300 cod, not including throwbacks, were shellacked, and the keepers were larger than before, most of them weighing 8 to 15 pounds, and several were bigger. The fishing took place at several wrecks, and all held life, some better than others. A dozen pollock and some ling were also cranked in, and the pool winners were John Petty, Piscataway , with a 30-pound cod and Dunbar Atkinson, Parlin, with a 29-pounder. Sunday’s trip once again copped very good cod fishing, not quite as wild as Saturday, at a different area. But the fish were a little larger, most of them 10 to 18 pounds. A light crowd was aboard, and they bagged 140 cod and a few ling and pollock. James Sutler, Staten Island, won the pool with a 28-pound cod, also socking nine more of the fish 15 to 24 pounds. James Blushstein, Vineland, totaled six cod, a double-header of 25- and 20-pound pollock and several ling. Chris Steinert, no town given, racked up 10 cod, including six that weighed 18 to 24 pounds, and Joe Gissinger, Philly, also boxed 10 cod. Bobby Claudio, Wall, and Todd Hooper, Whiting, nailed eight cod apiece. The outlook was good for upcoming trips, and water temperatures were right for a good migration of cod to not only the offshore wrecks but to some of the 20- to 40-mile wrecks. These conditions, and the last run this solid, happened in the mid 1990s, and the catches lasted through April and into May. Trips are fishing the 50- to 90-mile wrecks every Saturday and Sunday through April for cod, pollock, hake and ling, and space is available this weekend. The trips leave at 11:30 p.m. the previous nights and return at 6 or 7 p.m. A special trip was added that will sail 1 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. this Thursday. Trips to the 20- to 50-mile wrecks will sometimes also sail. Extra trips will be slated during Easter week.

Some of the party boats including the Gambler and the Jamaica scored bang-up catches of cod, lots of them, and bigger ones than before, on Saturday, said Dave from The Reel Seat. Pool-winning fish weighed in the 30s. Ling fishing sounded slower that day, and one of the vessels specifically tried for ling, but the catch wasn’t so good. Not much was doing on the striped bass front locally, but the stripers usually begin to be fought on northern Barnegat Bay, such as along the Mantoloking Bridge, within the next weeks, usually on plugs or soft-plastic lures. Dave, a member of the Shark River Surf Anglers, attended the club’s awards dinner, and no one talked about catching stripers. But the linesiders might’ve been hooked farther south on Barnegat Bay along the Route 37 Bridge. One of the shop’s employees was seeing boaters fishing there, and that’s all they could be targeting, really. Lures or soft plastics probably get the bites. Dave heard about no herring jigged at Manasquan Inlet and saw no anglers fishing there, though herring often swim through the inlet in winter. He also heard about nobody landing out-of-season winter flounder by mistake on the Manasquan River or anywhere, and nobody was fishing the river. But the flattie season opens later this month. New Jersey last week decided the 2010 regulations for summer flounder: A season from May 29 to September 6 with a size limit of 18 inches and a six-fish bag limit. The size and bag limit remain the same as last year, but this year’s season includes the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and lasts through Labor Day. Last year’s season began on Memorial Day itself and closed on Labor Day. Stop by the shop to check out new gear for 2010 and also the new display of G. Loomis rods, because The Reel Seat is now a Loomis dealer. The store’s hours were extended this past week to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. The Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund’s Third Annual Fund Raising Dinner will be held April 16 at Crystal Point Yacht Club in Point Pleasant, and anglers should buy tickets now. The summer flounder or fluke regulations mentioned above should seriously be improved, and the SSFFF is fighting for that, and is probably responsible for preventing the government from using faulty science to close down the fishery last season. The organization has demanded better science to study the stocks for responsible management, and that takes money from donations, such as from the dinner.

Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service, affiliated with Gibson’s Tackle, took his first shot of the year at striped bass on a trip during the weekend, fishing on the back bay, he said. No stripers appeared, and he wasn’t completely surprised, because waters were cool. But the weather was so nice that he fished. His first bass of the year are usually knuckled in during March. That could happen late this season, because of the unusually cold winter and more snow than usual, but there’s no predicting. He probably won’t fish much locally in the next week or two, and he’ll continue offering until early April traveling charters to the Florida Keys that he’s been running through winter. But catch the March Special on striper trips: no fish, no pay. Be the first to catch a striped bass this year. Charters cast Clouser flies or soft plastic lures to the linesiders, working the line very slowly through the waters. Joe often fishes for the year’s first bass on high, outgoing, warmer tides at places like the creek outflows or near the warm waters of the Beesley’s Point power plant. But other tides sometimes produce, depending on location. Warmer tides that coincide with mid day around 1 or 2 p.m., when the sun has had time to heat waters, can help. Striper fishing usually becomes consistent in April in the bay, and bluefish usually arrive in the bay in late April. Stripers will continue to bite for a moment, but blues usually take over the angling sometime in May for some weeks. The tough fighters are a blast on light tackle, and afterward many of the blues depart for the ocean for the summer, though some remain in the bay. Flounder season opens Memorial Day weekend, and the flattie fishing is often best in the early season in the shallow, warm bays of South Jersey. The holiday boat traffic fails to affect the bottom-hugging flounder, and book that weekend’s trips now before they fill. That angling can sometimes drill fun mixed bags of species, or it can sometimes produce the best flounder fishing. For now, Joe will keep offering either the Florida trips or the striper trips. If anglers want a spur-of-the-moment getaway to the Keys, that’s available. Weekend packages are available to the Keys that arrive on Friday evenings, fish all day Saturdays and part of Sundays, and return Sunday evenings. The Florida trips fish from the back country for species such as redfish, speckled sea trout and jacks to the ocean side for bruisers such as king mackerel, cero mackerel, sailfish and blackfin tuna. See more info on the Traveling Fisherman Charters page on Jersey Cape’s Web site. Also see Jersey Cape’s blog that includes blogs and photos from past Florida trips.

Atlantic Highlands

Anglers at Julian’s Bait & Tackle were yet to report catching the season’s first striped bass, though striper season opened in the bays and rivers today, Joe Jr. said this afternoon. A couple of customers bought frozen clams and bunker to try to hook a fish, and worms will be stocked starting Friday. But waters were cold, and not a lot was heard about fishing. A few cod and blackfish were probably around, and nobody mentioned ling. Jimmy from the shop bagged cod on a trip to Montauk the other week. Some anglers will probably begin to scout out winter flounder in the bay at places like Leonardo and Belford, releasing the flatties until the season for them opens later this month. The store is open daily.

Belmar

Snowstorms kept the party boats docked most of last week, so Fisherman’s Den was open Monday or Tuesday of last week but only opened again Sunday, Bob said. One of the party boats sailed that day but no results were heard yet. Anglers who fished on the boat previously said they caught mostly big ling. Big ling, a few cod and a few blackfish seemed to make up the catches these days. A couple of the boats are probably sailing, but, for example, only enough of a crowd showed up for one to run Sunday. Fishing will begin to change, because striped bass anglers will begin to show up, because striper season opened in the bays and rivers today. Plus winter flounder season will launch later in the month. A few customers freshwater fished, such as at Spring Lake. The shop is generally open in the mornings when the party boats get the weather to sail. Though the doors were closed most of last week, that was unusual, because of the snow. The store’s usually been open through the mornings.

Brielle

“Enough with the snow!” Capt. Jerry from Fish Monger Charters said in an e-mail. “Spring can’t come quick enough!” Neither can fishing: The boat should be splashed for the season at mid month. Trips will start to sail for blackfish and winter flounder by April 1. Weekend dates for blackfishing are full with charters, but open-boat trips for the tog will be set soon. Grab them fast, because they’re likely to fill. Or if a charter is interested in a weekday, give the crew a shout, and they’ll try to squeeze one in during the open-boat schedule. On the flounder front, though the bag limit was dropped to two fish per person, many anglers who enjoy the fishing still wanted to get out, so the crew will run some charters. A few open-boat flounder trips will also sail, depending on interest. Prices for both the charters and the open trips were reduced. Fish Monger will also try to run to the 20- to 40-mile wrecks once a week for ling and cod, and prices and dates will be announced when the time draws closer. A couple of weekend dates remain in May for charters for ling, striped bass and blues. Weekend charter dates are booked in June for striped bass and sea bass and in November and December for blackfish at the moment. In July and August a few prime, weekend dates remain for fluke and bluefish full- and half-day charters. During those two months, open-boat trips for fluke are full, and they went quick. But a few more should be added once the months come closer and the date when the season closes is announced. Visit Fish Monger’s Web site to join the newsletter. Catch Monger’s Facebook page and become a fan!

***Update, Thursday, 3/4***: Wrecks 60 to 80 miles offshore served up a good catch of cod to 15 pounds, some ling and a few big pollock Tuesday on the party boat Jamaica, an e-mail from the vessel said. The high hook pancaked 10 cod, several ling and a 35-pound pollock. The wrecks held healthy numbers of cod and ling, and more cod than in recent years hovered at many. Colder waters this winter should keep them around, and plenty were caught through April in past years when the ocean was this temp. The forecast looked clear for this weekend’s trips, and space is available. No trips made it out last weekend. The Jamaica is fishing the 50- to 90-mile wrecks every Saturday and Sunday, leaving 11:30 p.m. the previous nights. See the schedule on the boat’s Web site for the complete list of dates.

On the Big Kid three cod 10 to 13 pounds and two dozen ling to 3 and 4 pounds were clocked Sunday at the 20-mile wrecks, Capt. Ken said. Currents ripped because of the full moon. But the fish are out there, and trips lately were wiping them up, and the boat is one of the few charters sailing all winter. Book a trip to catch. Big Kid’s Facebook page was recently launched. Check it out, make a Friend Request and keep an eye on the page for photos and news that will be posted.

Anglers usually begin to land striped bass within the next few weeks in northern Barnegat Bay at places such as along the Mantoloking Bridge, said Dave from The Reel Seat. Many toss soft-plastic baits to them, and some throw plugs. Nobody mentioned herring that are sometimes jigged at Manasquan Inlet in winter, and Dave saw nobody trying for them when he drove past the inlet lately, so none of the fish seemed to be around. New tackle was arriving at the shop for the season, including butterfly jigs from Old Mans Tackle Box and pre-rigged butterflies that The Reel Seat ties up, so anglers don’t have to mess with rigging or learn how to rig them. A bunch of other new stuff is on hand, and so are G. Loomis rods, because the shop became a Loomis dealer. The Reel Seat has been open Saturdays and Sundays and will begin to be open Wednesdays through Sundays starting next week. The hours might be extended this week, but Dave will attend a fisheries meeting during the week, so the shop might not be open for part of the weekdays, and he didn’t want to commit to saying the extended hours will immediately begin. Call to confirm whether the shop is open weekdays this week. The Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund’s Third Annual Fund Raising Dinner will be held April 16 at Crystal Point Yacht Club in Point Pleasant, and anglers should buy tickets now. Dave attended the Anglers Rally in Washington, D.C., last week and said it was great. Nobody counted the anglers who attended, but some said 4,000 did, and Dave guessed that at least 3,000 to 4,000 showed up. Now that the rally took place, anglers should contact their senators and representatives, asking them to support Senate bill 1255 and House bill 1584. Only three New Jersey representatives and neither of the state’s senators have committed to supporting the bills.

Point Pleasant

***Update, Thursday, 3/4***: Trips last fished Sunday and Monday on the party boat Dauntless, because the vessel was in dry dock for maintenance afterward, Capt. Butch said. But the boat will bottom-fish again starting Saturday, and fishing was tougher on the most recent trips. Apparently that was because cold-water runoff from last week’s snowstorms made the fish reluctant to feed, putting the kibosh on the previous decent catches. Mostly ling and cod were hiked aboard, and anglers totaled 6 to 8 or 10 of the fish apiece. But on a couple of days only 2 to 10 apiece were taken. Still, the angling should rebound in a day or two, if the current weather fails to affect the waters adversely again. Surface water temps in the deep, where the boat fished, were 38 to 40 degrees or cold. The ocean near the beaches was 34 or 35. If the current maintenance on the boat needs to be continued, the boat might be back in dry dock on Monday, after trips fish Saturday and Sunday. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Bottom fishing was a bit slower on a trip Sunday, probably because last week’s snowstorms chilled the bottom a moment, but the anglers boxed a few schoolie cod and some big ling, said Capt. Bob from the party boat Gambler. Jim Custer from Edison creamed 10 ling, and Steve Ockel from Garwood won the pool with a 6-pound cod, bucketing four ling. The trip fished only 20 miles offshore, because of a smaller crowd. But the fishing on the boat was good for cod, including bigger ones, fish from schoolies to 18 and 20 pounds, and big ling the previous weekend, before the snow. Trips are trying to sail every day, lately running a couple of days per week on average, because of the weather. But the weather might start to be less of a factor now. The Gambler is fishing for cod, pollock, ling and hake from Thursdays through Sundays at the 20- to 40-mile wrecks and for deep-water blackfish from Mondays to Wednesdays. All trips run 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Capt. Jim and several crew members from the Cock Robin jumped on a bus at Bogan’s Basin last week to attend the United We Fish Rally at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., he said in an e-mail. “The event was amazing from start to finish!” he said. More than 4,500 anglers showed up from states including Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, California and Alaska to demand flexibility in the Magnuson-Stevens Act through House bill 1584 and Senate bill 1255. Jim on the buses passed out 300 open letters to be sent to senators and representatives, and all 300 were signed within an hour. “We have a long way to go,” he said, “but based on what we saw, this showing of support opened many eyes in the Capitol building.” He’ll organize a follow-up letter campaign in coming weeks.

Toms River

The store will be open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, and bloodworms will be stocked, the phone recorder said at Murphy’s Hook House. The doors had been closed for a winter break. The store will also be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Let the season begin!

Seaside

Springtime is only 19 days away, the report on Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle said. Striped bass season opened in the bays and rivers today, and some patches of ice remained on Barnegat Bay during the weekend, but forecasts for the mid 40s today might help clear the waters. The ocean was in the upper 30s. Remember that saltwater anglers must register this year, and see www.countmyfish.noaa.gov. Shimano’s new PowerPro Hollow Ace hollow-core braided line and a cool splicing kit with instructional DVD are stocked. Make your own shock leaders for surf fishing with the line, using finger-trap splicing. The Berkeley Striper Club’s fishing flea market will take place Sunday at the Hugh M. Boyd Grammar School in Seaside Heights. A mess of plug builders and new and used fishing tackle are expected. Click here for the latest from the shop.

Mystic Island

Anglers had already started telephoning the shop on Friday about striped bass fishing from shore at Graveling Point on Great Bay, the report on Scott’s Bait & Tackle’s Web site said. But the blizzard had just rolled through, and water temps were near freezing or 37 degrees, and none of the fish would bite until waters reached 45 degrees. A few customers bought bait for the angling on Sunday, knowing that catching was unlikely, “(but) there is some peace to be found in just wetting the line, and they are very content to do just that,” the report said. Bloodworms, the favorite bait for stripers at the Point in the early season, were expected to be stocked this week on Wednesday. But conditions or tides for digging the worms in Maine might’ve been difficult because of storms, and anglers will see how good the supply will be. See the Graveling Point Web page on Scott’s site for info about the fishing, including the history of the first keepers checked in over the years. The shop offers an annual prize of a $100 gift certificate to the angler who weighs in the first keeper from Graveling Point or nearby Pebble Beach. ***Update, Thursday, 3/4***: Nobody yet checked in the season’s first striped bass at the shop, Scott said. Graveling Point, in fact, was barren of anglers through the week, but lots will surely try for the bass at the Point on Saturday, because probably a dozen customers talked about that. They’ll be there for a couple of reasons: to “clean off the stink,” as one customer put it, and for the camaraderie of seeing friends fishing again. If someone lands a striper, that’ll be a bonus. The problem was that the waters were cold. The lagoon at the shop held skim ice in the mornings, and that meant the waters dipped to 28 degrees, because saltwater’s freezing point is lower than freshwater’s 32 degrees. Therefore Scott guessed that Great Bay was probably 35 degrees, and 45 is the temp when stripers really begin to bite. That’s not saying an occasional bass couldn’t bite, and ice anglers on Collins Cove on the Mullica River sometimes pull a stray striped bass from the holes when angling for white perch. Stripers that chew in cold waters are almost always shorts. A tackle store in Absecon reportedly saw a couple of stripers come in, and visitors to one of South Jersey’s fishing Web sites talked about a few bass found. Angler activity picked up at the shop, though. Some showed up Wednesday to buy bloodworms to try for stripers in the Mullica River. The season’s first stripers usually come from the warmer river. Plenty of bloodworms were stocked at the moment. Live grass shrimp, the favorite white perch bait, were out of stock, and the waters where Scott catches them were too flooded because of the week’s rains. Likewise minnows, another potential perch bait, were out of stock, because of high waters that scattered them in the streams where Scott traps them. He might catch more of both to stock Friday, if the weather shapes up. No customers mentioned perch fishing up the rivers. Scott had no luck finding green crabs to buy to stock for tautog fishing. Nobody mentioned tog fishing, but he’d like to have the baits on hand.

Absecon

Nobody had checked in the season’s first striped bass yet when Ray from Absecon Bay Sportsman Center gave this report at 12 noon today, he said. A game warden stopped by this morning, saying he saw nobody even catch white perch, though a few people were out fishing. But Ray wouldn’t be surprised if the first bass is weighed in this week if someone catches the fish at one of the warm-water discharges at the power plants, because other waters were cold. Slowly retrieved lures fished in the rivers, waters that are warmer than the bays, often grab the first fish of the season. The angler who checked in last year’s first keeper landed the fish on a gold Yozuri swim bait on today’s date. But bloodworms are also a top choice in the early season. If Ray were fishing, he’d be sure to bring bloods, because he doesn’t prefer fishing with the lures so much. If perch aren’t biting, that could help ensure the bloods attract a bass instead. Shallow, warm waters in the bays often give up the first stripers, too. That’s why shore anglers at Graveling Point on Great Bay often reel in some of the first. The 5-foot depths with a dark bottom warm the waters. But the warm-water discharges will probably turn out the first catches during this cold winter. Bloodworms are stocked, and no fresh clams are carried yet, but frozen clams are on hand. Live eels are carried, though of course the season is early for fishing with live eels. Absecon Bay Sportsman Center is always one of the first stores, and often the first, to report striper catches each year. The shop is offering annual prizes for the season’s first stripers weighed in: a $200 gift certificate for the first legal striper, a $100 certificate for the second, a $50 certificate for the third, a $100 certificate for the first over 20 pounds, and a $100 certificate for the first over 30. All were still up for grabs, and checkthe store’s Web site for details. The shop is now open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and probably 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Hours will be extended as sunrise becomes earlier. The store’s Web site said that the boat had arrived in Guatemala that will be used in the owner’s new fishing guide service in the country. Check out the FishGuatemala.com Web site. ***Update, Monday, 4/1***: We have a winner! The first keeper striper of the season, a 28-inch 8-1/4-pounder, was checked in this afternoon, Ray said! The angler smoked the fish in Great Bay on a pink Zoom worked slowly on the bottom, winning the $200 gift certificate. The rest of the prizes were unclaimed, and keep an eye on the store’s Web site for a photo of the fish that will be posted and the angler’s name. ***Update, Thursday, 3/4***: Chris McInee is the angler who caught the first keeper, according to the shop’s Web site. Jeff Normant on Tuesday, the second day of striper season in the bays and rivers, checked in the store’s second keeper, a 10.1-pounder, winning the $100 gift certificate, according the site. The fish pounced on a lure, but no location of the catch was given. Later that day, the third keeper was weighed in, Ray from the shop said today, but he had no info yet about the size or location of the catch or what the fish was hooked on. The fish must’ve been caught locally, because it looked fresh. That angler won the $50 certificate, and the two $100 certificates for the shop’s first 20- and 30-pounders were still up for grabs. Those fish are likely to be checked in when bigger stripers begin to swim around during the migration, and that’s what happened in recent years, but one never knows. Ray heard about a few other stripers landed, including probably a 15- or 18-pounder that he saw in a photo that was jigged behind Atlantic City on a 4-inch, white twister. Another angler reportedly reeled in seven short stripers someplace. Plenty of bloodworms are stocked for bait.

Longport

***Update, Thursday, 3/4***: The crew on the Stray Cat will try to run trips this weekend, targeting anything that will bite in the ocean, such as tog, cod or ling, Capt. Mike said. Call if interested. He took a look around waters a dozen miles offshore this week, finding 38-degree surface temperatures. The boat is ready to roll on trips all season, one of the few that sails in winter. Mike was asked whether he heard about any striped bass tugged in yet from local areas such as the warm waters of the bay at the Beesley’s Point power plant. He heard about none, and nobody seemed to fish during the week. Anglers will probably get out during the weekend. Looking ahead, the Stray Cat will go all out for sea bass fishing as soon as the season opens. The state should announce the dates soon. Mike also looks forward to flounder fishing in the early season, and the state should also announce the flounder regs soon.

Ocean City

A sign of the new fishing season: Fin-Atics is now open daily, Bill said. Anglers traditionally try for the season’s first striped bass catches from shore at Graveling Point on Great Bay. That’s not to say the fish won’t be found elsewhere. But at Graveling bloodworms will be the popular bait, and some might dunk clams. White perch could be pulled from the brackish waters of the rivers including the Great Egg Harbor River, the Tuckahoe River and Patcong Creek. Participation in fishing, even for perch, should increase, because of the striper opener today. Frozen baits are stocked, and worms will probably be carried within two weeks, once demand increases.

Sea Isle City

Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle traditionally nabs his first striped bass of the year around March 1 in the back bay, he said. But waters are cold this year, and he’s unlikely to try for the fish yet. If a catch were likely, he would. But at least a 60-degree day is needed to get the fish active, and temps never reached 50 so far. But when he begins, he’ll fish at places such as around the bridges, at the warm waters at the Beesley’s Point power plant and at the creek outflows that push warm waters into the bay on outgoing tides. Afternoons that coincide with outgoing matter, because the sun has then warmed the marshes. He usually casts a Clouser fly to hook up in the early season, but Gulp shrimp worked on a slow retrieve would probably work on a spinning rod. Joe will continue to offer annual charters from the Florida Keys that he’s been running this winter. The last two trips loaded up on speckled sea trout, redfish, jack crevalles, ladyfish, a huge, 20-pound black drum and more in the back country near Flamingo. Jersey Cape is offering the charters to the Keys through the beginning of April. They fish for anything from reds, specks, jacks and other fish in the back country to sailfish and other bruisers on the ocean side. Weekend packages are available that arrive Friday evenings, fish all day Saturdays and part of Sundays, and return Sunday evenings. Accommodations can be set up for anglers, or anglers can arrange their own. See more info on the Traveling Fisherman Charters page on Jersey Cape’s Web site. Also see Jersey Cape’s blog that includes blogs and photos from recent Florida trips.