VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Striped bass, lots of the fish, schooled, but they were found far offshore, where fishing for them is closed, so the angling was catch and release, said Capt. Steve Richardson from Backlash Sport Fishing. Waters became cold close to shore, but the weather then became warmer, and maybe that will draw in the fish closer to land.  The catches were trolled, jigged and caught any which way. But on days like Wednesday, when winds blew 30, they were trolled. Call: 757-286-0711. Visit Web Site.

Trips fished for striped bass all weekend, including in snotty weather Sunday, and the catches were made, this time 15 miles north, unlike 30 miles south, where charters located them before, said Capt. Bob Robinson from Fin Seeker Sport Fishing. Locations kept changing, and Fin Seeker trolled them up. A few of the fish were smaller, but probably three or four 50-pounders were seen at the marina, and a bunch of 40-pounders were.  West winds had cooled waters close to shore, but southeast winds currently blew that should move the fish closer to the coast. Call: 757-618-7421. Visit Web Site.

Great fishing was clobbered on Saturday’s weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon, said Capt. Skip Fuller from Rudee Inlet Charters. All anglers limited out on blueline tilefish, probably to 15 ½ pounds, and about 25 were citation fish, or more than 10 pounds. Customers also put a beating on a load of blackbelly rosefish, and wrenched in a few barrelfish. “Really, really good fishing,” Skip said, “a great time.” Of course, sea bass, including large ones, were mixed in but had to be thrown back, because of the sea bass closure. Seas were gorgeous, slick calm. The trips, sailing 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday, hook blueline tilefish, a few golden tiles, snowy groupers and blackbelly rosefish. Limited to 40 passengers, the trips are only $170 per person, a great price for offshore angling.  Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

A 61-pound striped bass, only one pound smaller than the state record, was smoked Thursday on one of the boats from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Virginia Lawhorne said. The rockfish showed up close to port, and one boater said he found them schooling right off the inlet. Another this morning left the dock at 7 a.m., returning at 9 a.m. with a limit. Seas were mostly too rough for boats to fish offshore, but previously they banged away at yellowfin tuna. Offshore boaters did get out Saturday, picking a few yellowfins, but strong currents made the fishing difficult. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Puppy drum fishing turned second to none in the surf, schools of them looking like black balls in the waters, said Steve Hissey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. He never saw the fishing so good in his 32 years there, fishing that was so good that he planned to hit the beach on his lunch break today, and knew he would catch. Grubs caught them, but some were merely snagged when they lay still in the cold waters. Hot spots for the angling included north of the Frisco Pier, north and south of Cape Point, and at the ramps around the ferry. Many of the fish were 24 inches, within the slot size limit. Boaters also shellacked the fish in Pamlico Sound, despite cold, 47-degree waters. Dave watched anglers catch them while on the phone giving this report. One charter captain, Steve Caldwell, saw three pods of a thousand puppies apiece in the sound.  The weather was a roller coaster, with one day beautiful and the next terrible. But when offshore boaters could sail, they sometimes raked in blackfin tuna, a mess of them, and a handful of yellowfin tuna that began to show up. The season’s first blue marlin, a 275-pounder, was wrestled in over the weekend. A crew on one boat landed 18 blackfins to 34 pounds and six yellowfins. A 36-pound blackfin, a huge one, was socked, and the state record is 38 pounds. Sharks were the only problem with the tuna fishing, and many boaters got inundated with sharks. A huge body of thresher sharks swiped the jigs that are commonly fished for blackfins. Fishing became awesome at Hatteras, and more anglers were the only thing missing. Anglers are typically less numerous in winter, but they were starting to notice that more fish moved in than most places farther north. Visit Web Site.

Morehead City

The two boats fishing from Morehead City for Over Under Adventures totaled six giant bluefin tuna, or three apiece, so far this season, the report on Over Under’s Web site said. The season only lasts through the month, and the crews from Over Under planned to do their best to finish strong. After being docked for seven days, one of the boats fished Friday, and a 93-incher, coring out at 388 pounds, was belted, and was one of three gaffed among the fleet that day, as far as the crew knew. The fleet headed back out Saturday in flat seas, and they only returned to port with one giant. The fishing this month was less productive than had been hoped, but some positive signs seemed to shape up. There was an 8-degree temperature break with scattered bait, porpoises, whales and albacore everywhere. The giants were also larger lately, and one of the fish, bagged on another vessel, cored out at 580 pounds. Charters and open-boat trips are targeting giants through the month, and the open trips are especially economical. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

Atlantic Beach

One or two giant bluefin tuna were docked in the past week, and that was all, said Joyce from Captain Stacy Fishing Center. Seemed no sign of any more, she said. The marina’s party boat returned with a solid catch of sea bass, triggerfish, amberjacks and such. Sea bass season is open there, unlike places farther north, but snapper and grouper seasons are closed until April, when normally they’d be a mainstay on the boat’s weekly trips in winter. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Tampa

The cold made fishing at the warm waters at the power plant about the only option, said Capt. Chuck Rodgers from Rattlesnake Point Outfitters. Air temps currently increased to 68 or 70 degrees, average for the season, but the previous arctic blast caused a large fish kill. A charter is scheduled for Friday, and Chuck hopes to put the anglers on cobia or pompano at the power plant. Jacks and sharks also swam the waters, and other fish, the ones that weren’t killed, moved to deep waters for stable water temperatures. Speckled seatrout fishing should rebound once waters warm. Waters had plummeted to 46 degrees, so that takes a moment to recover. Trout are somewhat more tolerant of colder waters. The cold and the fish kill were unlike anyone had remembered seeing before. Call: 866-439-4305. Visit Web Site.

Lake Okeechobee

The lake’s largemouth bass gathered in the thick grass once the cold arrived, so charters aboard often worked top-water lures to hook up, said Capt. Angie Douthit from Captain Angie Douthit Guide Service. But they also threw other lures including Skinny Dipper soft-plastic swim baits. Many guides on the lake mostly fish shiners, and anglers with Angie can fish that bait if they’d like. But she also specializes in fishing with artificials, if anglers prefer. She’s a professional largemouth bass angler whose credits include two Top 3 finishes in the 2008 Women’s Bassmaster Tour and 6th place overall that year. She writes numerous fishing articles and is featured in a couple of radio shows. When she’s not fishing professionally, she guides for largemouths on Lake Okeechobee and other waters. The trips are an experience, not just catching, but learning, she said. She enjoys teaching, and is up on the latest techniques. Many bass anglers join her specifically to learn about the angling. Okeechobee, a 735-square mile lake, holds big bass, and lots of lunkers, many of them 2 to 3 pounds, kept being claimed despite the cool weather. The cold had slowed the fishing way down, but the weather was warming, reaching the mid 70s, and catches were picking back up.  In spite of the set back, the fishing this year’s been one of the best season’s Angie’s experienced in 10 years. Call: 863-228-7263. Visit Web Site.

Miami

Seas were “hang on city” last week, but one trip snuck out toward the end of the week, releasing two sailfish and missing another in a short time, said Jackie Glinski from the Blue Waters II. The fishing was hot 2 to 3 miles from shore when vessels could run in the seas, and the boats were just getting back out on the waters. King mackerel gave up plenty of action a mile from shore, and Spanish mackerel swam the reefs close to shore. Scattered mahi mahi were sometimes intercepted on their migration south, and amberjacks were muscled up from the wrecks. Call: 305-373-5016. Visit Web Site.

Key Largo

Lots of yellowtail snappers, quite a few mangrove snappers and a few cero mackerel were rustled up on the party boat Sailor’s Choice today, Capt. Joe Hall said. Fishing mostly seemed back to normal after the cold, and floating fish that were killed in the weather were seen even at the reef 6 ½ miles from shore where trips fished, but that was because of west winds. The dead fish came from the back country, but the deeper waters at the reef protected the fish better. Today was beautiful on the waters, and yesterday was decent, and the weather probably warmed to a high of 75 degrees. Two trips sail daily 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Call: 305-451-1802. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

The cold departed, and fish floated, and bait was killed, but angling improved, and bait became more cooperative, as the week went on, said the report on Over Under Adventures’ Web site. King mackerel attacked like crazy, and sailfish even started to bite, and a handful of sails were creamed by the weekend with Over Under. Reef fishing was tried, and yellowtail snappers 2 to 3 pounds and mutton snappers 8 to 18 pounds gave up plenty of catches. So that fishing also rebounded. The rest of the fishery should pick up, and wahoos should begin t be fought. Cold waters in the back country also forced cobia to push out front with a vengeance, an early showing for the lemonfish. They were challenging to get to bite, but one or two could be tricked to eat with patience. Over Under will compete in the Cheeca Sailfish Tournament this weekend, hoping for great shots at the fish. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site.

Fish kills from the cold put a damper on some of the fishing close to shore, but offshore angling pounded great catches, especially sailfish, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from  Captain Easy Charters. Slow-trolled, live ballyhoos – or sometimes sardines or cigar minnows, but mostly bally’s – did a number on sails outside the reef in 120 to 150 feet 4 or 5 miles from shore. Lots of king mackerel also tore up the blue waters, and snappers were pumped up from the reef. A charter Friday landed three sails and a bunch of kings, and another on Saturday landed one sail before rough seas caused seasickness, forcing the anglers back to the dock. But other boats whaled sails that day. A bunch of fishing days were missed during the cold and also because of rough seas a couple of days. But the weather warmed back up to the high 70s, normal for the time of year, and water temps were on the rise. That was after a solid week of daytime air temps in the 40s and a couple of nights in the 30s, frigid for the Keys. Weather fronts like that can turn on sailfishing in winter, but like with all fishing, there are no hard and fast rules. Sometimes fronts come through, and sails fail to be found. Other times no front moves in, and sailfishing gets hopping. But the angling was good now.  Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

On the party boat Miss Islamorada anglers put up big numbers of king mackerel, limits of the fish, 20 to 50 per trip, as good as it gets, “a crush,” Capt. Ben Loy said.  That was when the cold weather remained early last week. But now warmer weather reaching the mid 70s arrived, and days might reach the 80s later in the week, and even a couple of degrees higher than before can make all the difference in snapper fishing at the reef. Probably 80 yellowtail snappers were mugged on Wednesday’s trip, and 25 or 30 porgies were plundered, and cero mackerel were waxed. Lots of meat in the box, Ben said. The yellowtails are picked up on cut bait or pieces of shrimp floated out in a chum slick. Two 15-pound bags of chum that includes oats and sand are set out, and the fish rush to the top, grabbing the baits. The porgies are plucked from the bottom on bait, and the cero’s are whacked on live pilchards. A sailfish was landed on a live speedo hung from a kite during the week, and live baits, when available, are fished from a kite when conditions are right, and that’s when the big fish, like sails or large king mackerel, are usually walloped. But a 41-pound wahoo was hammered on 12-pound test on a king mackerel rig early in the week. The Miss Islamorada sails 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from world famous Bud N’ Mary’s Marina. Call: 305-664-2461. Visit Web Site.

Key West

The cold snap caused the second lowest air temperatures since records began being kept 150 years ago at Key West, the report on Over Under Adventures' Web site said. Daytimes dipped to 40 degrees, and water temps dropped to 50. But waters warmed back up, and so did fishing. Angling for pompano, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, mangrove snappers, speckled seatrout, redfish, jack crevalle and blacktip sharks in the back country was some of the best. A few tarpon rolled around, and good permit fishing should take off as things become warmer, and a few bonefish should start knocking around. On the ocean side tuna, king mackerel, sailfish and occasional wahoo were plowed. Anglers can fish with light tackle and fly rods for all these species with Over Under. If anglers want to try to break a tackle record, they can book a trip for that, too. Ted Lund, former editor of Saltwater Sportsman, heads up Over Under’s operations from Key West this year for the first time. Lund, who’s fished from the Keys for 30 years, has also been managing editor of Sport Fishing, editor in chief of Fly Fishing in Saltwaters and a freelance outdoor writer and photographer for publications including Sports Illustrated, Yachting and the Miami Herald.  Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

Back to Top