VIRGINIA

Chincoteague

Trips are set to go after striped bass on the ocean Saturday and Sunday, and the fishing sounded like the catches were about to launch, said Capt. Perry Romig from Topless Fishing Charters. Winds kept the boat from sailing for the rockfish this past week. But Perry heard from a boater who found all the stripers, big ones, anyone could want on the ocean 1 ½ to 2 miles off Ocean City, Maryland, last week on Monday and Tuesday. That’s 28 miles north of Chincoteague. The fish were migrating south for winter! Perry began scoping out local waters for the linesiders three weeks ago, and none swam then within 3 miles from shore, where striper fishing is legal. But some of the bass and bluefish schooled then 10 miles from shore. Waters were 56 to 57 degrees. The angler last week at Ocean City said waters there had dropped to 51 degrees.  At Chincoteague 49-degree waters is the magic number when large, migrating stripers usually swarm the ocean within 3 miles from the coast. Striped bass, large, mature, migrating ones, head south to waters off Chincoteague and Virginia to spend the winter. The area offers the best striper fishing in the world, the highest number of big linesiders, then. Trips with Topless troll for the fish with unique rigs that include Sassy Shads and Atomic plugs originally made for salmon fishing. The plugs are durable, even standing up to toothy blues. Big, 14/0 hooks are used, and the leader is 150 pounds. Two or three 25- to 30-pound stripers have often swiped the rigs at once, and the heavy leader can haul them in. The stripers will remain in the area depending on the weather. Last year’s winter became cold early, and the fish departed the coast, moving farther south, earlier than during some years. Perry told his customers this year to be ready early, including right now. Windy weather that prevented trips was the only difficulty lately. Winds were supposed to calm this coming Thursday or Friday. Call: 757-824-5580. Visit Web Site.

Virginia Beach

Fin Seeker Sport Fishing wrapped up fishing from Hatteras, North Carolina, and will probably begin striped bass fishing from Virginia Beach this weekend, Capt. Bob Robinson said. The season’s final charter at Hatteras on Saturday bailed 10 yellowfin tuna and 15 blackfin tuna. Reports Bob heard from Virginia Beach said eeling for stripers boated good catches at the shoals at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel from Fisherman’s Island to the Highrise Bridge. A few of the rockfish were trolled at the third island. When migrating stripers arrive locally from the north, and that could happen any time, a huge body of the fish parks in the ocean off Virginia Beach. Sometimes they stay all winter, and sometimes they swim farther south, depending on how cold winter becomes. But they will school off Virginia Beach a period of time, and the angling is known to be incredible. Call: 757-618-7421. Visit Web Site.

Anglers on Saturday’s weekly party boat trip walloped a fantastic catch of sea bass and summer flounder with Rudee Inlet Charters, Capt. Skip Feller said. Probably not everyone limited out, but the majority did. The sea bass weighed up to 4 ½ pounds, and the flounder weighed up to two that were more than 8 pounds apiece. This was an inshore trip sailing 8 .m. to 5 p.m. to an area 30 miles from the coast called the Triangle Wrecks, a 5-mile spread of about a dozen wrecks. One more of the trips will probably sail this Saturday, and the long range forecast looks like the weather will allow the trip to steam. Seas were a little choppy in the morning on last Saturday’s trip. After this coming Saturday, 16-hour trips from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. will sail every Saturday to Norfolk Canyon for blueline tilefish, sea bass, black belly rosefish and a few golden tilefish and groupers through winter. The canyon is 65 miles from shore, a 3-1/2- to 4-hour trip from port. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Hatteras

Offshore boaters drilled super catches of blackfin tuna with yellowfin tuna mixed in, when weather allowed vessels to sail, said Steve Hissey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. Winds howled today, and the wind chill was in the 20s. Cold weather might’ve been settling in early this year. One of the charters from the marina returned with 300 pounds of blackfins, some amberjacks and other fish, and the anglers were thrilled. During the previous week wahoos to 65 pounds were docked. One boat motored home with 150 pounds of mahi mahi, and such a catch of mahi was unheard of this time of year. A few late-season sailfish stuck around. Pamlico Sound became cold, so fishing there became a done deal through winter. Dave and a friend on the sound a week or two ago landed six puppy drum, including one keeper. Fish were pouring out of the sound to the surf and ocean now. In the surf anglers beached puppy drum, black drum, speckled sea trout, small blues and mullet. They banked a fair catch of puppies and black drum mostly at the inlet on Monday. Anglers hope that if cold weather is beginning early, that will make striped bass migrate to local waters. The weather became cold enough for stripers last winter, but at the wrong time, and the bass never migrated this far south that year. Visit Web Site.

Atlantic Beach

The last time the boats fished was during Thanksgiving weekend, because of weather, said Loretta Davis from Captain Stacy Fishing Center. Three or four giant bluefin tuna were boated so far this season, and the angling was just getting started, though the catches were a couple of weeks late now. Waters were too warm. Trips that bottom fished racked up lots of sea bass, triggerfish, groupers and snappers. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

South Beach

Carl LaManna, owner of Canyon River Club Marina in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, moved his C-Annamal to South Beach for the winter, he said. He relocates the boat there annually, and travels between there and Point through the season. In Florida he fishes the ocean near South Beach and crosses to the Bahamas. Winds prevented trips from crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. But trips near South Beach already found mahi mahi fishing was gaining steam. Plenty of mutton snappers jumped on baits when trips deep-dropped at wrecks. Cero mackerel and Spanish mackerel raced waters close to shore. A friend said wahoos, incredible catches, went wild near Grand Bahama Island and Bimini. Back at home, Canyon River Club Marina, located on Manasquan River, is open year round, featuring all the amenities and no bridges to the inlet. Call: 732-616-3240. Visit Web Site.

Lake Okeechobee

This was the time to fish for crappies, but phenomenal largemouth bass fishing was also under way, said Capt. Angie from Captain Angie Douthit Guide Service. Crappies were bedding, and anglers onboard fished small minnows for the best catches. One area in the Kissimmee River offered reliable angling for them. But if trips had the time to hunt Lake Okeechobee for the slabs, and the fish do need to be located on the lake from day to day, plenty could be rustled up there. The lake’s largemouth bass fishing was phenomenal all season, and Angie, a professional bass angler, scored one of her better years on them. Big bass and lots of them were around. Anglers on her trips currently cast hard top-water lures with props to the bucketmouths. They also did some flipping and pitching in the thicker grass where the bass hung. The top-waters could be used in grass that was more scattered. When the grass was thick, soft-plastic lures rigged weedless could be cranked through. The lake level was down, was under 12.91 feet, somewhat low, and the rainy season ended some time ago. But the waters were highly fishable, and boaters just needed to be mindful about rocks. Call: 863-228-7263. Visit Web Site.

Miami

A cold snap was under way, so not many fished, but sailfish were sometimes live-baited 2 miles from shore, said Jackie Glinski from the Blue Waters II. Before the cold snap, mahi mahi and blackfin tuna appeared 2 to 3 miles out. Spanish mackerel were trolled on spoons or nabbed on live bait tight to the beaches. Call: 305-373-5016. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

The season’s fishing was just getting started, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from Captain Easy Charters. Trips landed a few sailfish and some king mackerel and wahoos on the slow troll with live bait. Anglers aboard also deep-dropped baits to wrecks at the bottom for fish like mutton snappers. On the slow troll, sails were fought on live ballyhoos in 90 to 150 feet, located 4 miles from shore. The kings were beaten on live cigar minnows or speedos, and the wahoos were wrestled on live speedos. A 35-pound wahoo, a large one, was decked on the boat last week. The deep-dropping was good, taking place at wrecks in depths 150 to 250 feet, located 4 to 6 miles from land. A 32-pound cubera snapper, a rare catch, came up from the wrecks on one trip recently. The weather was pleasant, though a cold front was predicted to drop temps to 37 degrees this morning. Frigid! Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Cold fronts pushed through lately, and winds probably blew 20 knots from the north Monday, but the season’s first push of king mackerel showed up, said Capt. Ben Loy from the party boat Miss Islamorada. A dozen kings to 15 pounds were clobbered on the trip that day on dead ballyhoos. Good-sized yellowtail snappers 2 to 4 pounds, 40 or 50 per trip, a quality catch, were pummeled on shrimp in lots of chum recently. Mutton snappers, a dozen to two dozen a day, were mugged during the weekend’s trips on live or fresh ballyhoos. The crew castnets the ballys for trips. Muttons sometimes swim from the bridges and waters hugging the shore to warmer waters at the edge of the reef, where trips fish, when cold fronts move in. On Saturday’s trip a pair of sailfish were landed, and sails on trips are hooked on live ballys or cigar minnows fished from kites. So fishing was good lately, and trips targeted the fish along the reef 4 miles from port. Call: 800-742-7945. Visit Web Site.

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