VIRGINIA

Chincoteague Inlet

The snowstorm that dumped 8 or 9 inches on the ground and the frigid cold kept trips from fishing for striped bass, said Capt. Perry Romig from Topless Fishing Charters.  Snow always drops water temperatures close to the coast, for some reason, and the waters take a moment to warm back up. The ocean hugging Virginia Beach was 39 degrees. But he’ll keep sailing for stripers when the cold front breaks, and if anyone wants to search them out, he’s ready. Call: 757-824-5580. Visit Web Site.

Virginia Beach

Striped bass fishing on a trip yesterday whacked them, said Capt. Bob Robinson from Fin Seeker Sport Fishing. Two of the fish met the 40-pound citation size, and two came close. The rockfish were trolled, the usual tactic, but anglers with Fin Seeker can cast lures or jig for the fish when they school the surface. All trips sailed north for the catches this past week, and the fishing was good. The boat in three weeks will be moved to Cape Hatteras for charters for blackfin tuna and bluefin tuna, angling that takes off then. Call: 757-618-7421. Visit Web Site.

The weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon was weathered out on Saturday, said Capt. Skip Fuller from Rudee Inlet Charters. But the boat limited out on blueline tilefish on the last trip, and the anglers beat a bunch of blackbelly rosefish and a handful of barrelfish. The trips, sailing 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday, hook mostly blueline tilefish, a few golden tiles, blackbelly rosefish and snowy groupers. 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

One crew on a boat today limited out on striped bass, and another yesterday caught and released 50, said Virginia Lawhorne from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Lots of the fish schooled the ocean very close to the marina! A few bluefin tuna, the first of the season, were docked Thursday from offshore vessels. The blue-water anglers that day also bagged a few yellowfin tuna and occasional mahi mahi. Windy weather often kept trips from sailing, but one offshore boat ran for tuna today, was on the waters while Virginia gave this report over the phone. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Horrendous weather, such as a storm coming tonight and another expected soon after, kept anglers from fishing, said Dave Hissey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. So nothing was really caught, though previously more puppy drum were dragged from the surf than Dave had ever seen in his 32 years at Hatteras. The fish had also swam Pamlico Sound. Offshore boaters before the weather jigged plenty of blackfin tuna. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Tampa

Limits of pompano and permit were clobbered at the warm waters at the power plant, said Capt. Chuck Rodgers from Rattlesnake Point Outfitters. His anglers tugged in 15 to 20 of each species per trip, keeping no more than an aggregate-limit of six per person, while fishing jigheads with chartreuse or white soft plastics. Speckled sea trout began to move back in to the bays after leaving for deep waters when the cold spell hit a while ago. They were mugged in the bay farther south at Fort Desoto on shrimp under popping corks or on artificials. A couple of anglers said redfish swam the same area, but that was second-hand info. Daytimes were now in the low 70s, average for the season. Giant tarpon will invade local waters in spring and summer, and Rattlesnake goes right after them. They average 80 pounds but can get much larger, and some that were probably 180 pounds were caught and released last year from the boat. Call: 866-439-4305. Visit Web Site.

Lake Okeechobee

The lake’s bigmouth bass bite was getting consistent instead of sporadic, and the weather was back to normal after the cold, said Capt. Angie from Captain Angie Douthit Guide Service. So the effects of the previous chill were waning, and anglers aboard cranked in a bunch of 2- to 4-pounders and sometimes 6- to 10-pound lunkers. Many of the larger, female largemouths were either set up on the spawning beds or were moving onto them, and the fish are released so they breed, but now was a good time to see the big bass. The anglers often worked top-water lures or rubber worms. They threw two types of top-waters: an East Texas Big Bass Lure or a Lonnie Stanley Ribbit rubber frog. The Big Bass Lure is a plug with propellers on both ends that is twitched along the surface and imitates shad that the largemouth bass gobble up. The Ribbit is impaled on a Texas-rigged rubber-worm hook with a screw and is useful along the holes in weeds where the bass beds are located. Many other lures would get hung up in the vegetation. The legs of the Ribbit flutter when the lure is reeled in. Angie, a professional bass angler who guides when not on the pro circuit, enjoys running trips that fish with artificials and is up on the latest techniques. Trips are intended to be an experience and include learning. The FLW Outdoors tournament wrapped up on the lake this weekend, and the B.A.S.S. tournament was also held in January on the lake, and those were the final major tournaments on the lake this season. But local tournaments always take place on Okeechobee, and Angie offers guiding in tournaments, another experience for anglers. Anglers can see things like what lures are used in tournaments and what waters are targeted, and can experience things like fishing on a time limit. Big crappies 16 and 17 inches roamed the lake, and Angie also guides for them. The number of the big slabs was rebounding after the hurricane of 2005 put the whammy on the population. Small minnows or 1/8- to 1/32-ounce jigheads with tubes or small rubber minnows in colors like orange, chartreuse or blue are used. Air temps reached the mid 70s during daytime and mid 50s at night, about normal, and the lake ranged from the high 60s to mid 70s. The mean depth was 13 ½ feet, and that was also about average. Call: 863-228-7263. Visit Web Site.

Largemouth bass fishing got more active, a lot better, and the fish really started to bite, said Capt. Butch Butler from South Florida Bass Fishing. A charter Friday creamed 25 bass to 7 pounds, some quality fish. The lake’s bass can typically weigh 1 to 10 pounds, and trips usually get a shot or a couple at big beasts. The anglers this trip swam live shiners under bobbers along the weeds and vegetation in 3- to 5-foot depths. Shiners generally catch the most largemouths and the biggest lunkers, but artificials work, like top-water lures, swim baits, spinners and rubber worms. Fishing for crappies also improved, especially on the Kissimmee River at night, but the panfish also began to cooperate along the grass in Okeechobee. Anglers often like to focus on crappies with Butch for some of the best fishing for them around, tossing minnows or small jigs for a hook up. The weather was in the 70s and is supposed to warm to the 80s later in the week, and was a joy. So the weather was back to normal after the record cold in mid January, and Okeechobee’s bass fishing showed the effects. The FLW Outdoors bass tournament seemed to go off well on the lake during the weekend. The tournament’s Web site showed that the winner drilled 20 largemouths for a total weight of 71 pounds in the four days of fishing, winning $50,000. Call: 863-634-5431. Visit Web Site.

Miami

King mackerel probably took over fishing more than sailfish did in the past days, said Jackie Glinski from the Blue Waters II. Rains and winds forced the boat to stay in port, but sailfishing was so-so in a local tournament. Waters 2 to 3 miles from shore usually hold sails. Cero mackerel were fought close to shore, and amberjacks were muscled from the wrecks.  Call: 305-373-5016. Visit Web Site.

Key Largo

Lots of mangrove snappers were smoked on today’s trip, said Capt. Joe Hall from the party boat Sailor’s Choice. Quite a few were walloped on the last trips, and a mess of yellowtail snappers consistently chewed, including on today’s outing. A few king mackerel were copped on the trip, and the crew usually hands out a few rods with rigs for the kingfish. A sailfish was leadered two days ago, and they’re sometimes caught when the fish are spotted swimming close to the boat, and the crew pitches a bait to them and hands off the rod to a customer. The weather was in the 70s, back to normal. 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

Sailfish were the main catch to get excited about, and the season’s been one of the better ones for the angling, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from <b>Captain Easy Charters</b>. So most of his trips hunted them down, slow trolling live ballyhoos to connect on light, 20-pound tackle, usually 3 to 5 miles from shore. But a decent number of sizeable king mackerel, including a couple of 30- and 40-pounders, smacked baits. Snappers and a few blackfin tuna were also around, and so were a few wahoos. Check out a recent video of a sailfish landed from Captain Easy’s Facebook page. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

A mother and son hopped aboard the 29-foot Mirage Center Console, one of the new line of boats from Over Under Adventures, looking to catch the son’s first sailfish, an e-mail from Over Under said. The trip first stopped on the bait grounds, and two throws of the net caught plenty of ballyhoos for the day. The trip motored to the sailfish grounds in 18-knot winds that kicked up somewhat sloppy seas, but the boat handled the conditions well. The single diesel engine was kept in gear to idle the boat up-seas, the baits swimming naturally in the waters. A sailfish bit, and quick work was made of landing and releasing the fish. The baits were dropped back in, and another sail was caught 10 minutes later and released after a photo. Another was also released during the trip, and the anglers probably got nine to twelve shots at sails, pulling the hook on a few. Some of the sails attacked tight to the boat, cool to see them chasing the bait almost to the transom. King mackerel also invaded toward the end, and a couple were decked, the rest biting through the mono meant for sails. Fishing slowed to a trickle by 1 p.m., and probably 30 boats had showed up by then. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

About 120 yellowtail snappers, a whole garbage can full, were swung aboard the party boat Miss Islamorada yesterday, Capt. Ben Loy said. The weather, usually 75 to 78 degrees during daytime, was consistent, and that helps snapper fishing. The fish are hooked on bait floated out in a chum slick, and the snappers rise up to grab the hooks. Porgies were sometimes picked from the bottom that day. A kite was set out with live blue runners hanging underneath, and three quality king mackerel to 20 pounds were socked. A sailfish was landed the day before on a blue runner, and a trip one day this past week went 2 for 3 on sails. The boat mostly fished along the edge of the reef at the 50- to 100-foot drop-off 3 or 4 miles from shore. 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

Despite some winds, good fishing was plundered, Capt. Ted Lund from
Over Under Adventures said in an audio report on Over Under’s Web site. A few sailfish chomped, but the arrival of king mackerel was the biggest news. They served up great action on live pilchards or blue runners, but also offered terrific opportunity for light-tackle or fly angling. One trip with two anglers limited out on kings to 20 pounds on light tackle. A few blackfin tuna were around, and cobia fishing should be happening, but winds kept trips from venturing into the Gulf of Mexico to chase them. 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.

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