Note, Monday, 2/6: This is it: the dead of winter! Fishing was a washout this weekend in the snowstorm Saturday and the cold and winds Sunday. Only a few reports rolled in, and are posted below, and more are expected Thursday (2/16).

The good news is that reports will pick up soon, when striped bass season opens March 1 in the bays and rivers, during this warm winter. It’s probably all uphill from here! (We hope!)

<b>Staten Island</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> A few customers sailed for mackerel, good catches, on party boats, said Pat from <b>E-Z Catch Saltwater Traps & Tackle Co.</b> Whether striped bass could be caught and released from Staten Island’s shore was unknown. “I haven’t sold bait in a couple of weeks,” Pat said. But fresh clams and vacuum-packed bunker are stocked. New York’s striper seasons will open March 16 on Hudson River north of George Washington Bridge and April 15 in marine waters. E-Z Catch is open Tuesdays to Saturdays but will be closed next week for vacation. The store is also a <b><i>premier manufacturer and supplier of saltwater traps</i></b> for wholesale and commercial, including custom building and servicing. See the online <a href="http://www.e-zcatch.com/catalog" target="_blank">catalog of traps</a>. E-Z Catch is also a train store.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Ling, very good catches, were looted the last few days, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Blackfish were boated, and not much was heard about cod. A friend charter captain invited Jimmy to fish for cod this week, and the friend heard little about cod in the Mudhole, and Jimmy declined. Good fishing for striped bass was reported from the surf a couple of nights ago in the dark, somewhere around Deal and Elberon, where anglers fished for them lately. Some anglers banked as many as 30 or 40, including an odd keeper. An owner of another tackle shop reeled in 14. The anglers fished artificials. Stripers could probably be jigged from boats on the ocean during the daytime, but hardly any boats sailed this time of year. Two party boats ran, and Jimmy’s charter captain friend sailed. “Fishing’s good,” Jimmy said. Julian’s is open till 12 noon daily, and all the bait and tackle needed for this time of year is on hand. Baits carried include green crabs, white crabs and fresh clams. All the tackle, including Tsunami sand eels, popular in the surf recently, is stocked.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Fishing and weather remained good, but <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> is finished sailing for the season, Capt. Ralph said. Too few anglers were showing up to fill a trip. His last fishing targeted blackfish, ling and cod. Last Lady will probably launch fishing again the first week of April, starting with blackfish trips.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Anglers aboard filled some coolers, buckets and crates with medium and large mackerel once again on Wednesday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Each drift produced good catches, and plenty of the fish were around. The drifts got on the macks for different lengths of time, before the boat had to be moved from dogfish. Sometimes the drifts produced for more than a half-hour. Previously this week weather kept trips aboard from sailing, but mackerel fishing was solid through Saturday, “with plenty of readings and more fish reported to the north,” the report said. Coolers were filled with medium and large mackerel, and herring mixed in. Water temps were holding, and “good to decent” mackerel fishing should last another week or two, the report said Monday. The Golden Eagle is sailing for mackerel 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Mackerel were booted aboard every trip on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. The fishing was a little slow Saturday but otherwise was good. Rough seas from winds cancelled Sunday’s and Monday’s trips, but the trips ran Tuesday and Wednesday. The macks were mostly medium-sized but included small and large. Trips will keep after them through the weekend and might finish running afterward, unless the macks move back closer. Waters were 48 degrees or warm for the time of year, so that wasn’t impossible. The macks schooled 23 or 24 miles to the southeast, pushing only a mile or so farther southeast each day. That’s not far, but too few anglers joined trips this time of season to steam farther. If the trips stop, the boat will be docked and readied for striped bass trips to begin in April. But Alan will see after the weekend whether the mackerel trips will continue. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for mackerel 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at least through the weekend.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Party boats hadn’t sailed a lot because of lack of anglers from rough weather like rains through the past week, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Only one of the vessels, a bottom-fishing boat, sailed today, and the head boats sailing for mackerel stayed docked. The bottom trips dredged up good catches of ling, sizeable blackfish at times, and sometimes cod. A 15-pound cod from a trip Wednesday was the biggest in a while. Mackerel fishing was good when the trips sailed. Surf anglers had been reeling in striped bass to the north, like from Asbury Park to Deal, but stopped fishing when the weekend’s cold front hit. They began to fish again Wednesday night when weather became warmer, but only dragged in three or four stripers. The fish bit at night lately, so the anglers switched mostly to plugs. One bought Bomber plugs today, for example. Previously they often fished with rubber sand eels like from Tsunami. But that was during daytime, and now they fished from dusk into the night. But it’s February, Bob said. Anglers couldn’t expect much more action.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Fishing for ling was “insane” aboard, Capt. Ryan from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> said in an e-mail. A few other fish – cod, blackfish, whiting and plenty of pout – were mixed in. Fewer cod, small ones recently, than before were boxed. “(But) that could change today,” Ryan said. Anglers and their catches on Wednesday’s trip included: Frank Pogue, 109 ling; Randy Cheung, 96 ling; Larry Quatranno, 91 ling; Omar Richardson, 88 ling; and Dale Isaacs, 84 ling. The boat’s sched for ling and cod fishing for this Presidents’ Day weekend: 12-hour trips at 5 a.m. today through Monday, and a 14-hour trip at 3 a.m. Saturday.

Ling, good catches, were rounded up during the weekdays last week, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. News was scarce afterward because of the wintry weather during the weekend. But anglers who mixed in fishing for blackfish, soaking crabs for bait, on the ling trips picked away at the blacks. Some trips that targeted blackfish scored well. So anglers still picked blackfish. Anglers started to pick away at cod somewhat better than before. A couple of trips on a local party boat fishing for ling clocked 40 cod per day. Mackerel fishing was very good, and the macks weren’t big, but anglers could catch a coolerful. The fish were boated on the east side of the Mudhole. Striped bass were beached from the surf to the north, like from Deal to Long Branch, on plugs. The bass seemed like they didn’t want to leave this winter. Herring and mackerel were found in the stomachs of the stripers. The Reel Seat is open Saturdays and Sundays. The doors will be open Wednesdays to Sundays starting the first weekend in March. Catch great discounts on tackle at the shop’s display at the Fishing Flea Market in Point Pleasant Beach on Sunday, February 26, at the G. Harold Antrim Elementary School. Recreational and commercial anglers will rally on Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 21, to support reform of the Magnuson Stevens Act. The Recreational Fishing Alliance is helping to organize the event. The Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund will donate buses for anglers to travel to the March. Dave and the rest of the SSFFF board members are going to meet to figure out details that will be announced. During the last March, anglers paid to ride the SSFFF buses. But the SSFFF will pay for the buses this year, making them free for anglers. 

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> No trips steamed in the past week with Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, he said. But open-boat trips will fish aboard for blackfish, ling and cod Saturday to Monday, Presidents’ Day, if the weather allows. Fishing reportedly remained good, mostly for ling. But the trips will go out and see what bites. Derek’s boat, the Fisher Price, from Highlands, was stowed away for winter earlier this season, but he’s captaining and working the deck on a boat from Point Pleasant Beach this winter. Call Derek to climb aboard the open trips, or to be kept informed about future open dates, or to book a charter: 732-291-7675 or 732-861-3394. The Fisher Price will begin fishing for the season on striped bass trips at least during the first week of April from Highlands. But if the weather stays warm, the trips could begin the third or fourth week of March. Reports were heard about stripers beached from the surf. Choice dates remain for spring charters, and if interested, now’s the time to call.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Ling, probably an average of 20 to 40 per angler, good catches for the time of year, were swung aboard the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Some days put up somewhat better catches, but 20 to 40 was “pretty (darn) good,” Butch said.  A few cod were mixed in, and some days gave up a couple of more keeper cod than others, and other days turned out some more shorts. A few blackfish were boated, and sometimes out-of-season sea bass, including large ones, were landed and released. A few mackerel were hooked every day. The macks were small, and the main body of mackerel probably swam too far offshore for the bottom-fishing trips. So trips aren’t likely to mix in mackerel fishing like they do during winters when the migration schools close enough. But ling fishing was too good to leave anyway. Trips fished shallow in 130 to 150 feet, because dogfish were a nuisance deeper. Waters on the fishing grounds were 45 to 47 degrees, depending on depth. Deeper waters were warmer, and shallower were cooler. Striped bass were sometimes seen close to shore when trips returned to port. None was seen Wednesday, but large bird plays, apparently over stripers, were seen Monday just south of Manasquan Inlet. Lots of herring schooled close to shore lately. Butch was surprised to see no anglers in private boats fishing for the stripers. But if the boaters wanted, they should be able to find the birds working the herring the stripers are feeding on. The Dauntless is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Toms River</b>

Bloodworms began to be stocked Friday at <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>, Jeff said. Anglers bought them to fish for white perch on the Toms River, and results were yet to be heard. Jeff was probably going to hit the Toms for perch himself with the bait. A neighbor landed chain pickerel on the freshwater portion of the Toms at Trilco. Trilco is a building supply that’s closed. No sign identifies the building as Trilco, but it’s near the Parkway, and locals call the stretch of rive there Trilco. Nothing was heard about other fish caught at Trilco. The shop was open Friday and Saturday, the first time set hours were held since a winter break. The store might continue to be open those days, and is also open when the owner happens to be there. Bloodworms, nightcrawlers, shiners, killies and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> One angler this morning asked whether bloodworms will be stocked for the opening of striped bass season March 1 in the bays and rivers, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers at least started to look forward to the opening, and was difficult to believe that was two weeks from today. Scott’s like every year will award a $100 gift certificate to the angler who checks in the first keeper striper from Graveling Point. The point, a nearby shore-angling spot at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River, is always one of the state’s first places to turn out stripers. Maybe that’s because of warmer, shallow waters that are fed by the river, and the access to the waters. Scott began looking to ensure stocking bloodworms for the opener. Grass shrimp and minnows are currently carried, and nobody reported fishing, not even for white perch in the brackish rivers that can be popular in winter with the shrimp. Collins Cove on the Mullica River is the favorite local place for the perching in the cold months. The fish seek the warmer waters of the cove, away from the colder currents of the main river. One angler bought minnows for freshwater fishing. Rumors were heard about good mackerel fishing on party boats. Reel repairs became backed up at the shop. “Exceeded capacity,” Scott said. Business went well at <a href="http://www.pennparts.com" target="_blank">PennParts.com</a>, the shop’s online business featuring every Penn Reel part on the market, and many that are discontinued.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Little was heard about fishing, including because of the snowstorm on Saturday and the cold on Sunday, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. He wasn’t aware whether the party boats sailed for fish like blackfish. But they did previously. Stripers supposedly bit from the surf in the northern state, beyond Island Beach State Park. Fin-Atics is open Fridays to Sundays, and the hours will be increased in March.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> Capt. Paul from the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> a few weeks ago started saying blackfish trips aboard would sail as long as the fish kept biting, he said. They continued to bite, so the trips will keep going. One of the boat’s trips sailed this weekend, on Saturday, and the catch included a couple big blackfish. One was a 16-1/2-pounder that Nelson Ott from Reading released, and he also limited out. The big fish was a female, and some anglers like to release the large ones for breeding. Others who limited included John Riccardi from Williamstown, Ken Minett from Voorhees and Rudy Barbolini from Wildwood Crest. A small crowd fished aboard that day, because of snow to the north, but blackfish were bagged. The Porgy IV is slated to sail for blackfish 8 a.m. this Saturday through Monday, Presidents’ Day, provided the weather allows, and enough anglers show up. Trips have usually been scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays this winter.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> The <b>Down Deep</b> will begin fishing for the season on March 23, Capt. Bob said. Trips will first sail for striped bass on Delaware Bay, probably chunking with clams. Drum trips will start next, and drum fishing usually starts the third or fourth week of April in the bay. Maybe the angling will start early this year, because of the warm winter. Drum enter the bay to spawn when the waters reach a certain temperature. Trips are being booked for stripers and drum and for the whole season. Buddies sailed for cod Wednesday, and Bob was yet to hear results.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 2/16:***</b> No trips sailed with Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, he said, and the weekend’s weather was rough. But he’s one of the few captains offering charters this winter. Trips for cod or blackfish are available. Trips for striped bass will be on tap as soon as the bass arrive in Delaware Bay. They can arrive at different times every year, and George began trying for them during the second week of March last year. The bass began to bite well during the third week. George’s trips will clam for the bass, and the fish have arrived early like that in recent years, earlier than most charter boats are launched for the season. George is one of the few captains available to run for the stripers if they arrive early. Other boats have missed out on the angling recently. Next his trips will drum fish on the bay. Drum fishing became best in May in recent years, though previously a good bite began in April. When they’ll turn on this year will be seen.

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