Welcome to the first Offseason Report of 2012-13!

This report will grow as winter, out-of-state, saltwater fishing -- the fishing this report features -- kicks off! The reports are posted during New Jersey's fishing off-season.

NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Cod trips will launch December 15 on the party boat Captain Al, Capt. Tom Weiss said. Daily trips will then run for cod and ling as long as the winter run of cod lasts.  The Captain Al is this site's closest Long Island cod boat to New Jersey, and the fishing aboard last year was good. It was better than at other Long Island ports including Montauk. Montauk had a slow season for cod last year. Good news: Cod, healthy-sized, 10 and 15 pounds, one or two per trip, began to appear daily in the Captain Al’s catches, starting Friday. The boat is currently blackfishing daily until New York’s blackfish season is closed on December 15.  Blackfishing was good, and the sizes of the fish started to become larger. Lots of 8- and 10-pounders were caught starting the second half of last week. Trips blackfished at 17 Fathoms, deeper than before, and more and more ling began to be shoveled aboard, too. The Captain Al is blackfishing at 6:30 a.m. daily and will begin fishing for cod and ling at 6 a.m. daily starting December 15. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Deep-drop fishing’s been good, mostly for blueline tilefish, on the weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon with Rudee Inlet Charters, Capt. Skip Feller said. When trips could fish deep, good catches of black belly rosefish were pumped in. Sometimes when trips fish deep, catches can also include golden tilefish, barrelfish, wreckfish and groupers. Catches of them were good previously, and Skip hopes they will be again this winter. Sixteen-hour trips are steaming every Saturday aboard to the Norfolk, a few hours from port, straight through winter. The trips can be an adventure, targeting unique catches like this, all delicious. In other news, Virginia anglers waited for the migration of striped bass in the ocean. The entire population of stripers drops down from the Northeast, wintering off Virginia. Currently stripers from Chesapeake Bay were boated along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400.
Visit Web Site. ***Update, Tuesday, 12/4:*** This Saturday’s trip cranked in blueline tilefish, lots, to 15 pounds, a couple of barrelfish and some black belly rosefish, Skip said. “All in all, a good day,” he said. Out-of-season sea bass were released, and seas were slick-calm in beautiful weather, despite winds and rough seas in New Jersey. Forecasts look good for this Saturday’s trip. The trips, reaching the canyon in 4 to 4 ½ hours from port, steam 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Sailfish swam the waters, and fishing for them was just beginning for the season, Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters said. Mahi mahi, blackfin tuna and mutton snappers were also caught, and fishing was good. The sails were beaten on slow-trolled live ballyhoos along the outside edge of the reef, 3 to 5 miles from shore. Mahi mahi were mixed in, but more mahi swam a couple of miles farther from shore, in 200- to 300-foot depths, under working birds. The tuna were taken in the same depths “in the middle of nowhere,” Bruce said. No birds or anything. The muttons were reeled from bottom back on the reef. Weather was seasonable, in the upper 70s to low 80s. Ah, Florida! No cold fronts arrived yet. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Back to Top