NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Ling, mackerel and cod were shoveled aboard the party boat Captain Al,
Capt. Tom Weiss said. Ling gave up very good catches on some days. Quite a few mackerel were mixed in, and a handful of cod to 15 pounds were axed each outing. Trips sailed every day in the past week, fishing in 90 to 125 feet. Waters warmed slightly to 46 degrees on the grounds. The ling and cod were caught on bait, and no customers were known to try jigging for cod. The mackerel were landed on bare hooks. The Captain Al is now in the ship yard, undergoing maintenance for the season, and will resume fishing daily on Friday, March 30.  Trips will run 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting an hour later than previously. The Captain Al is this site's closest Long Island cod boat to New Jersey.
See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Fishing was good on the weekly, party-boat, deep-drop, bottom-fishing trip to Norfolk Canyon aboard Saturday, Capt. Skip Feller from Rudee Inlet Charters said. The angling was somewhat slower than previously, but tilefish, a good catch, to 18 pounds were beaten. A foggy, dreary, dark day probably affected the fishing. Still, the somewhat slower catch was compared to excellent catches previously this season. Winds blew 12 to 15 knots, so seas never became rough. The trip fished in 300 feet, and sometimes the outings will push deeper for catches like golden tilefish, groupers and wreckfish.  The trips are steaming to Norfolk Canyon, a 4- to 4-1/2-hour sail, from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday. The unique outings shoot for catches including blueline tiles, golden tiles, black belly rosefish, wreckfish and groupers. Ask about special trips for golden tiles that are set for April and May. Charters are also running. In other news, trips on other boats from the marina barreled up blackfish on the ocean and began to locate summer flounder along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Mostly bluefin tuna, sometimes yellowfin tuna, were landed on boats from
Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Bambi Scarborough said. Yellowins were just starting to appear for the season, but better numbers showed up on trips Monday. Two boats limited out on yellowfins that day, and bluefins were still reeled in among the fleet then. Sometimes mahi mahi were in the mix through the past week. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Blackin tuna, yellowfin tuna, a few amberjacks and some early-season mahi mahi “rounded out the weekend’s catch,” a report on Teach’s Lair Marina’s Web site said. One boat returned from an overnight trip with “another swordfish,” the report said. The sword weighed 85 pounds, and another trip docked a 57-pound wahoo. From the surf, citation drum began to be checked in. Birds worked all over a bite Friday, but northeast winds made the fishing fall apart Saturday. Puffers and small bluefish swam the suds lately. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Quite a few mahi mahi were decked aboard, said Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters. The season was early for them, but winter was warm, and lots of schoolies and some bigger mahi were caught on trips in the past week. Trips trolled to search for them. When the fish were found, the anglers pitched live baits like cigar minnows and ballyhoos, fighting the mahi on light tackle or 20-pound-class rods and reels. A few wahoos were clobbered from the same waters. Amberjacks were pumped in from along the Islamorada Hump, 11 miles from shore, other sea mounts and deep wrecks on live baits that were deep-dropped. Not many blackfin tuna swam those waters, and the tuna were a little late to arrive this year. Lots of yellowtail snappers were swung aboard from the reef a few miles from port.  Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120.
Visit Web Site.

Lots of big yellowtail snappers were bailed on the party boat Miss Islamorada, Capt. Ben Loy. Weather was warm since winter, and yellowtails began to spawn early, usually spawning in May and June. Spawning makes the fish bite better, become more aggressive. Anglers, good crowds aboard, seemed pleased with the catch, and all got to take the snappers home. Many brought the snappers to restaurants to be cooked. Fish could hardly be fresher. The snappers are bagged at the reef within 4 miles from shore. Chum is placed in the waters, drawing snappers to the surface. Anglers fish with small pieces of chunk bait or shrimp on light weights on light, 12-pound, fluorocarbon leader, on 12-pound main line. Visit Web Site.

Peter Rotelli and friend joined one of the weekend getaways to the Florida Keys during the weekend with Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service, Joe said. Fishing was good for them on both Saturday and Sunday. Fishing the back country near Flamingo, their catch included speckled sea trout, redfish, barracudas, jacks and ladyfish. Peter mostly fly fished, and his friend spin fished. Joe will offer the trips to Florida a moment longer, into early April, before turning all attention to fishing at home port in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, through fall. The trips to the Keys run each winter aboard. Anglers can arrive at the Keys on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, and be back to work Monday morning. Or anglers can fish a shorter time. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation for a wide variety of catches, from speckled sea trout and redfish to tarpon and sailfish. Visit Web Site. Call: 609-827-3442.

COSTA RICA

Los Suenos

Fishing had slowed somewhat, but picked back up during the last few days,
Capt. Pete Wagner from the Dream Girl said. Most trips aboard released four to six sailfish. Big dorado, for lots of good eating, were on the bite. Joe Sloan’s party from Kearny aboard last week scored a great trip, Pete said. They landed five sailfish, a 280-pound blue marlin and five dorado. The marlin swiped a livelined bonito. Pete will return to home port at Highlands, New Jersey, at the end of March, and striped bass trips will begin fishing on Raritan Bay on the boat the first week of April. Call now to secure spring dates. He runs the Dream Girl from Costa Rica each winter and the Hyper Striper from Highlands the rest of
the year. Visit Web Site. Follow Pete’s fishing by Liking the Dream Girl and
Hyper Striper Facebook pages.

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