NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Ling were crushed on the party boat Captain Al, Capt. Tom Weiss said. The fishing was “super duper,” he said! The ling weighed up to 5 ½ pounds, and trips sailed Friday and Sunday. Rough weather forced Saturday’s trip to be docked. A cod or two were clocked on each outing, and occasional, out-of-season blackfish were let go, and a few small mackerel were hooked. Mackerel boats no longer caught much. The Captain Al had been in the yard for seasonal maintenance until the trip Friday, and is now fishing 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. The trips will probably begin to sail daily on April 13. Ling will be targeted, and porgies will be able to be fished for when New York’s porgy season opens May 1. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

The weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon was scrubbed Saturday because of forecasts, said Capt. Skip Feller from Rudee Inlet Charters. But a trip fished inshore for blackfish instead. A few blackfish were tugged aboard. “It wasn’t too bad,” Skip said. Out-of-season sea bass were released, and dogfish bit. The long-range forecast looks good for this coming week’s trip to the canyon. Fishing on the outings – deep-drop, bottom angling – has been great this season. The last trip, covered in the last report, put the brakes on blueline tilefish, golden tiles, black belly rosefish and barrelfish. The unique trips are fishing 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday at the Norfolk, 4 to 4 ½ hours from port. The trips aim for catches including blueline tilefish, golden tiles, black belly rosefish, wreckfish and groupers. Ask about special trips for golden tiles this month and in May. Charters are also available. In other news, boaters from the marina caught blackfish, and started to grab summer flounder along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Big schools of red drum were heard about that gathered off the mouth of the bay. That was early in the season for them, and usually black drum arrive first. But nothing was heard about black drum yet. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

One boat from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center today was on its way back by noontime with a load of yellowfin tuna, Affie Meekins said. Another was on the grounds then, arriving late, but the fishing was on, and the crew expected to bail yellowfins. The fleet was weathered out Monday, and weather was rough Sunday, but one boat fished that day, returning with 12 yellowfins. On Saturday plenty of trips fished, decking six to twelve yellowfin tuna per boat. Two of the trips axed a mess of gaffer mahi mahi, but that was unusual. Other boats that day picked up one or two mahi. So yellowfin tuna fishing was good, and fishing for bluefin tuna wasn’t as great during the weekend as previously. Anglers couldn’t say bluefin fishing was slowing down, because that was only the weekend. Boaters fishing the back waters piled up big speckled sea trout. Bluefish were beaten from the piers. Blow toads were also hung from the surf. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Gaffer mahi mahi, decent numbers, showed up, and blackfin tuna, a few wahoos and some amberjacks were also docked, a report on Teach’s Lair Marina’s Web site said. “All in all, there was some nice fishing and catching,” the report said. In the surf, blow toads were reeled in steadily, and filling a cooler was possible “at all times of the day,” the report said. Sea mullet were mixed in, and more were appearing. Small blues ran the surf. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Amberjack fishing was off the hook, said Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters. Trips aboard caught the heck out of them on live baits dropped down 300 feet to the top of the Islamorada Hump, a 300-foot, underwater mound in 600-foot depths. Quite a few mahi mahi swam around, and some good-sized king mackerel were trolled on a trip aboard today. Blackfin tuna, medium-sized, not large, were beaten the other day on the vessel. Evening trips wrestled lots of sharks, including big bulls, and some tarpon close to port. That fishing can be a bonus for anglers, a quick trip at the end of the day, after a full day of other angling. Tarpon fishing should continue to amp up, especially this month. Reef fishing rounded up lots of yellowtail snappers and some mutton and mangrove snappers. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Lots of yellowtail snappers were scooped aboard the party boat
Miss Islamorada, Capt. Ben Loy said. Waters were warm, because
of the warm winter, helping to make the snappers active. The warmth
also caused the fish to spawn early this season, making them aggressive. Customers caught a bunch.  Trips anchored and chummed at the reef within
4 miles from port. The chum drew the snappers to the surface, and the fish
were nabbed on small chunks of bait or pieces of shrimp. Fishing was best at
the transom, so the crew moved the anglers around the boat, giving everyone
a chance to fish there. An average of 25 to 30 anglers fished per trip, and most trips sailed, had the weather to go. Weather was mostly beautiful. Monday was 83 degrees and calm. March had been windy, but currently a stretch of light winds was forecast for the next days. Visit Web Site.

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