<b>Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/16:***</b> The <b>Vitamin Sea</b> will be hauled from the water and prepped for striped bass fishing this spring, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The vessel will be moved to Keyport to be close to the angling, sailing from Brown’s Point Marina. Charters will sail, and open-boat trips will run daily when no charter is booked. Telephone, text or email Frank to join the email and texting list to be kept informed about the open trips. He’ll try to send the schedule weekly or more frequently. That can be a great opportunity to time trips “with a good bite,” he said. Rods, bait and tackle are provided, so anglers can just jump aboard.

Fishing was very good for sailfish, dorados, a few marlin and bottom-fish on the Dream Girl from Costa Rica, Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> wrote in an e-mail. He runs the Dream Girl form Costa each winter, and usually starts fishing from Highlands on the Hyper again by April. Spring striped bass charters are being booked on the Hyper, and the schedule does fill up. Reserve dates while available. Or jump on the Dream Girl now. :)

<b>Neptune</b>

Winds blew too strongly, so individual-reservation trips for blackfish were cancelled Saturday and Sunday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an e-mail. The next individual-reservation trips for blackfish are slated for Wednesday, Saturday and January 22, 25 and 29. Tackle, green crabs and white leggers are provided, and clams and Gulps will be carried aboard, in case anglers want to fish for ling or cod on some of the deep drops.  Individual-reservation trips for cod, pollock and ling are set for January 19 and 26. Clams and Gulps will be provided, and cod rigs will be available at no charge. Charters are available daily, and if anglers have a few people who want to fish, but not enough for a charter, contact Ralph, and he’ll try to put a trip together.  <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/16:***</b> Winds look best for fishing on Monday, Ralph wrote in an e-mail. Winds are forecast to blow 20 knots or stronger on Saturday and Sunday. If anglers booked for Saturday’s blackfish trip can jump on Monday’s trip for cod, telephone Ralph as soon as possible. Space remains for that trip and the cod trip on January 26, but is limited to 10 passengers on each. On Monday, winds are supposed to diminish to 10 to 15 knots by noon.

<b>Belmar</b>

Several anglers limited out on blackfish Friday on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, the vessel’s Facebook page said. “(We) had some decent fishing around the boat,” it said. Saturday’s trip was weathered out, and the crew decided not to sail Sunday, waiting for the ocean to settle, because the seas probably would’ve affected blackfishing. But today’s trip was expected to sail, and the ocean and weather were supposed to be calmer. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/16:***</b> Quite a few anglers limited out on blackfish aboard Monday, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigMohawkPartyBoat" target="_blank">Big Mohawk’s Facebook page</a> said. “Nice day on the ocean,” it said, and green crabs caught best, but white leggers landed some. Greens are provided on trips, and white leggers are sold aboard when available. Tuesday’s trip was weathered out, and no report was posted for Wednesday’s trip at press time, but several photos of the trip’s fish were.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/16:***</b> Some days blackfished somewhat better than others, but fairly good-sized ones bit, and some ling and occasional cod did, too, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The fishing was about like expected this time of year, and trips fished in 100 feet and deeper. Charters are still fishing aboard this season.

Mackerel failed to show up “in any numbers,” a report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s website said. So the boat won’t sail for them “until they show,” it said. Trips had been scheduled to fish for mackerel daily. But now the crew will start winter projects on the boat, preparing the vessel to fish again starting in March. The crew thanks anglers who fished aboard for a great season, and looks forward to seeing everybody when the boat fishes again.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 1/14:***</b> Ling fishing was fair on the most recent trip to the Mudhole on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Joe wrote in an e-mail. Some of the ling were big, up to 5 pounds, and a few healthy-sized pollock were picked up. Ray Bryant won the pool with a 16-pound pollock, and the Jamaica II is sailing on Mudhole Wreck-Fishing Trips at 5 a.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Fourteen-hour trips for cod and pollock are rolling at 3 a.m. every Saturday.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Blackfishing was expected to resume today on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Trips were docked Saturday and Sunday, because of weather forecasts. But weather looks good for today and the rest of the week. The fishing was slow on a couple of trips toward the end of the week, and Matt thought the tautog needed to become used to colder waters, after the severe cold snap early last week. “This is the time of year we start catching the big boys,” he said, and Matt expects blackfish to bite again. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Magic Hour Ling Trips are running 3 to 9 p.m. every Saturday. <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/16:***</b> Blackfishing kicked back off Monday aboard, after the trips that were weathered out, and catches improved a lot, compared with the last couple of trips, Matt wrote in a report on the boat’s website. “The blackfish were hungry today,” he said, and the angling wasn’t great, but customers picked away. Some limited out, “and a few had less,” he said. Jody McCloud from Wall won the pool with a 12-pound 7-ounce blackfish.  Both green crabs and white leggers beat the trip’s fish, and none of the whites was available on the boat that day. But Matt said that whites were going to be available aboard Wednesday, though he posted no report for Wednesday at press time. No trip sailed Tuesday, “(and) I guess the weather held some anglers back,” he said. Matt’s reports didn’t say what baits are provided on trips. But green crabs are usually provided on blackfish boats, and whites are often sold aboard the vessels when available.

<b>Absecon</b>

Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> knows that white perch “are floating around,” he said. If anglers wanted to try for perch, Collin’s Cove on Mullica River probably held them. The perch gather at the cove, located just upstream from Garden State Parkway, to escape the colder, main current of the river in winter. Grass shrimp, a favorite perch bait, are currently stocked. Dave will try to keep them on hand through winter, and plenty seemed around. The store is holding no set hours this season, but Dave is usually around, and telephone to confirm the doors will be open, before stopping by. He was spending time fine-tuning his   <a href="http://www.abseconbay.com/fishguatemalaparlamasportfishing.html" target="_blank">Guatemala charter business</a>, and big game seemed to swim close to shore, like they should in winter. He heard from the captain who ran a trip for the business Saturday. Three sailfish were released, among five raised, and dorados were bagged, only 10 miles from shore on the trip.

<b>Ocean City</b>

From <b>Fin-Atics</b>, Ed read about blackfish, ling and cod that party boats docked, he said. Just a few of the boats sailed this time of year. A few anglers tried for striped bass in the surf, but Ed thought that was “a little futile,” he said. “It’s cold.” Striped bass season was closed in bays and rivers on January 1, and will be reopened there on March 1. Striper season is open year-round in the ocean, out to 3 miles from the coast. Fishing for them is always closed beyond 3 miles. The store is open Fridays through Sundays, and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Blackfish surely snapped in the ocean, though nothing specific was heard about them, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He’ll return to the Florida this weekend for traveling charters he runs from the Keys each winter. Snook, redfish, speckled sea trout, jacks and tarpon are some of the fish that could be targeted aboard this weekend. The trips, running from Christmas to Easter, mostly on weekends, can be a mini, fish-filled vacation. One great thing about the Keys is that someplace can be fished, no matter the weather. If winds blow from certain directions, the bay or the Everglades can be fished. If they blow from another, the ocean side can be fished. See <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 1/14:***</b> For <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, some of the next fishing will be in spring for striped bass and drum on Delaware Bay. But trips aboard continued to duck hunt on the bay, Capt. Jim said. Two trips did that on Saturday and Sunday, limiting out, like previous trips did. Weather was considerably warmer than on duck trips the previous weekend on the bay. Ice lingered, and the Intracoastal Waterway and creeks were frozen over. Boat ramps were frozen solid. The trips were limited to hunting big waters that were open. But many waters thawed by Sunday. On Saturday, the ice in warmer weather created thick fog, with visibility only 100 or 200 feet. Another guided trip with Fins hunted geese in Pennsylvania on Thursday, when weather was still cold, tough conditions. Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River was entirely frozen over. Fins and Feathers offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including saltwater fishing on the ocean and Delaware Bay, fly-fishing for trout on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches, and salmon and steelhead fishing on upstate New York’s Salmon River from Jim’s lodge. The trips for stripers and drum on the bay this spring should be booked now, to lock in preferred dates. Steelhead fishing lasts all winter and is currently an option from the lodge. So are winter sports like snowmobiling. But early spring is also a time for the steelheading.  

<b>Cape May</b>

Charters and open-boat trips are still sailing for blackfish on the <b>Down Deep</b>, and the fishing’s been “up and down,” Capt. Mario said. Sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on the Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about open-boat trips. The boat will sail from Cape May until March. In spring, the vessel will be moved to Raritan Bay in the northern state to fish for striped bass from Keyport. Book those trips now for excellent striper fishing, Mario said.

The ocean still held a swell, but the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> sailed for blackfish Sunday, Capt. Paul said. Saturday’s weather had built the seas, and blackfishing was cancelled that day aboard. Weather still wasn’t good on Sunday, but blackfish were bagged on the trip. Not many were large, but four anglers limited out. Some customers landed no keepers, and a good number of anglers joined the trip. The anglers with limits were John Riccardi from Williamstown, Don Mark from Philadelphia, Ken Minett from Voorhees and Feng Waoz from Philly. The Porgy IV will next fish for blackfish at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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