<b>Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> Capt. Pete Wagner from the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, sailing from Highlands from spring through fall, is chartering from Costa Rica, and fishing there is very good, he wrote in an e-mail. He runs the boat Dream Girl from there each winter, and sailfishing’s been the best in many years this season aboard. Fifteen to 20 releases per day have been common, and the sails have weighed 75 to 100 pounds. Bottom-fishing was also great for groupers and some snappers. A few dates remain for the trips in March, if anglers “want out of that cold,” Pete said! On the Hyper, striped bass charters will begin in April.

<b>Neptune</b>

All trips were cancelled through the weekend with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, and fishing will resume aboard when the weather improves, Capt. Ralph wrote in an e-mail. Charters and individual-reservation trips had been sailing for either blackfish or cod, pollock and ling.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> Blackfishing will resume Friday to Sunday on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, sailing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Capt. Chris said. Green crabs and clams will be supplied, and white leggers will be available for sale aboard. No trips fished in past days in the winter weather. Chris considered fishing today, but forecasts called for a temperature of 13 degrees this morning. Weather’s supposed to warm starting Friday.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> One of the Belmar party boats still sailed for blackfish, when possible in the weather, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. The angling this past week “had its ups and downs,” he said, but sizeable blackfish, including a 15-pounder, were sometimes netted, and so were ling and cod. Striped bass season will open in only 30 days, Bob noted, on March 1 in bays and rivers. The season is open year-round on the ocean, up to 3 miles from shore, and is always closed beyond that distance. Winter flounder season will open on March 23, and the shop’s rental boats, on Shark River, are traditionally splashed for the fishing season for that opener, so customers can jump on the flatfish on the river.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> The party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> will be dry-docked for annual maintenance and a Coast Guard inspection to be readied for spring fishing, an e-mail from the vessel said. Trips had been slated to fish for mackerel since winter, but the macks never showed up on the fishing grounds. Take advantage of specials available only through February: buy a gift certificate, and get an additional one for $10 toward any trip this year; buy two, and get a $20 one; buy five, and get one free; or buy 10, and get three free. When five or 10 are purchased, the free ones are only valid for the person named on the certificate. These specials can’t be combined with any others, and are valid for both Miss Belmar Princess and Royal Miss Belmar. Cash and all major credit cards are accepted by telephoning or emailing the boat.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Fishing was kept docked this weekend on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, because of the weather, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Trips are next scheduled to sail for blackfish and ling 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. this coming Saturday and Sunday. Trips had also been fishing for ling every Saturday night, and the site mentioned nothing about that recently. But anglers can telephone the boat to confirm whether a trip is slated for that, too. A special cod trip is sold out for February 5, and the date for the next one will be announced.  <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> Weather looks good, and the trips for blackfish and ling will sail through the weekend, Matt wrote in a report on the boat’s website. “Crabs and clams are included!” he wrote.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> The party boat <b>Dauntless</b> last fished four or five days ago, because of the weather, Capt. Butch. But bottom-fishing trips are slated to sail daily, and the cold weather is supposed to break after today. When the vessel last fished, catches were a little slow, but ling were slung aboard. A few blackfish, cod and pollock were mixed-in, and on a good day of fishing, anglers probably bagged five to 15 fish apiece. Average might’ve been five to 10. Dog sharks that could be a nuisance previously became scarcer, but conger eels still bit. No mackerel were hooked this past week, and two to five per trip were previously. The mackerel migration never really swam the bottom-fishing grounds this year. During years when the macks school within range, trips mix-in fishing for them, bottom-fishing the rest of the time. Trips recently fished in 120- to 150-foot depths, and waters were cold or 38 to 40 degrees. Waters reached 40 on occasional days. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> Ice was definitely fished for white perch at Collin’s Cove, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s on Mullica River, and he didn’t know whether the fish were landed, because the store is closed for winter. He sent anglers to Absecon Bay Sportsman Center for live grass shrimp, the favorite bait for the perch, that were stocked there. But the ice was fished, and the long stretch of cold weather probably thickened the hard water well. Air temperature was 16 degrees at Scott’s when he gave this report in a phone call at 10 a.m. today. But the temperature is about to climb, and rain is forecast for Saturday. The cove, just upstream from Garden State Parkway, is the state’s popular place for ice fishing for the perch. The fish gather there to escape colder currents in the main river. That was about the only fishing news in the cold. The shop will be reopened March 1, opening day of striped bass season, 30 days away, in bays and rivers. The store’s annual $100 gift certificate to the shop will be awarded to the angler who weighs-in the season’s first striper from Graveling Point, the shore-angling spot at the confluence of the Mullica and Great Bay. That’s always one of the state’s first places to give up stripers, because the location attracts the fish, and simply because of access. The warmer river that meets the bay seems to draw the fish. When the first will be caught varies from year to year, and has always happened in March. During some years, the fish bit on March 1. The latest was probably March 27 or 28, if Scott remembered. Bloodworms will be the bait to dunk at first. The fish seem to be able to digest them best while the water’s cold. Later, when the water warms somewhat, clams will become the preferred bait. The store will stock the baits. When the water becomes too warm, the bass will start to depart, but bluefish will invade. A $100 gift certificate is also awarded for the first blue from the Point. For a time in spring, a mix of fish can bite at Graveling that can include stripers, blues, black drum, white perch and weakfish. Striper season is open year-round in the ocean, out to 3 miles from the coast. The season is always closed beyond that. Though the physical store is closed, its online store, <a href="http://www.pennparts.com" target="_blank">PennParts.com</a>, is open. That features every part on the market for Penn reels, many that are no longer on the market, Penn reels themselves, every available schematic for Penn reels – free to view online – and other fishing supplies. The store is usually open year-round, but was closed this winter to work on repairs from Hurricane Sandy.

<b>Absecon</b>

Ice was reportedly fished for white perch at Collin’s Cove on Mullica River, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. He heard no first-hand reports about the fishing, but customers telephoned for bait for the angling, saying they checked out the cove, and a few anglers fished the ice, catching a few of the perch. Temperatures failed to drop below freezing last night for the first time in a while, but even if the ice opens up today, it should freeze tonight, in forecasts for the cold to return. Live grass shrimp, the favorite perch bait, have been stocked, and another supply arrived today. Unless a load of customers buys it up, the shrimp should be stocked this week. The shop is open during no regular hours this time of year, but Dave is usually there, and telephone ahead to confirm. Collin’s Cove, located just upstream from Garden State Parkway, is the state’s most popular place for ice fishing for the perch. The fish gather there in winter to escape colder currents in the main river. In other news, this is summertime at Dave’s <a href="http://www.abseconbay.com/fishguatemalaparlamasportfishing.html" target="_blank">Guatemala charter business</a>, a peak time for fishing there, including for sailfish, dorados and other catches. Click the link to visit the website that Dave’s been updating, or Like the business’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ParlamaSportfishing" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> that he’s been working on. <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/30:***</b> Dave on the store’s Facebook page on Tuesday shared a post from Tom Pagliaroli’s Rack-and-Fin Radio Show saying ice-fishing for perch on the Mullica might be better at Scotty’s Pond than at Collin’s Cove. That was because Scotty’s was 15 to 35 feet deep, much deeper than the cove. Eighteen feet was the deepest Tom found on Collin’s, because of siltation. But grass shrimp for bait “still rules!” Tom wrote, and he hoped Dave would still stock the bait. Dave did, and Dave recommended that anglers Friend Rack-and-Fin’s page to keep up on good advice. Scotty’s is located off exit 50 on the northbound Parkway, along Amasa Landing Road, Tom said. A post from another angler on Absecon Bay’s page said ice was 4 to 6 inches at Collin’s on Sunday.

<b>Ocean City</b>

The back bay was partly frozen for the first time in a few years, Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b> said. Rivers were pretty frozen, more than in some time, too. So nothing was reported about fishing, like about blackfishing on the ocean or white perch fishing on the brackish rivers. But the store is open Fridays through Sundays, and will be reopened daily on March 1.

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b> was iced-in, couldn’t be motored out from the slip, Capt. Mike said. In 21 years, this was the third time that happened, and ice almost never forms that much. But as soon as the weather breaks – or as soon as the boat can be sailed from slip, and doesn’t make ice when cruising – charters and open-boat trips will run for cod and pollock.  That’ll be at wrecks 30 miles from shore.  This cold should especially push the fish south to local waters, Mike thinks, and he’s excited. Hammered diamond jigs, clams and squid will be fished, and the trips will run 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. That’s 9 hours, a little longer than usual, to allow for traveling to the fishing grounds. Trips for sea bass and summer flounder in May should be some of the next fishing aboard. Charters are starting to book up on weekends.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Just dealing with the cold, like everybody, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He returned last week from some of his traveling charters to the Florida Keys that weekend, and met Tuesday’s snowstorm and severe cold since then. Only 4 inches of snow fell in the storm, and a dusting fell on Saturday. His next trips to the Keys will fish this weekend. The last trips reeled in snook, redfish, speckled sea trout, black drum, jacks, sharks and more, and had a shot at a tarpon, covered in the last report. The trips are offered each year from Christmas to Easter, mostly on weekends. Someplace can usually be fished in the Keys, no matter the weather. If wind blows from one direction, maybe the bay or Everglades will be fished. If it blows from another, maybe the ocean side will. Weather wasn’t so great on the last trips, improving toward the end, but fishing was good.  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>Cape May</b>

No trips could fish in the weather on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said. But charters and open-boat trips are sailing for blackfish and also for cod and ling. A special open trip for cod and ling is expected to sail when the weather breaks. 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, it’ll 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 party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> was frozen into the slip, Capt. Paul said. None of the weekend’s blackfish trips could sail, but if temperatures climb above freezing, and winds become calm, trips might still sail for blackfish this season. The fish can be bagged through February, before blackfish season is closed for a month in March. Four inches of snow fell during the storm Tuesday, though more was forecast, and more fell on other parts of the state. Cape May’s roads were clear. If the weather allows, the Porgy IV will resume blackfishing at 8 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

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