NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Trips for cod resumed Thursday on the party boat Captain Al, and the angling was good, Capt. Tom Weiss said. That was after severe cold kept the fishing docked, and only six anglers showed up on that first day back out, and they chipped in extra on fares so the trip could sail. They bagged 33 cod, and waters were 40 degrees. The fishing showed promise, but then the warmer weather melted snow that poured out from Hudson River and other rivers, chilling the ocean 1 ½ degrees per day. Cod fishing slowed as a result the past couple of days. Weather became colder now, though, so that might help. When the fishing was good, cod were bagged in 60 to 70 feet. When the angling became tougher, any that were caught came from farther from shore, in 100 to 120 feet. Cold from snow melt affects the ocean closer to shore more than farther out. The ocean dropped to 36 degrees by Monday, and fish usually refuse to bite when the temp dips below 37.  In winter, cod mostly school the shallows, and swim deeper afterward. The Captain Al is this site's closest boat to New Jersey that’s sailing for cod daily. Trips run 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Finally, the weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon sailed Saturday with
Rudee Inlet Charters, and long-range forecasts look like this Saturday’s trip is a go, Capt. Skip Feller said. The trips had run into a stretch of rough weather on Saturdays that kept them in port some time. The fishing was good, and at first, blueline tilefish were cranked from 50 fathoms or 300 feet. Then the trip pushed deeper, to 600 to 900 feet, pumping in a couple of golden tilefish and some black belly rosefish, barrelfish and wreckfish. The anglers ended up with a good variety. The unique trips mostly target bluelines. If that angling’s good enough, or the anglers get their fill, and seas are fairly calm, the trips sometimes push deeper, for catches like the goldens and the other fish. Dog sharks were sometimes landed, but weren’t a terrible nuisance, and the waters were 51 degrees on the fishing grounds. The trips sail 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday in winter. Sometimes anglers are offered to sail on other days, like a Sunday or a Monday, if weather looks better then. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Website.

Weather had been unseasonably cold, and snow had fallen, keeping striped bass trips from fishing the ocean, a report on Virginia Beach Fishing Center’s website said. But Saturday reached almost 60 degrees, and a couple of boats fished for stripers. No results were reported, and stripers so far this season swam beyond 3 miles from shore, where fishing for them is closed. Anglers hoped they’d swim into the legal striper fishing waters, within 3 miles, this season. In past years, striper fishing there was phenomenal. Stripers winter off Virginia, after migrating south in fall from the entire eastern seaboard. Anglers still hope the fish come in. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Fish like sailfish and king mackerel still bit along the offshore edge of the reef, but trips recently mostly deep-dropped for queen snappers and other catches, because that fishing was so good, said Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters. The queens were awesome, beautiful and sizeable fish, and great eating. They were hooked along bottom in 500 to 700 feet of water, mostly on squid. Catches there also included blueline tilefish, snowy groupers, yelloweye snappers and more. A trip yesterday pulled in a dozen queens 8 to 20 pounds, blueline tilefish and almaco jacks, very good fishing aboard. Weather became warmer recently, and was beautiful, after cold before. Days reached the high 70s and low 80s, and last evening was 80, when Bruce drove the truck back home after the trip. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Website.

Two anglers fished on some of the traveling charters to the Florida Keys this weekend with Jersey Cape Guide Service from Sea Isle City, N.J., Capt. Joe Hughes said. On Saturday, they caught snook, redfish, speckled sea trout and jacks in the Everglades. At sunset, they released a tarpon on a livelined ladyfish closer to port. On Sunday, they sight-fished for sharks on the flats, releasing four bonnetheads. They also landed a bunch of mangrove snappers, some of them big, large jacks, a few groupers and some blue runners. Also that day, they jumped a tarpon on a live shrimp on a jig. Most of the other fish were hooked on live shrimp or Gulps on jigs on the trips. Weather reached 81 degrees and was “perfect,” Joe said. The trips fish each year from Christmas to Easter, mostly on weekends and holidays. One option is to arrive on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, return on Sunday, and be back to work on Monday. Visit Web Site. Call: 609-827-3442.

COSTA RICA

Los Suenos

On the Dream Girl, fishing was very good, Capt. Pete Wagner from the Hyper Striper from Highlands, N.J., wrote in an e-mail. The Dream Girl is the boat he runs from Costa Rica each winter, and sailfishing’s been the best in many years this season aboard. Fifteen to 20 releases per day were common, and the sails 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! Visit Website.

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