<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/15:***</b> A local charter boat limited out on blackfish on Wednesday, said Joe Julian from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. One of the party boats from Brielle scored good fishing for cod and ling farther from shore recently. Not a soul was seen fishing the surf. He guessed surf fishing was dead. The shop is open for no set hours or open when Joe or crew happen to be there.

<b>Neptune</b>

An individual-reservation trip for cod was a bust Sunday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. The crew was experienced, but only one cod, one pollock and one blackfish were bagged, and quite a few throwback pollock were let go. “New plan of attack,” he said, is that the next trips for cod will leave at 5 a.m., instead of 6 a.m. The next will fish on Saturday and Sunday, January 24 and 25, and space is available. Space is available on three individual-reservation trips for blackfish this Saturday through Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and white leggers will be provided. Charters are available daily throughout winter. If you have a few anglers who want to fish, contact Ralph, and he’ll put a trip together. <b>***Update, Friday, 1/16:***</b> An individual-reservation trip will fish on Saturday, Ralph wrote in an email. Wind “looks good” for the trip, and weather will be cold, but the sun should shine, and “that will help,” he said. Space is available, and the trip will fish for blackfish first, and if the weather forecast is accurate, the trip will then fish for cod at a spot. Only three anglers were currently signed up for the trip, but the trip will sail.

<b>Belmar</b>

Blackfishing sailed Sunday on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, the vessel’s Facebook page said. The trips were docked in previous days, because of cold and wind. Three of the spots fished produced the tautog on the trip. Five spots were fished, and some of the anglers limited out, and a blackfish larger than 10 pounds won the pool. The angling ended up decent by the end of the trip, and weather was good, until it became rough, just before the trip returned to port. A trip was expected to blackfish today, in forecasts for a little rain but light wind. White leggers caught best on Sunday’s trip, and were expected to be for sale on today’s. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/15:***</b> Fishing for blackfish was great on Monday’s trip, and all the anglers limited out, the boat’s Facebook page said. None of the tog was huge, but a 9-pounder was biggest. Quite a few throwbacks bit at a couple of spots, and trips were weathered out since, and the boat was expected to fish today, in better forecasts.

Two of the Belmar party boats returned from blackfishing Sunday “with some nice fish to 10 pounds,” Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Some of the anglers limited out, and the trips dealt with wind. “You have to give these blackfishermen credit – they are a tough bunch,” he said. Forecasts for rain but light wind looked better for today, and wind is supposed to become stronger and switch to northeast on Tuesday, and that might affect trips. “This is what you get this time of year,” he said. Blackfishing was best in 90 to 110 feet on white crabs.

No trips will fish in the next days on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, “due to lack of mackerel,” an email from the vessel said. The boat will sail for mackerel this Saturday and Sunday, if the Bostons show up this week, and a decision will be made on Friday. Take advantage of these specials, available through January 31: Buy a gift certificate for $60, and get a certificate for $10 toward any trip in 2015; buy two certificates for $115, and get a $20 certificate toward any of those trips; buy five certificates for $250, and get one free, a savings of $110, available only for the person named on the certificate, through 2015; or buy 10 certificates for $500, and get three free, a savings of $280, available only for the person named on the certificate, through 2015. The certificates are valid on either the Miss Belmar Princes or the party boat Royal Miss Belmar, and these promotions cannot be combined with any other promotions, discounts or offers.  <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/15:***</b> Mackerel season is finished, and the boat is finished fishing for the winter, an email from the Miss Belmar Princess said. Trips will resume in spring. Until then, the boat will be painted and undergo other improvements. The crew thanks customers for a great season.  Miss Belmar T-shirts, long- and short-sleeved, and hoodies are on sale now. They’re available in adult sizes in black, indigo blue, white, pink, dark purple, charcoal gray and light gray. The T-shirts are available in youth sizes in pink, white and black. Take advantage of the following specials, available only through January 31: Buy a gift certificate for $60, and get one for $10 toward any trip in 2015; buy two for $115, and get a $20 certificate toward any of those trips; buy five for $250, and get one free, a savings of $110, available only for the person named on the certificate, through 2015; or buy 10 for $500, and get three free, a savings of $280, available only for the person named on the certificate, through 2015. The certificates are valid on either the Miss Belmar Princess or the party boat Royal Miss Belmar, and these promotions cannot be combined with any other promotions, discounts or offers. Telephone the boat to order.

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> did no fishing in the cold, Capt. Pete said. But trips will continue blackfishing, like before, if weather improves a little. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Jump on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to subscribe to the emailed newsletter to be kept informed about last-minute, individual spaces available to fill in charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page. Parker Pete’s will exhibit at outdoor-sports shows this winter, and will hold seminars at them on bucktailing for fluke.

<b>Brielle</b>

Wreck-fishing was good for cod, ling and blackfish Sunday on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Joe wrote in an email. Chris Molinari won the pool with a 24-pound cod, totaling four cod, 10 ling and a limit of blackfish. Customers and their catches also included Chris Mantlick with five cod, 12 ling and a limit of blackfish, and Paul Bender with four cod, nine ling and three blackfish. The Jamaica II is wreck-fishing 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and fishing for whiting 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Friday.

When weather was fair enough to sail, some blackfish were still boated from the ocean, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Not a lot of reports rolled in from the past week’s cold, but a party boat was known about that blackfished on Saturday, and a couple did on Sunday. No trips were heard about that sailed farther from shore. But catches like cod could probably be decked when boats sailed the distance. A couple of anglers were seen trying for herring in Manasquan Inlet, but no reports came in about the angling. A few herring swam the inlet, Eric guessed. The Reel Seat is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

On the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, blackfishing was slow Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. The cold snap probably caused the fish to bite less than before, and trips were docked in previous days, because of the cold and wind. But the ocean was still in the low 40 degrees, so he expects the angling to improve. He expected to fish a different area today. The trips during the weekend hooked a few blackfish here and there, and covered lots of ground. The angling was dead at some places. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 1/15:***</b> The most recent trips were cancelled, because of wind, but the boat is expected to blackfish today, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Weather looks good for the trip. <b>***Update, Friday, 1/16:***</b> Blackfishing was decent on Thursday’s trip, improved over the weekend, Matt wrote in a report on the boat’s website. Anglers needed “to be patient for the right bite,” he said, but some limited out, and some of the keepers were good-sized, “(and) we saw life on all of the drops,” he said. Keepers and throwbacks bit, and a few anglers only bagged a couple, “and just a couple had shorts,” he said. A blackfish heavier than 11 pounds won the pool, and the crew expected to shape up for today’s trip.

<b>Longport</b>

No fishing sailed in past days on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Too much ice, he said, and the boat had been blackfishing until now. Mike will do some traveling this week, and will begin fishing for cod next week, farther from shore, at wrecks 30 miles from the coast. That will include open-boat trips, and a few crabs will be brought aboard to try blackfishing. But he expects not to blackfish much anymore this season.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Weather below freezing is too cold for fishing aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He ran no trips, but was sure some blackfish still bit. He’ll run traveling charters to the Florida Keys this weekend. The trips fish the Keys each winter until Easter, and began this year during Christmas and New Year’s weeks. Catches included a sailfish, a tarpon, a permit, speckled sea trout, jacks, sharks and more, covered in the previous report.  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>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 1/15:***</b> Weather was bitter cold, about 11 degrees in the morning, with ice all around, and wind blowing, but the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> blackfished Sunday, Capt. Paul said. A few were bagged, not many, and considering the weather, the trip was lucky the fish were caught, Paul guessed, he said. The water looked good for the fishing or clear, but maybe the bottom was muddy. Though the angling wasn’t good, some anglers want to fish, and a handful of blackfish bit, and there’s really nothing else to fish for, because sea bass season is closed. So Paul will try to run the trips again this Saturday and Sunday, and maybe on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, if weather allows, and enough anglers want to sail. Call ahead especially for Monday’s trip, to confirm. The Porgy IV fishes at 8 a.m.

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