NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Lots of cod were shoveled up, on days when weather was fair enough to sail, on the party boat Captain Al, Capt. Tom Weiss said. The keeper ratio seemed to be improving, and the fish schooled mostly in 60 to 80 feet of water, 5 to 12 miles from the inlet. That’s still close to shore, and the cod will probably move deeper, like usual, as the ocean cools in winter. The water was currently 41 or 41 ½ degrees, a lower temperature than before, on the fishing grounds. Most of the cod were clammed, but a few were jigged. Sometimes herring were jigged, when anglers jigged for cod. Lots of bait was marked, and what the bait was couldn’t be known, but most were probably herring. No trip sailed Monday, and forecasts for 5- to 8-foot seas kept anglers from showing up. But Tom hoped to sail today, and weather sounded better for the next days. The Captain Al is this site's nearest boat to New Jersey that fishes for cod daily. The trips are running 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

The weekly, deep-drop, party-boat trip to Norfolk Canyon attempted to sail Saturday with Rudee Inlet Charters, Capt. Skip Feller said. But the trip turned back, 35 miles out, because of rough seas. The long-range forecast for this weekend’s trip looks good. The unique trips, sailing every winter, usually fish for blueline tilefish first. If enough bluelines are bagged, and seas are calm enough, the trips then push deeper, for catches that can include black belly rosefish, wreckfish, barrelfish, golden tilefish and groupers.  The fishing sails 3 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday, and sometimes anglers will be offered to sail on other days, like that Sunday or Monday, if forecasts are better for then. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Website.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Few trips fished, because few charters were booked, from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Ayra Wagner said. Anglers mostly waited for bluefin tuna to show up, and that usually happens by late February, and trips usually fish for them then and into March. One trip sailed today, and anglers expected the trip to run into yellowfin tuna, mostly. She expected to post a report about the trip on the marina’s website later today, after the boat returned. Visit Website.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Weather was good, and sometimes windy days were mixed in, but most days were calm, and fishing was good, said Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters. Sailfishing was a little off, but some were caught, and deep-dropping was exceptional, for catches including lots of queen snappers and yelloweye snappers, and some vermilion snappers, tilefish and snowy groupers. Fishing for snowies is one of the only grouper seasons open this time of year in Florida. Closer to shore, mostly along the offshore edge of the reef, a few miles from port, lots of king mackerel and a few wahoos and blackfin tuna were trolled. The deep-dropping fished in 400 to 750 feet of water, 8 to 11 miles from port, mostly with squid, sometimes with cigar minnows or a chunk of bait, like bonito. The tilefish were blueline tiles, and golden tilefish also swim the waters, but deeper, in 900 feet, not fishing that the Captain Easy specializes in. Speaking of deep water, one of the daytime swordfishing trips is booked for later this month, and two are booked for February, that became popular in recent years. Swordfish, light-sensitive fish, are usually fished for at night in the Northeast. But trips from places like these Florida Keys began fishing for them during daytime in very deep water. The angling is best in summer, but the swords can be targeted in winter, during daytime. Conditions are key, and in summer, calm wind is more common. Wind, and current, for that matter, need to be calm to fish the 1,500-foot depths, along bottom, where the swords are targeted. When a trip is booked to swordfish in winter, the conditions allow the angling about 50 percent of the time. In summer, 70 percent of swordfishing trips catch the fish. A catch is never a guarantee in fishing for big game like swords. But the daytime swording is one of Bruce’s favorite types of fishing. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Website.

Mike Spaeder and son Mike fished aboard 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. They fished Saturday through Monday in a variety of locations, from the back country near Flamingo to the bay near Flamingo to across the bay near the Keys at Islamorada. Catches in the back country and the nearby bay included snook, speckled sea trout, redfish, black drum, jacks and ladyfish. In the bay near Islamorada, catches included jacks, including large crevalle jacks to 13 pounds, blue runners, snappers and, while sight-fishing along the flats, lemon sharks and bonnethead sharks. One of the lemons weighed almost 100 pounds and was landed on 10-pound test. A tarpon was also missed on the flats in the evening while sight-fishing. Tackle fished included jigs with Gulps, jigs with shrimp and live pilchards and ladyfish. Weather was fine, a little windy on Saturday, perfect on Sunday and windy on Monday. One of the great things about the Keys is that there’s almost always someplace to fish, no matter the weather. Someplace can usually offer fishing that escapes different wind directions. The trips fish from Christmas to Easter each year, mostly on weekends and holidays. Anglers can arrive on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, return Sunday evening, and be back to work Monday morning. Or they can fish on a different schedule, and Joe can arrange flights and accommodations, if anglers want. Visit Website. Call: 609-827-3442.

Back to Top