NEW YORK

Point Lookout

Cod trips didn’t sail often in last week’s weather, but one of the trips steamed on Sunday, and a few of the fish were nailed, said Capt. Tom Weiss from the party boat Captain Al.  The cod were found 20 miles from shore, in 120 feet, no longer closer to shore, like earlier this season. Cod school deeper as winter goes on, because of water temperature. The ocean was 36 degrees close to shore, and fishing was dead there. No cod bit until the water became 37 degrees, farther out. The boat’s Facebook page said the fish were located at a wreck along the edge of the Mudhole, and the anglers bagged two or three apiece, “a decent pick,” it said. A bunch of pout and a few ling were also hooked, Tom said. Twelve inches of snow fell in last week’s storm. Four inches fell at first on Monday. Then the snow turned to rain, and the snow on the ground became a slushy mess. Then another 4 inches of snow fell that day. Wednesday might be the next day a trip sails. The crew is ready to run the trips every day, but enough anglers to sail usually show up when the weather’s best. The Captain Al is this site's nearest boat to New Jersey that’s fishing for cod daily, and the trips run 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

None of the fleet fished recently from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, and no bluefin tuna showed up yet, Melissa Molina said. Weather was often rough, preventing trips, but most anglers waited for bluefins. The tuna usually show up later this month, the marina reported here previously. Visit Website.

Hatteras

Blackfin tuna fishing was red hot, a report said on the website for The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. Nothing was known about bluefin tuna swimming locally, but boats were “glued to the docks,” it said. That was because of lack of customers, not lack of fish, like the blackfins. Fishing for bluefins had been some of the best in years from Morehead City, farther south. See a report about that below. In the surf around Hatteras, fishing was mostly slow. Puppy drum gave up good catches on occasional days, “but there is no rhyme or reason,” it said. If surf casters put in time, they could muster up a pup, a speckled sea trout or a gray trout. Visit Website.

Morehead City

Bluefin tuna fishing had been good a moment but slowed the past couple of weeks, said Loretta Davis from Captain Stacy Fishing Center. The fish might’ve moved somewhat north, near Nags Head, and seemed smaller there. Big bluefins, giants, had been in, near Morehead City. Loretta’s brother, on one of the marina’s head boats, spotted bluefins toward Thanksgiving, on the way back from a bottom-fishing trip. The boat was stopped to fish for them, and two were hooked, including a 96-incher. The head boats from the docks ended up landing eight, until the bluefins disappeared recently. One of the charter boats landed six. A potential record bluefin for North Carolina, a 115-inch 1,005-pounder, was trolled locally, according to another source. The fish was landed after a 3-1/2-hour fight that covered 10 miles of ocean. The fish was taken on a trip with two anglers on a 28-foot Downeast-style lobster boat in rough seas and 20- to 30-knot wind. The same angler, the mate, reeled in the fish the entire time. That might’ve been the peak of the angling, on January 20, the source said. Bluefins might show up again this winter off Morehead, Loretta said. When they were here, the run was excellent, making a good season for the fishing already. The head boats from the dock are bottom-fishing every Saturday, but the trips were weathered out lately. Visit Website.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

The latest weather front, last week, seemed to start turning on sailfishing, said Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters. Fishing was great the last few weeks, and the sails are landed just offshore of the reef, a few miles from port. In the same area, king mackerel fishing was on fire on most days, and sometimes wahoos were tackled. So was an occasional cobia. Sometimes blackfin tuna were beaten in the same area, and all these fish are usually trolled on live bait. Sometimes live bait can be pitched, like when the fish are feeding on a ball of bait. Mutton snappers were cranked from bottom, around the same water. Farther from shore, deep-dropping was outstanding for yelloweye snappers, queen snappers, vermilion snappers, snowy groupers and yellowedge groupers. That was in 400 to 750 feet, 8 to 11 miles from port. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Website.

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