NEW YORK
Point Lookout
Fishing will resume Friday through Sunday on the party boat Captain Al, Capt. Tom Weiss said. No trips fished this past week aboard, because the boat was in the boat yard, being prepped for the new fishing season. The vessel was supposed to be splashed today, and trips will now resume fishing for cod and ling 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Friday through Sunday. The boat last fished two Sundays ago, at the Mudhole. After dogfish were a nuisance in deeper water, the trip “backtracked,” he said, fishing shallower water, finding good life. Cod and ling were pelted, and out-of-season blackfish were let go. The water’s warming, and is warmer than usual this year, and Tom hopes that continues. The boat usually fishes shallow at first in winter, and pushes deeper to warmer water later in winter. Now it looked like the shallows were warming and giving up life again. The Captain Al is this site's closest Long Island cod boat to New Jersey. If cod are in, the trips target them. Otherwise the trips fish wrecks for cod, ling and whatever bites. Ling fishing should begin to pick up in warming water. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.
VIRGINIA
Virginia Beach
The weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon was weathered out this weekend with Rudee Inlet Charters, Capt. Skip said. The trip the previous weekend mopped up blueline tilefish to 17 pounds, covered in the last report here. That trip next pushed to deeper water, but current was strong that day, hindering catches in the deep. The trips often fish deeper water like that, after blueline tilefishing first. Catches in the deep can include black belly rosefish, golden tilefish, wreckfish, barrelfish and groupers. The unique trips sail 3 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday in winter and spring. Sometimes anglers are offered to sail on the trips Sunday or Monday, if weather looks better then. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Website.
NORTH CAROLINA
Oregon Inlet
Windy weather that roughed up seas kept boats from fishing the past couple of days, a report said on Oregon Inlet Fishing Center’s website. But trips from the docks reeled in plenty of bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna this past week through Saturday, before the weather. Most of the bluefins weighed 150 to 200 pounds, like a 68-inch 187-pounder. But some were larger, like a 76-incher that was released and others in the 70 inches. Sometimes blackfin tuna, mahi mahi, wahoos and false albacore were in the mix. Visit Website.
Hatteras
One boat from the docks on Sunday smashed a great catch of blackfin tuna, a report said on the website from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. Another boat, Fin Again, overnighted during the weekend and “caught the entire ocean,” it said. The catch included bluefin tuna, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mako sharks and bottom fish. Trips on a couple of boats from the marina the previous day caught blackfins, yellowfins and wahoo. Surf anglers beached blow toads, bluefish, puppy drum and sea mullet, “a nice mix … good action,” the report said. Visit Website.
FLORIDA
Islamorada
A mix of fish were rounded up with Captain Easy Charters, decent fishing, Capt. Bruce Andersen said. Some big mutton snappers, including a 20-pounder and a bunch weighing in the teens, were cranked from wrecks in 120 to 180 feet of water. Live bait dropped to bottom hooked them. King mackerel were trolled on live bait just offshore of the reef. Sometimes blackfin tuna bit in that area. A few sailfish did, too. Amberjacks began to appear at the Islamorada Hump, like they do this time of year. Live bait nailed the big, tough-fighting fish at the underwater dome, 11 miles from shore, rising 290 feet from bottom, in 600 feet of water. Weather began to warm a little for the season, and most days were in the 80 degrees. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Website.