DELAWARE

Indian River

The Bandit sailed for tog Wednesday, Friday and Saturday between rough weather, Capt. Scotty said. A charter left port Wednesday, and fishing was affected by a nor’easter that rolled through previously, but the 12 anglers managed to bag 30 keepers to 6 pounds. A charter also sailed Friday and hauled up the slipperies to 14.4 pounds, including a 10-1/2-pounder and a number of 4- to 7-pounders, and most of the anglers took home 4 to 9 of the fish. On Saturday seas were sloppy, but anglers onboard landed 3 to 6 keepers apiece, and an 11.8-pounder was the pool winner. A couple of 10-1/2-pounders also came up, and so did some 6’s and 8’s. The Bandit, fishing from Belmar, N.J, from spring through fall, targets tog from Indian River, Del., through winter. The fishing is like Jersey used to be, Scotty said, because the wrecks and pieces are relatively undisturbed and get little pressure, and hardly any boats are fishing for the blackfish there, and other charter boats, party boats and private fishing boats are rarely seen. The water and weather is a little warmer, helping to keep the fish biting through winter, and frozen precipitation is a lot rarer than in Jersey. The boat’s Delaware trips especially become popular with Jersey anglers after the first of the year, when Jersey’s tog bag limit drops to four, but Delaware’s remains 10 of the tog 14 inches or larger. Individual-reservation trips take place Fridays through Sundays, and no walk-ons are accepted. Most of these trips take place with larger groups of anglers, but single and double reservations are also accepted. A local hotel offers a very reasonable discounted rate to the boat’s customers. Tog charters are available the rest of the week. Call: 732-692-9521. Visit Web Site.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Lots of striped bass were boated along the ocean beach front from a half-mile off the inlet to 4 miles down the coast, said Carter Shewbridge from Virginia Beach Fishing Center. Most boaters limited out on stripers that probably ranged 20 to 40 pounds and bit anything from eels to trolled lures, and umbrella rigs and shad rigs were popular with the trollers. The party boats at the center are currently bottom fishing in the ocean on Saturdays for sea bass, triggerfish and such, but they were weathered out the past several weeks. Virginia Beach Fishing Center features a marina, a tackle shop, charter boats and party boats and is located near the beach, boardwalk, hotels, ocean and Chesapeake Bay, including near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a striped bass hot spot itself. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Anglers were finding a few striped bass, but the main run was yet to begin, said Katie Gaskins from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Offshore boaters were coming back with a few yellowfin tuna. The weather was a mix of fishable and non-fishable days. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Surf fishing had been good for striped bass at Hatteras Inlet about a week ago, when anglers were beaching four or five apiece, but the bite since dropped off, and anglers were waiting for the season’s main run to begin, said Bo Dempsey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair. Only time would tell whether a decent striper migration shaped up. Speckled trout fishing had also been good in the suds but was now falling off, and the same was happening with puppy drum. Little was heard about anyone fishing offshore. Visit Web Site.

Morehead City

Five giant bluefin tuna from 80 to 98 inches were battled to the boat with Over Under Adventures this past week, a great catch after a slow start to the season, an e-mail from Over Under said.  The catches began Wednesday, when a 98-inch bluefin was landed. On the next day Capt. Keith Burnet and his mate Joe Roberts were aboard, fortunate to have these experienced anglers on deck, because the boat went right back to the same area, and an 80-incher was quickly tackled in the morning. Then a 92-incher was pinned down later in the morning. On Friday two anglers were aboard, and an 82-inch giant was fought to the vessel in the morning. Then another bit short and was missed.  Later in the day a double-header whacked the baits, and two fish were on. The anglers settled in for the fight as the weather became sloppy, got a 92-incher to the boat, but then they’re luck ran out. A shark attacked the fish close to the boat, and it was lost. One of the anglers estimated that the bluefin measured over 100 inches, weighing more than 500 pounds.  Over Under’s boat the Low Profile is targeting giants from Morehead City as long as the fishing lasts, usually through January, before it heads to the Bahamas, its winter and spring home. In the Bahamas charters tangle with big wahoos plus tuna, billfish and other big game. In summer the boat fishes for big game from Avalon, N.J. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

LOUISIANA

Venice

A charter Friday whacked a bunch of wahoos and some tuna with Paradise Outfitters in the Gulf of Mexico, and the ‘hoos seemed to finally arrive this season, the fishing report on its web site said. Until now Paradise had been searching for the wahoos and catching a few, but the main body of the fish was yet to arrive and was late. On this day the charter looked around at a few spots with no results, but then it was on by 10 a.m. Single, double and even a triple header of wahoos hit, and a 75- to 80-pounder was the largest boated, and three weighed 40 to 60 pounds, and the rest were 30 to 40 pounds.  A total of eight were gaffed, and probably less than a third that bit were landed, an unusually low percentage, because of the usual mishaps, from tangled lines on initial runs to pulled hooks. Normally 75 percent are boated on a good day. Most of the fish attacked plugs, but several blew up on surface baits. Paradise is also waiting for the run of big, triple-digit yellowfin tuna that show up around the Midnight Lump in the Gulf in winter. After this trip the crew was taking a holiday break but was supposed to start fishing again today. Paradise Outfitters fishes offshore for big game and also targets the Gulf’s rigs and wrecks for snappers, cobia, groupers, amberjacks and such fish. Call: 985-845-8006. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Tampa/Clearwater/Tarpon Springs

Big speckled sea trout bit, despite weather that was rolling through, and fishing for the specks kept getting better each week, said Capt. Rich Knox from Absolute Flats Fishing in an e-mail. Charters were landing them along the drop-offs in deeper, warmer water, their winter home. Good numbers of redfish were moving onto the flats on incoming tides, and the weather made fishing for them difficult, but charters gave their best effort with gold spoons and other artificials. The winds also made live bait difficult to come by. Snook and small tarpon were on the feed up the Anclote and Cotee rivers, turning on during the changes of tides. Charters are fishing for all these species, and trips for giant tarpon are being booked for May and June from Boca Grande. Numerous tarpon from 100 to 200 pounds can be fought on light tackle.  Call 727-376-8809 or 800-890-9373 or Visit Web Site.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Boca Raton

A weather front began to push scattered sailfish through the area, and when anglers were lucky, they ran into the fish and scored multiple hook-ups, said Capt. Ron Mallet from the Just Add Water. But the fishing was hit or miss, win or lose, depending on whether anglers parked the boat in the right spot that day. For a moment the fishing had looked like it would start on time this season, but now it was looking like a later start like last year because of a warmer season than usual, and locals were still wearing shorts and T-shirts. The sails migrate from up north as the weather cools, and cold fronts trigger the best action. Ron’s charters catch them on live pilchards, googleyes and ballyhoos only 1 to 2 miles from shore, where depths are 100 to 200 feet, a much quicker drop-off than in Jersey. A few king mackerel were around, swimming in deeper water farther from land, and little tunny were also biting, and Ron targets all these fish with the same baits in the same general area. Bottom fishing was mostly slow, and large numbers of snappers and such fish were yet to move in from deeper water. Ron’s anglers also fish the inlet and harbor, a great option both for when the ocean is too rough to sail, helping to ensure that charters get out no matter what, or when customers simply would prefer the calmer back-waters. In these waters fishing for jack crevalles and barracudas was good on live pilchards. Fishing seemed best for the jacks during some weeks and for the barracudas on others, and it kept changing. Bigger baits fooled bigger ‘cudas from 3 to 4 feet, though fewer of them, and smaller baits tricked smaller ones from 2 to 4 feet but more of them.  Call: 954-423-8700. Visit Web Site.  

Islamorada

Two cold fronts passed through, and that was what was needed to get sailfishing going, an e-mail from Over Under Adventures said. Sails were beginning to appear more regularly, and the water dropped to 75 degrees from 79, and the weather combined with plentiful bait should begin to offer spectacular fishing. Pretty Work and That’s Right, the boats that are fishing the Keys for Over Under this winter, were off for the holidays during the past days but were supposed to get back in action today. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site. 

A charter Sunday nailed a couple of big, 15- to 20-pound king mackerel, some hefty amberjacks and a catch of mutton and yellowtail snappers, and fishing’s been good, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from Captain Easy Charters. A charter Sunday focused on sailfish, landed a couple, broke off a couple and missed some. Trips with Captain Easy are now mostly sailfishing, king mackerel fishing and bottom fishing. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

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