The weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon on Saturday produced good catches, all in all, said Capt. Skip Fuller from Rudee Inlet Charters. The anglers first fished the shallows for blueline tilefish. Dog sharks were a horrible nuisance, but a few bluelines were boated. So the vessel was moved to deeper waters, and blackbelly rosefish gave up very good catches. Several snowy groupers, including a 57-pound whopper, the highlight of the trip, were pumped up. A few golden tilefish to 35 pounds were also creamed from the deep. The trips will keep sailing to Norfolk Canyon 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday, limited to 40 passengers, costing only $170 per person, a great price for offshore angling. Blueline and golden tilefish, blackbelly rosefish and snowy groupers are some of the common catches. Inshore trips also started fishing during the week, putting anglers on a few tautog and even a few cod. The cod were unusual this far south, and the cold winter must’ve drew them in. The inshore trips will probably target the tog another couple of weeks, until waters warm. Then the anglers will switch to flounder and croakers, until fishing for sea bass when the season for the lumpheads opens May 22. The inshore trips are running 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays through Sundays. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Visit Web Site.

Tautog, ling, cod and pollock offered catches 12 to 20 miles from shore, said Capt. Bill Richardson from Backlash Sport Fishing. The cod and pollock were surprising, and cold waters this winter must’ve caused them to slip down to the local area. Backlash will relocate to Hatteras, North Carolina, on May 1 for six or eight weeks for annual trips for tuna, marlin, mahi mahi and wahoos. A healthy population of the big game began developing there already. Call: 757-286-0711. Visit Web Site.

Bluefin tuna that were checked in from the offshore grounds included fish that weighed 279, 253, 240, 205, 201, 172, 165, 140, 126 and 125 pounds, said Affie Meekins at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Boaters scored excellent catches of bluefins and a few yellowfin tuna on Saturday. On Thursday five boats from the marina fished offshore, walloping 2 to 11 yellowfin tuna per vessel, and no bluefins. But the bluefins showed back up Friday and Saturday. News was scarce on Sunday because of Easter. On Monday the fishing beat yellowfins, no bluefins and a few mahi mahi. Nothing was really doing in inshore waters and the surf, because the waters were cold. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

A 201-pound bluefin tuna got waffled on a charter Saturday, said Capt. Bob Robinson from Fin Seeker Sport Fishing. That fish was trolled, and while the bruiser was fought, the anglers jigged a few more bluefins that were smaller, releasing them, keeping the big one. Plus they trolled eight yellowfin tuna, two mahi mahi and a wahoo on the trip, and big-game fishing was beginning to hit on all cylinders. “It’s just on!” Bob said. Anglers should come down now. Bob sent a photo of the bluefin that was posted on this site. “You look at that photo,” he said. “Those people are happy!” Bluefins bit since winter, and the numbers of yellowfins, mahi and wahoos were increasing as waters warmed. The billfish population should also grow with rising water temps. Grouper fishing is also currently an option in the deep. Call: 757-618-7421. Visit Web Site.

Surf fishing began to pick up, because waters warmed to 65 degrees, said Steve Hissey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. Bluefish stormed the wash at the south end of Ocracoke, and puppy drum were mixed in. A friend who’s a sharpie who chases big drum at night nailed two 42- and 49-inchers at the south end. Puppies started to swim the surf at Hatteras during the right weather, and the warm waters caused big blowtoads and sea mullet to arrive there. A load of puppy drum had schooled Pamlico Sound at a certain area of shallows. But then inexperienced boaters plowed through them, dispersing the fish, and anglers were yet to find them again. In offshore waters on Monday a crew on one boat totaled eight yellowfin tuna, and on Sunday another belted nine yellowfins, a wahoo, seven snowy groupers and five tilefish. Wahoos and mahi mahi were beginning to show up. Big bluefins such as one that weighed 150 pounds were sometimes boated, but anglers had to travel north to find them. A 57-pound bigeye tuna was docked, and Dave saw photos of a blue marlin that was released that must’ve weighed 500 to 600 pounds. Fishing was heating up along with the waters around Hatteras. Visit Web Site.

Bigmouth fishing started to gain steam on the lake as the weather and the waters warmed, said Capt. Angie from Captain Angie Douthit Guide Service. She sounded pleased, and the lake averaged in the low to high 70s, about normal, and the mean depth was 14 feet, slightly high. The larger lunkers attacked East Texas Big Bass Lures. The top-water lures, with a prop on each end, are popped along the surface. But working them is impossible to do all day, is tiring. So anglers aboard fished them in the mornings and switched to flipping later, and that worked well too. Sometimes Rat-L-Traps gained attention. Angie did no fishing for crappies, bluegills or shellcrackers on the lake during the week, but the bluegills and shellcrackers moved into the shallows to spawn, and that’s a good time to catch them. Live crickets will attract the bluegills, and meal worms will entice the shellcrackers. Angie is a professional largemouth bass angler who guides when she’s off the tournament circuit. She enjoys fishing for the bucketmouths with artificials and likes to teach, is up on the latest techniques, if anglers prefer. Or anglers can fish with bait, namely shiners, for the bass if they wish. Call: 863-228-7263. Visit Web Site.

Boca Grande/Pine Island

Big amberjacks 35 or 40 pounds were slammed at the box car reef 20 miles offshore on a trip Monday, said Capt. Larry Conley from Reel-Ality Sportfishing. Some of the fast, hard-fighting, fair-tasting fish rocketed up to the chum slick to swipe livelined blue runners. The amberjacks gather at the box cars at this time of year, and Larry had been waiting for calm seas to be able to reach them, and seas finally flattened out, after lots of rough weather this past season. Red, scamp and gag groupers and lots of mangrove snappers were also plucked from the reef. Grouper season opened April 1 in the area, so they could be kept. The blue runners used for amberjack bait were caught closer to shore on the trip, and a bunch of sheepshead were also socked there. Previously Larry’s trips had dusted up plenty of speckled sea trout from Pine Island Sound, and those fish still schooled the waters. Giant tarpon are expected to arrive any time near Boca Grande, the Tarpon World Capital. Larry heard about a few of the fish seen so far, and looked forward to the run. The fish, averaging 80 to 175 pounds, put tackle to the test. Call: 239-471-0875 or 215-932-8411 (cell). Visit Web Site.

Miami

Catches increased, averaged 20 to 30 fish per half-day, so trips were going well, said Jackie Glinski from the Blue Waters II. Clearer, warmer weather reaching 80 degrees, warmer waters to 74 degrees, and the right wind direction, northerly winds, helped. Trolling was great for clobbering blackfin tuna, skipjacks and bonito. King mackerel were both trolled and live-baited. Mahi mahi and a few wahoos began to appear for the season. Sailfish began to reappear Monday, pouncing on live baits. Not much was heard about amberjacks at the wrecks, because the season for selling them ended. Little was heard about fishing for sharks and swordfish, but all of that angling should still be on tap. Fishing was really good. Call: 305-373-5016. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

The weather turned perfect for the most part, except for winds over the weekend, “but no complaints after that brutal winter,” said the report on
Over Under Adventures’ Web site. Fishing out front was very productive. Several days pounded out king mackerel on trips, and a few fat cobia to 35 pounds were clobbered on cigar minnows. One charter landed his first-ever sailfish, and yellowtail snappers started to feed, putting out limits of the fish. Amberjacks were angled in from the Little Hump and the wrecks, and one trip blistered Spanish and cero mackerel on every cast. Fishing in the back was on the upswing, serving up catches including lots of speckled sea trout and all the jacks and ladyfish anyone could handle. Snook were a different story and were scarce, apparently because of the fish kills from the cold this winter. Anglers said tarpon fishing should improve soon. Mahi mahi should also move in. A long-range, multi-day trip to the Dry Tortugas was slated to sail soon. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site.

Trips banged out a bit of all the different fish, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from Captain Easy Charters. A mess of king mackerel, including some big ones to 20 and 30 pounds, tore up the baits. Tons of amberjacks kept jumping on lines, and a few sailfish chomped hooks. Vermillion snappers were rustled up, because the season opened for them, and mutton snappers and yellowtail snappers were sometimes nabbed. Lots of black, red and gag groupers swam thick, and grouper season is closed until May 1, but a bunch were hooked and released. No trips really targeted groupers, but they almost couldn’t help but be hooked, because they were so abundant. One of them came up from the 100-foot depths where the fish would normally hold, and grabbed a bait on the surface meant for a king mackerel. Most of the different species were located around the reef, 3 to 5 miles from shore, but the a.j.’s hovered around the Hump, 11 miles from shore. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Lots of yellowtail snappers started to be swung aboard from the edge of the reef 4 miles from port, because warmer weather and onshore, easterly winds, conditions helpful to the fishing, finally kicked in, said Capt. Ben Loy from the party boat Miss Islamorada. The weather warmed the waters, “and warmed our spirits, you could say,” he added. A few king mackerel were wrestled in. This was the tail end of the season for the largest numbers of kings to stick around, but a few will keep biting. Grouper season remains closed for a few more weeks, but big black groupers to 30 and 40 pounds make an appearance this time of year, inhaling live baits such as grunts or pinfish. Two 25-pound black groupers were caught and released this week. The Miss Islamorada sails 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from world famous Bud N’ Mary’s Marina. Call: 305-664-2461. Visit Web Site.

Virginia Beach

The weekly party boat trip to Norfolk Canyon was weathered out on Saturday, said Capt. Skip Fuller from Rudee Inlet Charters. But forecasts for this weekend’s trip look calm. The last trip piled up a bunch of blueline tilefish, lots of blackbelly rosefish, a couple of barrelfish and a 25-pound snowy grouper. Bluelines, golden tiles, blackbelly rosefish and snowies are some of the common catches on the outings. The trips, sailing 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday, are limited to 40 passengers, costing only $170 per person, a great price for offshore angling. Call: 757-422-5700 or 757-425-3400. Daily party boat trips for tautog kicked off this week, but the Saturday offshore trips will continue to run through the year. Anglers on other boats already bailed plenty of the tog. The blackfish come alive earlier in the season in the warmer Virginia waters. Here’s the chance for New Jersey anglers to fish for them while the Garden State’s waters are too cold. Visit Web Site.

Overnight trips that troll for bluefin tuna in the afternoons and mornings and drop down baits for swordfish at night were the fishing to do now, said Capt. Bill Richardson from Backlash Sport Fishing. The angling takes place at Norfolk Canyon, and deep-dropping for groupers and tilefish was also an option. Anglers just needed fair weather, and cold, windy days kept boats in port lately. Mako sharks will begin to attack in April and May, and yellowfin tuna will show up by late spring. Should be a good season for yellowfins, because the fishing was healthy farther south this year. Call: 757-286-0711. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

A couple of boats sailed Thursday, and the anglers returned with a 170-pound bluefin tuna on one vessel and a 155-pounder on the other, said Affie Meekins from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. They released six more of the fish on one vessel and two on the other, and came across no yellowfin tuna. Otherwise news was scarce, because the weather kept the fleet docked. But clear weather is forecast for this Thursday through the weekend. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Charters had to dodge weather, so two out of five tuna trips sailed that were slated, said Capt. Bob Robinson from Fin Seeker Sport Fishing. One of the trips Thursday pounded a good catch that included a 189-pound bluefin tuna and a handful of yellowfin tuna. The angling was tougher on a trip Sunday, and bluefins had moved north, but three yellowfins and some false albacore were landed. The yellowfins on the trips weighed 25 to 30 pounds, and most of the fish on the trips were trolled on naked ballyhoos. Sea Stars and Sea Witches took a few. Rough weather sat on the area right now, but this weekend is supposed to be clear. Bob heard about no wahoos boated recently, but some were previously grabbed, and more should show up as waters warm. Mahi mahi should also come in. Grouper fishing was an option, but trips recently chose to concentrate on tuna. Call: 757-618-7421. Visit Web Site.

Bluefish pushed into the surf at Ocracoke for the first time this season, said Dave Hissey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. Big drum had already been beached there, and good fishing for both was nailed. Puppy drum were boated on Pamlico Sound. The weather kept offshore vessels from fishing, but previously those trips gaffed both yellowfin and bluefin tuna. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Lake Okeechobee

Five- to 7-pound largemouth bass were clubbed from the lake on some trips, said Capt. Angie from Captain Angie Douthit Guide Service. She fished almost every day, and bluegills and brim fairly tore up waters, too. The lake’s fishing in general somewhat improved, and winds and rains came through too often, like they did the rest of the season. But the weather was beginning to warm, and the lake temp was rising and was normal or in the high 60s to low 70s, though the mean water level was high at more than 14 feet because of rains. Thirteen-and-a-half feet is normal. The season was in transition, but good fishing was beginning to take off. The bass bit best in the afternoons to late afternoons, after waters warmed, though mornings could also be productive. Top-water lures, flipping, worming and fishing with spinner baits all worked. Some of the fish continued to spawn, and the spawning season lasts from late fall to early spring on Okeechobee. But a mix of spawning, pre-spawning and post-spawning largemouths will be found. The bluegills and brim were now on the spawning beds, and that’s a great time to catch them. Live crickets were top baits for the bluegills, but Beetle Spins could be run across the beds for a fun hook up on light tackle. Meal worms were best baits for the brim. Angie did no crappie fishing, but angling for them at night on the Kissimmee River, flowing into the lake, was best. Angie is a professional bass angler who guides when not on the tournament circuit. She enjoys fishing with artificials and is up on the latest techniques. Some anglers join a trip to learn, and she’s glad to teach if anglers want. Or they can fish with bait if they’d prefer, such as shiners for the bass. Call: 863-228-7263. Visit Web Site.

The lake’s largemouth bass fishing began to improve, said Capt. Butch Butler from South Florida Bass Fishing. Plus he ran lots of panfish trips, socking great catches of bluegills on crickets and brim on red worms. A half-day trip Monday morning shellacked 47 bluegills and a few crappies, both on crickets. Bass 5 or 6 pounds, not big for Okeechobee, were the heaviest on trips in the past days. A buddy looted a 10-pounder. The bassing was good on shiners, but artificials including Senko worms worked well. The weather began to settle a little, though rains still fell and winds still blew at times. Rains increased the lake’s water level a foot above normal. But the lake’s temperature was normal at 70 degrees. Call: 863-634-5431. Visit Web Site.

Boca Grande/Pine Island

Speckled sea trout were mostly mugged on trips, said Capt. Larry Conley from Reel-Ality Sportfishing. Anglers on deck concentrated on them, rounding them up from the 3-foot, grassy flats in Pine Island Sound on Zara Spooks and Gulp Shrimp. Ladyfish pounced mostly on the Gulps in the same locations. Baitfish began to move back in for the season, and waters were 72 degrees, probably a little cool. The weather had been cool early this week but was supposed to reach the mid 80s in the next days. Reel-Ality did no fishing in the Gulf of Mexico this past week, concentrating on the specks, but fish including amberjacks should be on tap in the Gulf. They hover around the box car reef 20 miles from shore, putting up tough fights. Larry looked forward to the approaching tarpon season at Boca Grande, Tarpon Capital of the World. They average 80 to 160 pounds, and anglers have a shot at a 200-pounder. A large population of the silver kings stacks up in the area in spring, and should arrive within a month. Sharks haunt the waters at the same time. Grouper season opens April 1, and waters from the passes to the Gulf hold red and gag groupers; sometimes scamp groupers; goliath groupers that must be released, and can grow to be humongous; and occasional black groupers. Call: 239-471-0875 or 215-932-8411 (cell). Visit Web Site.

Miami

Skipjack tuna, schoolie mahi mahi and sometimes blackfin tuna were trolled, said Jackie Glinski from the Blue Waters II. The skipjacks and blackfins, the first of both species she mentioned this year, can school through on migrations at this time of year. The number of mahi should increase as the season goes on, and Jackie mentioned some being caught already in the last report. Occasional big barracudas started jumping on trolled baits all of the sudden. The season was changing, and fishing was picking up, and the weather was warming, forecast to reach the 80s this weekend. Entrants in a Miami sailfish tournament checked in 300 sails over the weekend. Hammerhead sharks could be found 4 miles from shore, and amberjacks gathered at the wrecks. Call: 305-373-5016. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

A few sailfish started to get reeled in toward the end of the week on trips, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from Captain Easy Charters. Sails can typically show up anytime from November to April, and fishing for them this past winter turned out super catches until mid February. But a monster bite took off last year late in the season, and Captain Easy scored a dock record of 18 sails landed on one trip at that time. Bruce hoped the current shot of the fish was the beginning of a reappearance. Plenty of big amberjacks were tackled at the Hump, located 11 miles from shore, on the boat, and blackfin tuna were sometimes belted in the same area on trips. Lots of king mackerel were fought aboard. Mutton snappers were cranked in from the wrecks on charters. Bruce saw no substantial affects that the unusually cold winter had on fishing, except on yellowtail snappers. Charters still caught yellowtails at the reef, but fishing for them seemed to be gradually recovering from the chill. They should become more active in the next weeks. The weather now was mostly normal, a little chilly, but some of the year’s better days, reaching the 80s, began to happen in the last couple of weeks. A cold front was settling on the Keys at the moment, but that might be the last of such fronts for the season. Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

“Islamorada has thawed out,” an e-mail from Over Under Adventures said, and the week was full of good fishing. One trip pumped in a few blackfin tuna offshore at the Hump on jigs and live pilchards. Currents became too strong, and the anglers decided to sail 10 miles farther out to try for swordfish. A sword was hooked but got off. They began to move to another location, but ran across 5- to 10-pound blackfin tuna surrounding a 50-foot whale shark feeding on the surface. The tuna were finicky, for some reason, but two or three were landed, and the sight was spectacular. Trips also bottom fished, and yellowtail snappers were gradually turning back on at first after the cold. But by the weekend limits of yellowtails were bagged in no time from the bottom. Bottom catches also included mutton snappers, big mangrove snappers and plenty of porgies and hogfish. Out-season-groupers, including on one trip a 40-pound black grouper and seven or eight 10- to 15-pounders, were caught and released. Excellent fishing. Catches during the week also included 20- to 40-pound cobia and some king mackerel. Call: 866-OUA-TUNA. Visit Web Site.