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Offseason Fishing Report 3-13-18

NEW YORK

Point Lookout

The party boat Captain Al is in dry dock for maintenance for spring fishing, Capt. Tom Weiss said. The maintenance includes installing new engines, and the vessel will probably resume fishing, for cod and ling, on the weekend of April 1. Rumors flew around that said blackfishing might be opened at the beginning of April in New York. If that happens, the boat will sail for the tautog, too. See More Info. Call: 516-623-2248.

DELAWARE/MARYLAND

Striped bass should migrate to Delaware Bay any moment from the ocean to the south, heading to Delaware River to spawn. But none was reported from the bay yet. Small, resident stripers were played in rivers and harbors in Delaware and Maryland. The ocean temperature dropped to the low 40 degrees in this area because of rough weather including two nor’easters in the past 1 ½ weeks. Another nor’easter was barreling in last night and today. The ocean had begun to warm previously. Weather calmed for a moment or two during that period, but no reports rolled in about ocean fishing, because of the rough weather. Anglers kept boats docked in the winds and the rough seas that the winds caused.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

A few boats fished Saturday and Sunday from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, returning with bluefin tuna, Norma York said. One of the bluefins weighed 391 pounds, and bigger bluefins, larger than the size limit, were released. The bag limit currently is one school, large school or small medium bluefin 27 inches to less than 73 inches per boat, per day. But one bluefin 73 inches or larger can be bagged per boat, per year, too. So boats that released the larger bluefins already filled that annual limit. Lots of blackfin tuna were also tugged in, and two bigeye tuna were tackled. One bigeye weighed 160 pounds, and the other weighed a little more than a 100. Norma saw no yellowfin tuna that were caught, though she reported yellowfins biting in previous reports here recently. After the weekend, wind began blowing, including today, keeping the marina’s boats in port. Visit Website.

Hatteras

Citation blackfin tuna were docked at Teach’s Lair Marina, reports on the marina’s website said. The fish ranged from 21 to 29 pounds. Plenty of blackfins bit, and this was a last chance to boat the bigger ones. Smaller and smaller show up as the season changes to springtime. One trip decked blackfins and king mackerel. Another on the same boat had to fight through false albacore but smacked a good catch of blackfins again. Visit Website.

FLORIDA

Islamorada

Was a good week of fishing, catching a little of everything, said Capt. Bruce Andersen from Captain Easy Charters. Really good-sized mutton snappers were reeled from bottom, mostly at wrecks, on live bait farther from shore. Fishing live bait on the troll and on kites squashed lots of king mackerel and some blackfin tuna and sailfish. Mahi mahi also began to be pasted on almost every trip that did that trolling and kite fishing. Amberjacks, sizable, powerful fish, began to be nailed at underwater mounds like the Islamorada Hump and deep wrecks on live bait aboard. Closer to shore, yellowtail fishing was good at the reef several miles from port for Captain Easy’s anglers. Also, tarpon fishing lit up near bridges for trips on a 27-foot Conch center console, named the Easy Does It, that Bruce recently added to his charter business. A couple of the tarpon and a few sharks were landed on each of those trips. Those are good family trips that stay closer to shore. But hardcore anglers enjoy the tarpon and sharking, too. Call: 305-360-2120. Visit Website.

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