Last minute party boat trip

Capt. Monty Hawkins is taking advantage of a good weather forecast with his Morning Star from Ocean City, Md. just to see what’s out there as follows: “Offering a cod(?)tog(?)trip. Really it’s just an “I gotta go fishing” trip. Have fresh clam. Have crabs. Have an incredibly calm forecast tomorrow with air temps in the mid-40s.. Last time winter was this cold (2011) I was offering cod trips every chance I had- catching too–even occasional 10 fish limits. Are they there now? Derned if I know. I need to go to sea a day anyway so let’s go find out.

Fishing for most anything that might bite a hook then – Monday, 3/10/25 – depart 7:30 return 3 (regulars know I’ll gladly leave a half hour early if all are aboard) Trip sells out at, IDK, 4? Not really! But I sure don’t expect many with one day’s notice. Call it sold out at 12 (a number that is not going to happen.) Fare is $125.00…

The forecast for NYNJ Bight is for west winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 before going southwest at just 5-10 in the afternoon.

Stripers turning on in Raritan Bay

The water temperature jumped up in Raritan Bay this week. and stripers responded. Phil Sciortino reports from the Tackle Box in Hazlet that both shore and kayak anglers are not only catching schoolies, but even some “overs” already. The best action has been in the back of the bay and up the Raritan River. Metal lip swimmers have been effective on the bigger fish, and you can’t go wrong with bloodworms.

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight through Sunday afternoon. The forecast for Sunday is for west winds at 15 knots plus gusts to 30.

Bluefin tuna remain abundant in N.C.

Capt. Mark De Blasio of the N.J.-based Water Proof reported on March 5 as follows:”We saw a few beautiful days on the water in the OBX .. great fishing continues with 14 Bluefins caught or released over 2 days of fishing .. kept a recreational fish each day and released the rest ranging from 60” to 100” class”

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Windy weather continues in N.J. with a gale warning up in NY/NJ Bight until 6 p.m. The forecast for Saturday is for west winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 30.

Stripers may be ready to turn on early

The weather hasn’t been cooperating lately in NY/NJ Bight. but the Ocean Explorer from Belmar reported seeing some stripers blasting into bunkers offshore as that boat was on its way out for cod. That was despite a water temperature of only 37 degrees.

Another gale warning is up at 6 p.m. through Friday afternoon. Friday’s forecast is for west winds at 25 to 30 knots.

Harry Aiken remembered

When it came to using surf tackle for distance and accuracy at the many competitions over half a century ago, even the pros from Long Island and Cape Cod often couldn’t stand up to Harry Aiken who lived in Georgetown, Delaware — an area hardly noted for great surfcasting.

Harry was a Top Gun in the Garcia Casting Accuracy contests which I helped conduct while working for Garcia at that time. However. Harry’s proudest moment came as he cast a ball over the center field fence in Yankee Stadium!

We fished together in Delaware many times over the years, but blindness made life much more difficult as he fought off one thing after another to make it to 90. His son, Scott, said his death over the weekend was simply attributed to old age rather than anything in particular.

Scott said he will be buried with his old Garcia casting rod so he’ll be ready to regain his form in Heavenly surf.

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It’s not looking good for anglers in NY/NJ Bight the next couple of days as snow works its way Harry north. A gale warning goes up Wednesday morning though late night.

Salt Water Sportsman reports a new all-tackle blackfin tuna world record has been certified by the IGFA. Robert Kowalski caught the 50-pound,1ounce blackfin in June from Miss Britt out of Miami.

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Though one of the smallest members of its family, the blackfin is a fine fighting fish on suitable tackle — and very good eating. While fairly common offshore of Florida reefs. they don’t often migrate much further north. I only remember once coming across them while trolling canyon waters off New Jersey.

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The Ocean Explorer from Belmar didn’t find any of the hoped-for cod on Saturday, though some ling were boated on every drop.

A small craft advisory in NY/NJ Bight comes down at 6 p.m. The forecast is for northwest winds at 10-15 knots by morning before dropping to 5-10 in the afternoon.

Ebb often best for early stripers

As a general rule, outgoing tides are generally the best bet for very early stripers in the internal waters of N.J. which reopened today. Ocean water is at very low levels at this time, but the sun-warmed ebb can be much warmer — and may inspire some feeding activity.

A gale warning is up in NY/NJ Bight from 6 p.m. to late tonight. The forecast is for northwest winds tomorrow at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25 and light freezing spray in the morning. Monday is looking much better.

Release Marine posted the following: “The South Florida sailfish bite was on

for the @fishbluewater Sailfish Challenge this past weekend. Over the course of the two-day tournament, 61 teams released an incredible 1,467 sailfish, competing for the Quest for the Crest championship

N.J. internal waters reopen Saturday

The march 1 reopening of N.J. internal waters provides an opportunity for anglers to fish for stripers in Raritan Bay and backwaters throughout the state . In recent years that bite has started much earlier than normal, but recent cold snaps have driven water temperatures down. The Perth Amboy area is a good place to seek out an early striper on bloodworms.

Winter flounder fishing also becomes legal on Saturday.

A small craft advisory is up through Saturday afternoon in NY/NJ Bight,

The forecast is for southwest winds at 15-20 knots before increasing to 20-25 in the afternoon.

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Vinny D’Anton had another hot bite of spotted sea trout this morning while casting MirrOlures in the Longboat Key area along with Trooper Tom, a Dog Beach regular visiting southwest Florida from N.J.

Bluefin tuna are amazing fish

The following message was received today from Bud’ N Mary’s Marina in Islamorada, Florida Keys:

“I’s that time of year again! Bluefin tuna are known to pass through the reefs of Islamorada in February primarily due to the seasonal migration patterns and favorable conditions in the area. During winter months, particularly in February. Relentless had their run in with a huge pack of Bluefins yesterday on the reef in about 30 feet of water, unfortunately didn’t get a bite but what an incredible sight to see.”

It’s amazing that the same species appearing in the very warm waters of the Keys is also being caught almost every day from cold North Carolina mid-winter waters.

It’s also strange that when giants appear in the Keys they are also passing through very shallow areas rather than offshore. Boaters who are fortunate enough to be there at the right time aren’t likely to have giant tuna tackle aboard, but have a chance to catch one on lighter tackle since the tuna can’t dive into deep waters.

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A small craft advisory is up through Friday evening in NY/NJ Bight. The forecast is for northwest winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20.

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The Ocean Explorer from Belmar Had a nice day at sea on Wednesday, but the water was very cold at 38 degrees — and only a few ling were caught.

Tuna still hitting along Mid-Atlantic coast. Giant bluefin tuna continue to be boated during a never-ending season. An 890-pounder was weighed at Chasin Tails, and Speechless Sportfishing had a 377-pound dressed weight.

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A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight from tonight to late Thursday night. The forecast is for south winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25. There’s a chance of showers.