Tight Lines

Anglers have lots to choose from this weekend on shore with Saturday’s Surf Day at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, N.J. plus the Philly Fishing Show at Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, and the Boat Sale &Expo at Edison. Bluefin tuna remain a possibility offshore, and blackfish provide an inshore opportunity.

The Mimi VI from Point Pleasant has room on Saturday’s special tog trip at $ 125 with whitelegger crabs included. Call 732 370-8019.

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight at 4 p. m. A gale watch is projected for Sunday morning to late Monday night. The forecast for Saturday morning is only southeast at 5-10 knots before going south in the afternoon .

Surf Day is a must for Metro surfcasters

Surfcasters are a minority among saltwater anglers, but Saturday’s Surf Day is all about them.

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A gale warning is up in NY/NJ Bight from this evening through late tonight. The forecast is for northwest winds at 20-25 knots in the morning before dropping to 15-20 in the afternoon.

The Jamaica from Brielle has changed this weekend’s mid-range trip for cod and ling to Feb. 22-23.

There aren’t many species of fish that can be best described as beautiful, but the Maori sea perch seems to be the exception. The anglers who put this photo on Facebook only noted that they spent a lot of time and expense to release it.

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Check out the Philly Fishing Show this weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. Capt. Phil Scortino Jr. will provide a seminar on using live eels and planer boards for giant stripers at noon, and there will also be other seminars sponsored by the Fisherman magazine.

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight from this afternoon to Thursday evening.

Capt. Dave DeGennaro is running his 14th Philadelphia Fishing Show from Feb. 14-16 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. Rather than the usual sportsman’s show, this one is all fishing. For details visit http://www.phillyfishingshow.com

Anthony Gillespie reports the Capt. Lou from Freeport will be running a golden tilefish trip Saturday. Call 516 623-5823 for details.

The NY/NJ Bight marine forecast for Wednesday is for northeast winds at 115-20 knots plus gusts to 25. Rain, snow and sleet are added in the evening.

Nick Honachefsky will be one of many surf pros with presentations at Saturday’s annual Surf Day in New Jersey’s Brookdale Community College from 8:30 to 3:30. The best and latest in surf tackle will also be on display.

Sorry about no blog yesterday, but I was having problems with the computer.

The Ocean Explorer from Belmar had a nice day on the ocean Saturday, but only one keeper blackfish was caught along with ling.

The marine forecast in NY/NJ Bight is for northwest winds at just 5-10 knots before going southwest in the afternoon when there’s a slight chance of snow.

Ken Fraser’s 678.58kg (1496-pound) @theigfa All-Tackle World Record for bluefin tuna has stood undefeated for 40 years. This staggering fish is the largest of any tuna species ever caught and has amazed and inspired anglers around the world ever since its capture in 1979.

With rugged weather prevailing, even the Big Jamaica from Brielle hasn’t been able get out lately. However, Capt. Howard Bogen has scheduled a mid-range trip for cod and ling on Feb.16 at 4 a.m. The return will be at about5 p.m.

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight to late tonight. The forecast is for northwest winds at 5-10 knots before going southwest in the afternoon.

What do N.J.charter skippers do in the winter? Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper heads to Costa Rica for cuberas and other exotics.

Capt. Nick Stanczyk reports another fine swordfish trip as follows:

“at 7:20 AM  · Islamorada, FL  · 

“Broad Minded” got a nice Pumpkin Sword yesterday! Third drift the buoy went slack and an hour later they had this swordfish on the deck!

We have a handful of trips available this month and next month on our 42’ Freeman with @captmikevarney . A swordfish trip costs $3,000 (fuel included), ” Nick rarely misses, and often catches multiples of swords. Call Bud N’ Mary’s Marina at 305 664-2461.

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A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight through this afternoon. The forecast is for northwest winds at 5-10 knots in the morning before going southwest in the afternoon.

Though there have been some die-offs due to recent cold snaps in Louisiana, it appears that southwest Florida has been spared. Vinny D’Anton gave Longboat Key a try this morning and found solid spotted sea trout action with 15-21-inchers on a variety of lures. Vinny wades those warm waters, and found the sea trout by blind casting.

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight through Friday afternoon. The forecast is for south winds at 20-25 knots plus gusts to 30.

Carolina Sportsman magazine reports continued ocean tuna action as Leah Grady boated in 98-inch bluefin this week while fishing in a 23 Contender out of Drum Inlet.

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Chuck Many did some N.J. ice fishing before switching to exactly the opposite while casting into his tidal ponds at Hilton Head, S.C. for red drum and a variety of other warm water species.

The forecast for NY/NJ Bight is for southeast winds at 15-20 knots plus rain, snow and sleet tomorrow.

The Ocean Explorer from Belmar finally got back to blackfishing on Sunday with mixed results.

A positive was an increase in offshore water temperature to 43 degrees, and a lively bottom even though only a few keeper tog were among the many shorts plus some ling. Monday only produced one keeper blackfish plus shorts and a few ling for those who fished for them. Of course, all that can change at any time.

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight to late tonight. The forecast is for north winds at 10-15 knots in the morning before dropping to northwest at 5 in the afternoon.

Betty & Nick’s Tackle in Seaside Park reports ice is off in the bay.