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Tuna bite still hot in N.C.

Though the Canyon Runner is concluding its winter tuna fishing out of Oregon Inlet today, that fishery remains hot. The Sam Mammiccio party waited around until the weather permitted Capt. Deane Lambros to get offshore where they had constant action on trolled Joe Shutes with balao as giant bluefins of about 450 and 525 pounds were released and another got off 50 feet from the boat. A bigeye tuna of about 125 pounds was boated along with small yellowfins. Adam La Rosa (732 272-4445) is booking the last few days of summer charters left on the Canyon Runner fleet out of Point Pleasant, but will recommend  Oregon Inlet charter boats for those who want to make the trip.Giant Tuna Pic 1

The April snow was another setback to spring fishing further north, but the Ocean Explorer from Belmar was encouraged by a showing of blackfish on Sunday despite the cold waters recently.  The Golden Eagle from that port got back offshore in nice weather on Saturday, but didn’t find any mackerel. They did go to bottom for a few short cod, a ling and lots of bergalls — and will switch to wreck fishing during upcoming trips until there are some mackerel reports.

Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park  has had anglers buying bloodworms that are attracting small stripers in the bay. One customer claimed to have caught bluefish on the east side of the bay, but those were likely holdovers from the power plant.

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Bad news for northern anglers

NOAA has the following bad news about recreational regulations for cod and haddock in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank:

Proposed 2018 Groundfish Recreational Regulations – Open for Public Comment
By April 6, please submit your comments on proposed groundfish recreational measures for 2018. Recreational possession of Gulf of Maine cod would continue to be prohibited, the haddock possession limit would be reduced from 12 to 10 fish for the charter/party fleet, and a new closed season would be implemented in May for private anglers. For Georges Bank cod, we are proposing an increase to the minimum size from 22 to 24 inches, and a possession limit for the for-hire fleet, set at 10 fish.

The Ocean Explorer from Belmar will be sailing for cod on Thursday, while the Golden Eagle from that port gets started Friday for herring and mackerel.

Vinnie D’Anton reports from Sarasota that shore fishing was very good again today for spotted sea trout plus ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, snook and flounder all on the 3-inch Gulp  Shrimp in new penny color.

Joe Greco fished for redfish for the first time this spring on his small boat out of Fort Myers and cast for two of 20 and 22 inches.

Yesterday I fished from shore in the Miami area for some very unusual fish, and will have photos in tomorrow’s blog.

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Fishing resuming in N.J.

The head photo is of the huge Pacific cubera snapper described in yesterday’s blog just before release from the Pesca Panama Oceanmaster I was fishing aboard last week.

The late March northeaster put a big dent in northern fishing activity, but things are looking up this week. The Ocean Explorer from Belmar plans to sail for cod on Wednesday and the rest of the week, while the Golden Eagle from that port resumes fishing on Friday at 7:30 a.m. for herring and mackerel until stripers get started next month. The Ocean Explorer got into some 12-to-15-pound cod during the last trip before the storm — and finally saw water temperatures up to 40 degrees. Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park reports small stripers hitting small plugs in the back bay.

Inshore waters remain very cold, though that should change quickly. Joe Melillo, of Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant said it’s even been too cold for the largemouth bass in his local ponds. The shop is being refurbished, but they’re shooting for an opening next week.

Sometimes the one that got away makes a day more memorable than the catches. That was the case yesterday when I fished with my daughter Cyndi and her boyfriend Luis Gonzalez of Palmetto Bay, Fl. Luis ran his trailered 22-foot Pursuit, Sheri Berri III, to Pacific Reef off Miami. While the yellowtail snapper bite was slow, Cyndi suddenly found herself hooked up to a big fish on a very light spinning rod. My former mate on Sheri Berri II, when I had that boat at Point Pleasant and Brielle, did a fine job running around the boat with what we suspected was a toothy critter that had eaten a small fish on her line. Despite having no leader to a tiny jig, Cyndi hung on to the fish for quite some time and got a ray of hope when we saw the silver side of a big barracuda underwater before it finally cut the light mono. It was fun while it lasted!

Cyndi pic