New Jersey Fishing Report 1-23-2014

By Capt. Ed BergerJanuary 23, 2014

Have any friends in Costa Rica right now? If you did, they would be sending pictures of them in their shorts, telling you about one of the best blue marlin bites in years. Family in the Florida Keys? There is really strong Blackfin Tuna action off of Big Pine and the ghosts are back on the flats near Islamorada. How about the Gulf Coast of Louisiana where the redfish have dumbed down so much that you barely have to twitch your little rubber jerk bait to get slammed by a big bull? I’m here to tell you, I hate them all.

I am in Margate, about 5 minutes up the beach from Atlantic City, and we kind of dodged the bullet this past week with the blizzard, only catching a couple inches of the white stuff. However, essentially, my island is really just a frozen block of ice right now.

So, Capt. Ed, what did you do during the second Polar Vortex of 2014? Funny you should ask. The FmTuna is finally out of the water, after only having to be shoveled out once this year, and is tucked in at the boat yard. The mountain of gear that I stripped off the boat, which resembled a very expensive land fill mound in my garage, has been cleaned, organized, and placed up on the wall racks for easy access in the spring. My workbench is cleaned up, ready for action. The only thing missing…is motivation.

Fishing is not entirely out of the question although certainly not for the faint of heart. Out front there is cod and tog (Ok, blackfish for you guys north of Barney) and always perchin’ in the back (try and find some grass shrimp.. it is like perch candy) if you are really game. Chasing pickerel on the lakes or bog (if no one is playing hockey on them) can kill a few hours if the sun is out and the wind lays down.

The blackfish were biting in deeper waters, according to the Mimi VI.

My recipe if I am going out front right now in the Northern part of the State is to make two phone calls, in no particular order. The 62-foot Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant (732-370-8019) or the Big Mohawk out of Belmar (732-996-6165). Both of these big girls are set up for the cold weather with nice heated cabins and more importantly, the guys in the driver’s seat know exactly where to drop the hook. Down South, options again are limited but they are good options; The Northstar out of Ocean City (609-391-8300) or all the way down to Cape May aboard the Porgy IV (609-884-1214). In all of these cases, particularly with the forecast we are looking at for this weekend, I’d be sure to call at least a day in advance to make a reservation and/or confirm sailing.

I don’t think I have to remind you that even though the weather outside is ridiculous, many of the guys in our network are not only open for business, but offering some of the best deals of the year while they clear out their inventory making room for all the new orders to re-stock with in the Springtime. Bait can get a little scarce, but deals are jumping off the wall! Many shops are running winter hours so once again calling ahead is not such a bad idea. Doing a little “cut and paste” from our page to your address book of the shops in your region might not be a bad idea for future reference.

Fishermen’s Supply Co Point Pleasant 732-892-2058

Jersey Hooker Outfitters Brick 732-903-6904

Reel Life Bait and Tackle Point Pleasant 732-899-3506

Efinger’s Sporting Goods Bound Brook 732-356-0604

Giglio’s Bait and Tackle Sea Bright 732-383-5375

Harry’s Adventure Outfitters Robbinsville 609-585-5450

Julians B&T Atlantic Highlands 732-291-0500

Keyport Marine Basin Keyport 732-264-9421

The Bait Shop Bradley Beach 732-361-8500

The Reel Seat Brielle 732-223-5353

Zuback’s Marina Morgan 732-727-3953

Atlantic Bait & Tackle Middletown 732-787-2248