Joe Zagorzki caught this 12.5-pound blackfish aboard the Jersey Hooker out of Point Pleasant Beach last Friday.
The optimist in me hopes that this will be the last of the sparse fishing reports. Frigid conditions kept all of the party boats tied to the dock last weekend and anglers off the water, so there hasn’t been a lot in the way of action.
The only boat I heard of sailing last week, with the possible exception of the commercial guys, was the Jersey Hooker out of Point Pleasant Beach last Friday.
Capt. Rich Wilkowski went tog fishing in the bitter cold with a few diehards who were bound and determined to make one more trip before the captain called it a season.
While his last trip was originally scheduled for Sunday, the fishermen did some arm twisting and got the trip moved up a couple of days to when the weather looked a bit more favorable.
The thermometer showed no mercy, but the sea was kind and the fish cooperated.
The small crew managed to put together a nice catch of blackfish, including a 12.5 pounder caught by Joe Zagorski, a 10 pounder, a couple in the 8-pound range and some smaller fish. Then it really got cold.
Once the bitter weather abated on Sunday, Capt. Matt Sosnowski on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach didn’t waste any time. He sailed on President’s Day in the snow and, while the fishing was a bit slow, those aboard caught some tog.
The pool fish went about 6 pounds. There were a few swings and misses and some fish dodged a bullet by breaking off.
The forecast looks downright balmy for this weekend and the Norma K III intends to sail both days as does the Dauntless, also out of Point Pleasant.
The regulars on the Jersey Hooker also convinced Capt. Wilkowski to make one more trip this year and his finale is now Friday, the 19th, and he’s got one more spot open.
Another Point Pleasant boat, the Voyager, isn’t sailing, but will be posting the 2016 offshore schedule on its website around 10 a. m. on Saturday for those who want to get a jump on booking trips.
John Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the boats out of Bogan’s Basin – the Big Jamaica, the Jamaica II and the Paramount – all plan on sailing this weekend for ling, cod and pollock on the offshore wrecks.
Other than that, he said things have been quiet around the shop with the main activity devoted to rod building classes. Another series of classes is being considered for March if there is enough interest.
The Ocean Explorer and the Big Mohawk out of Belmar will be sailing this weekend as well for tog, cod and ling.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters out of the same marina is done fishing until spring but he’s giving a fluke seminar at the at the Marine Trades Association’s Boat Sale and Expo at the Raritan Center in Edison on Saturday.
The show is offering a full schedule of fishing seminars and it runs from Thursday through Sunday. The Expo also gives you a chance to check out some new boats for spring.
A packed schedule of fishing seminars will also be offered this Saturday at Surf Day, the annual fishing show organized by the Jersey Shore Surfcasters and held at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft.
Now in its 10th year, the event will offer 10 seminars and four workshops, plus more than 70 vendors, including some of the top plug makers in the Northeast.
Always working to bring new faces into the sport, the JSS is again devoting one of the workshops to getting kids interested in surf fishing.
The speakers at the two main seminars will be Alfred Anuszewski of Long Island and Janet Messineo of Martha’s Vineyard.
Anuszewski, a pivotal figure on the Long Island and Block Island surf fishing scenes for decades, will be talking about some of the historic striper runs of the 1980s. He’ll also touch upon the role he and his fellow surfcasters, the Campo Crew, played in the evolution of the sport
Messineo is an angler and author who has fished the Vineyard for 40 years and is one of the few surf guides working there. Among other topics, she’ll covering the history of women anglers going back centuries, which sounds like it could be very interesting.
Surf Day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is $10, kids under 10 are free.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Bottom fishing on the party boats looks to be the best bet to put some fish on the table. In addition to the ones listed above, the Prowler 5 is still sailing out of Atlantic Highlands and will be heading out this weekend. Other than that, the Boat Sale and Expo in Edison and Surf Day at Brookdale are good ways to get your fishing fix.