Cold and wind, and the resulting waning interest in going fishing, conspired to keep many fishermen indoors this past week. Those who ventured out found tog, ling, and cod. It seems like the stripers are on hiatus, though a warm-up could put some schoolies back in the surf.
The Norma K III continues to catch tog, but throwbacks are dominating the catch. On many trips, however, a few anglers have been hooking bonus cod.
More keeper and throwback cod have been caught aboard headboats and charters targeting ling, reported Matthews at Fishermen’s Den. The ling bite itself has been pretty good as well.
Quick reminder, striper season is closed in the backwaters until March 1. Same with winter flounder. The tog limit dropped to 4 on the first of the year.
In freshwater, pickerel are biting well (including some very big ones), as are perch. Some fishermen are trying for walleye on the Delaware and others are looking for trout in places like Ken Lockwood Gorge.
Fishing Forecast for New Jersey
Hopping on a headboat for tog would be a good option for securing a fresh fish dinner, but you may have a better chance at filling the cooler on a ling trip. If you’re fishing on your own boat, look deeper for tog, as they head farther offshore as the water cools and the winter wears on. Unfortunately, the seas aren’t looking great for this weekend.