Good fishing was reported on the party boats this week, especially the Big Jamaica out of Brielle.
The boat had a great outing Wednesday when the weather was spectacular for winter fishing, and the crew is out again during the day Friday. Its next trip will be 4 a.m. Sunday.
On Wednesday's trip, a good catch of ling was reported with "a few cod mixed in," according to a report from the boat. The pool winner was Elizabeth resident Olguer Heras' 8-pound cod, while high hook was 51 ling boated by Gary Hines of New Rochelle, N.Y.
For information on the boat's upcoming trips, visit its website.
On the Belmar boats, mackerel were slammed on board the Golden Eagle. A report from that boat said anglers caught the fish in big numbers. The boat sails from the Belmar Marina every day 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"The fishing is decent and the weather is going to be fantastic," said a report from Capt. Ken on board the Norma K party boat out of Point Pleasant Beach. Anglers whopped ling on board this week, but the boat has a number of trips planned. Check out the Norma K's website for all of the latest info.
For land-based anglers, the occasional striper is still hanging around, believe it or not. There were reports of sand eels swimming at Island Beach State Park as recently as early this week, so it might be worth a try if you have some time to kill.
ALSO: Keep in mind that the Atlantic City boat show is running through Sunday. I've been there already, and I can say it's somewhat larger than last year (show officials have said about 25 percent larger). They're making use of the entire hall again this year, which is a good sign.
As for exhibitors, it's the usual suspects, but there are a lot of cool displays and very cool boats, including new offerings from Contender and a massive hydrogen-powered racing boat. The show is offering more how-to clinics this year (I'm planning on catching the marine electronics clinic on Sunday, personally) and there are a number of games and contests to keep everyone busy.
It's definitely a good time and worth the short trip on a winter weekend. A couple photos are attached to this article.
The show starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. It runs 'til 8 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. All the details are available on the show's website.
