Codfish bite as ocean water temps continue to drop
The Paramount found some codfish biting during Saturday's wreck trip, boating close to 10 of them while the boat was out for blackfish. The fish have been slowly showing up on angler's hooks as the water gets colder, though there haven't been a whole lot of them to write home about.
The few boats that are still fishing daily are grinding out catches of blackfish in water depths out to about 150 feet. And it has been a grind, especially Saturday when the conditions were pretty frustrating.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer said a cold north current had the blackfish on lock date. The day started out with a stiff wind out of the southwest and swell from the south that combined to make the ocean very lumpy. As the day wore on and the wind dropped out they started putting fish in the boat. The biggest of the tog was a seven-pounder. On Sunday, the perch bite was fierce and made it tough to keep a bait on the bottom. When anglers did get one past them, they landed a few keeper blackfish and pollock.
More:Weakfish and pollock top catch on offshore run to deep water
Capt. Matt Sosnowski on the Big Mohawk said the short blackfish kept his fare busy on Sunday with some keepers coming up occasionally. He too observed a couple of keeper cod in the mix as well. Despite the short action, he did have an angler catch a limit of four tog and the pool fish went about seven pounds.
Build a fishing rod, other fishing events
Brielle Bait & Tackle will hold a rod building basics course next month. The course will cover everything one needs to know about assembling a fishing rod from scratch. It's a three-night course, 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6, 8 &10. The cost is $95 and space is limited. Call the shop at 732-528-5720 for more info or to sign up.
What's biting: Get the latest fishing reports here
The Hi-Mar Striper Club's annual flea market will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 11 at the Middletown VFW Post 2179 in Port Monmouth, New Jersey. The cost is $5 per person, 15 and under get a free entry.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ fishing: Codfish biting as ocean temps drop
