Fishing Line: January 8

Due to adjusted deadlines, I enjoyed a short break after the two holiday issues. I admit, the time off was nice, but it wasn’t all fun and games, as I stayed busy by getting in touch with anglers, captains and various sources of fishing news.
It was a slower pace from what I’ve been used to recently, but it’s time to get moving again as we head into the new decade. We have tales of nice catches, including five double-digit blackfish. Let’s start our weekly fishing visit.
The Porgy IV came back after Christmas on a mission. It must have been to catch big fish because they were on them during a particular trip that saw two big double-digit fish and quality keepers caught.
Ed Olbrich had the touch, as he landed his first double-digit blackfish, which pulled the scales to 15 pounds.
Paul Tomaski, mentioned in a previous column, caught his largest blackfish, weighing 14.02 pounds. He released the fish after weighing and photographing it.  Paul also caught an 8.5-pounder among his four keepers.
For the trip, Ed and his son, Kevin, had a great day. Three of Kevin’s fish were over 8 pounds, giving him a day to remember.
The Porgy IV’s New Year’s Eve trip started with the dreaded “wind versus tide” situation that captains and anglers despise.
Thankfully, it ended and fishing picked up.
Mike Youcis wasn’t negatively affected, as he totaled his limit. Others didn’t fare as well, except for one,  Joe Lee, of Voorhees, who landed four keepers. To top it off, one of his keepers was a personal best double-digit blackfish that registered 14.30 pounds – that’s a great way to close out the year and decade.
Capt. Paul is running as many trips as the conditions allow, so get down to the dock, jump on and get in on the heavyweight action.
The Cape May Lady got back to business by recording a great first day back following the holiday break. They followed that with another great outing that saw anglers limit out while nice-sized fish were caught. The day provided “better action” than its predecessors.
Their final trip of the decade, on New Year’s Eve, had questionable weather as the day dawned. The weather and the fishing proved to be just fine. Nice fish were caught, but one caught everyone’s attention.
The fish, caught by Fran, who was mentioned in an early December column after winning the Togzilla contest on the Miss Avalon, weighed 16.2 pounds. It was the big catch of the day and is the biggest I’ve heard of being caught during this fall/winter season. Nice fish Fran, and congratulations.
The Cape May Lady is sailing a varied schedule. They are fishing mid-week, taking a breather, then returning for a weekend run. They leave the dock at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, so be awake early.
Since the weekends have limited occupancy and have been selling out, don’t forget to call ahead at (609) 780-7900 to reserve a spot, or if you have questions.
The Starfish was out after the holiday, like most boats, and had a great day with nice fish to go with it. Ken Raines, another regular on the blackfish scene, had a couple of nice fish, while others had multiple fish. One angler caught an excellent fish, but its weight was unknown.
They are fishing as much as possible, or at this time of the year, as much as the weather allows.
The Osprey, which is fishing out of Atlantic City, continues its operation like the other boats returning from a short break by catching nice blackfish as it gets back into the flow. Of course, after a couple of trips, the weather kept them and the others at their respective docks. Such is fishing in the winter.
The Fishin’ Fever, with Capt. Tom, took the Joe Murray party out during the holiday week. They caught 15 keepers for the group, which included an 8-pound fish for Joe.
As a whole, the boat, with its other patrons, totaled 28 keepers.  The big fish of the remaining keepers went to Kurtis Berry, who landed a 14-pounder. It was released safely after a trip to the scale and a round of photos.
Don’t forget to visit Mark’s Fishing Line on Facebook. It’s a great place to find up to the minute information and pictures, openings and schedules of boats and other fishing news.
Fishing is admittedly limited right now, but if you get out, let me know how you did, so we can all share in your success. Take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.