Pollock hit offshore, liven up winter catch off NJ coast
Fishing has been about as slow as it can get without coming to a complete stop but there was a little bit of excitement out on the water on Wednesday with a surprise haul of pollock.
Just a few party boats are trying for blackfish mostly, but Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer found a school of pollock on Wednesday that provided a jolt to the action. He said he had just a few anglers show up in the morning on what turned out to be a really nice day on the water, weather wise.
The ocean was a little lumpy in the morning but gradually layed down as the day went on. He went offshore to the deep water where his fares had some opportunities to hook a keeper blackfish and codfish. The big surprise for the day were the pollock. Quinn said they got into quite a few of them. He even came down on deck to fish and reeled in five of them.
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Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. of the Jamaica said the boat will sail at 4 a.m. Saturday. He said they're going to try areas from 20 to 30 miles offshore for blackfish, ling and cod.
The weekend could see some warm air temperatures and breezes out of the south. The forecast is calling for 50 degrees though there could be some light rain in mix on Saturday. The ocean shouldn't be too bad with seas predicted to be around two to five feet.
Offshore wind
The Bureau of Ocean Management or BOEM, held a public hearing on the environmental impacts of offshore wind at the Clarion Hotel in Toms River yesterday. They will host on at 1 p.m., next Thursday, Feb. 13. This meeting will be via Zoom and will be open to public comment. To register, and to get up to speed on the offshore wind projects details, go to BOEM's website.
Coast Guard Boating Safety Courses
Coast Guard Auxiliary Manasquan Flotilla 053-16-07 will begin its series of boating safety courses this Saturday at Thompson Park in the Lincroft section of Middletown. The course is required by New Jersey State Police for anyone to operate motorized watercraft.
The course will cover many topics such as navigation rules and how to be prepared for an emergency on the water. Students who pass will received their boating safety certificate.
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The course is one day and the cost is $82.50. The Coast Guard Aux will be offering the course on Feb. 10, March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8 and Sept. 14. To register call 732-842-4000.
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: Pollock add to winter catch
