Cod is still king, but the crown may be a little tarnished.
Most party boats from Montauk had an up and down week fishing south of Block Island. Anglers had a tough time catching just a handful of cod, but there were some in the 30-pound class.
Most skippers attributed the off weekend to the mild winter, and there is hope this week will have better results now that winter is back and water temperatures have dropped.
Most party and charter boats along the South Shore from Fire Island to Sheepshead Bay say the wrecks south of Long Island have a nice mix of cod and ling. Around 17 Fathoms there were also shots at mackerel
Anglers from the boroughs found herring at all the piers from 69th Street in Brooklyn to Coney Island and into Jamaica Bay.
For snowbirds heading south, we get reports of excellent sail fishing off Florida. That was surely the case at the 75th Annual Silver Sailfish Derby from Singer Island just 10 days ago.
A fleet of 46 boats released more than 1,100 sailfish during the three-day tournament — a number that shattered all previous records.
The best season for sailfish catches in Palm Beach County is December to February, according to Tom Twyford, president of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club.
“Sailfish are migratory,” Twyford said. “What moves these fish in big numbers to our area is a cold front from the North. You’ll find the bites are especially best after a passing cold front, which is what we recently experienced during the tournament.”
For more information and a listing of fishing opportunities, visit http://www.PalmBeachFl.com.
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During the shooting of the first episode of Seaguar’s Extreme Kayak Fishing Challenge TV Series, Alaskan Howard McKim, Canadian Ken Whiting, and Californian Matt Moyer hooked up with big-game kayak angler Jim Sammons in the East Cape of Baja, Mexico. Their goal: to catch marlin from their kayaks.
Soon after launching on the first morning, Howard’s reel started to scream, marking the beginning of an epic battle with a 300-pound blue marlin.
“When I first hooked up, I knew I had a nice fish,” Howard McKim said. “But I think my jaw actually hit my knees when I saw the 300-pound blue leap out of the water the first time.”
You can find out today at 1 p.m. on NBC Sports Network to see how the story plays out.
ken.moran@nypost.com