Bob Matthews at Fisherman's Den said he's thinking mostly about spring at this point, though he said fishing has been good on the Ocean Explorer where some quality blackfish have come over the rails in the past week when the boat's been able to sail. "Fishing for anything else is on hold," Bob said, though the shop is open for business every day, and reminds folks that the time to think of winter flounder, spring stripers, shad and perch has definitely arrived. "Keep positive thoughts," Bob said.

Jesse at Fisherman's Den said the Ocean Explorer is sailing regularly for tautog. "As long as the weather is warming up, folks are hitting it," Jesse said on Monday, adding "it's like a lake out there now." Given that guys are fishing every day, he said it's a "good sign" that there are still tautog out there for the taking

Over at the Fisherman's Den we were told the few boats that were still sailing had been pulling some tog and cod from very deep water. However that was prior to the mid-month ice up and subsequent heavy rains; since then fishing has been slow and conditions have really limited sailing time for the one or two boats that have been trying to get out. Late month also produced some rumors of mackerel being caught by a boat sailing out of New York waters. Whether or not the mackerel fishing heats up will largely depend on the weather and amount of anglers wanting to fish for them.

Bob Matthews at the Fisherman's Den said things have been pretty slow, as many folks aren't showing up at the port even though a few boats like the Big Mohawk are still running. "Guys are doing well, not big numbers but a few quality fish," Bob said. He's got both greens and white leggers and folks are coming from all over for a dozen at a time (it's a long trip to get them in stock). There are still a few guys, the younger guys especially, hitting a few small stripers out front, and some of the hardcore jetty jocks are targeting sundials and herring down the end of the inlet. Bob said the shop's open until 4 when the boats are sailing, more like 2 p.m. when they're weathered out.