Quick update on the Bluefin situation. NMFS has closed the commercial Giant Bluefin season as of today, January 22nd. This is due to the quota being filled. FYI, this is the first time I can remember since we have been Giant Bluefin fishing (about 7 years) that the season has closed early (before Jan. 31). We had hoped to target them ourselves off Hatteras the rest of this month and possibly even February, but they never made it to us in any numbers and were mostly caught north of us.
What does this mean��
First, it means there are A LOT of Bluefin around! For those looking to come down and catch Bluefin recreationally, it means very little, other than that the amount of fishing pressure will pretty much drop 75% starting tomorrow, with the commercial fleet now done for the season. This is good for the recreational fisherman. The recreational limit continues to be 1 fish between 27 and 73 inches. That is unchanged and should remain unchanged through the entire winter season. Weâ??d expect the main body of fish to be right off Hatteras any day now. Undoubtedly, it will be a bit more difficult to keep track of them, with the commercial season closed, but starting about the first week of February should be about right. to date all the trips we have scheduled are mid February to early march. The schedule has filled in quite nicely, but we still have plenty of dates open..
If youâ??d like to get in a trip, let me know your availability and Iâ??ll work on getting some more split/open trips filled up.
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