The ability to fish anytime and any place is helpful, that's for sure. Being bound to one area can work against your efforts, if the fish ain't around.
Post your 2019-2024 Fluke Pix & Trip Reports Here!
- Thread starter Leprechaun
- Start date
hartattack
Angler
Got out for a quick morning fluke run to Long Branch NJ, good conditions, west wind, gin clear water. Most action in 40' , couple of nice sea bass too. Our 3 keeper fluke were 20-24". Even our seabass today
would've been legal in NY 
captmike28
Well-Known Angler
Bucktail II
Angler
Damn that looks just like the inside of my vessel.
Bucktail II
Angler
Without the giant gas motor sticking out of course !
hartattack
Angler
That's great! You're a lucky man!!!
Finally!
Headed out to my offshore office with Kevin/Longcast and Capt. Mike on a gorgeous ocean. Hopes weren't very high as everyone knows this fluke season has been something of a disappointment. Going home with a single fish in the box has been the norm over my past few solo trips - the result of scarce decent fish as well as the outrageous disparity between our NY limits and Jersey's far more liberal regs.
Well, not today. We had a very good pick of almost keepers right away, with us starting out fishing my favorite "corner" of the grounds. I quickly put a 5-er in the box, followed by another nice one by Capt. Mike. Once that area got overrun by various weekend "entities," including a party boat that sailed all the way from Captree (only to leave after less than an hour - can you say "boat ride?"), it was time to move on to greener pastures.
Went to one of my pet drift lines and found instant life. Another 5-er for me. then a fattie flattie 6 by Mike. And so on, as we picked thru a ton of Jersey keepers, putting together a solid catch for the day. Ended the trip with two x 4lbs, two x 5lbs, Mike's 6 lber best of the day, and a couple of 20" fish for good measure. So, 7 quality fish for the three of us is what I consider a good catch nowadays.
I actually pulled a swifty on the little bastids - by leaving the big 70-quart Coleman home, and taking along my much smaller 48-qt Igloo instead. "Lowered Expectations." The good juju worked like a charm - filled it right to the top with some really solid fluke. And about time too.
Such a nice ocean today, spinning gear with 2oz jigs were all we needed to do the damage. Hopefully this is the start of a decent late season bite.
Headed out to my offshore office with Kevin/Longcast and Capt. Mike on a gorgeous ocean. Hopes weren't very high as everyone knows this fluke season has been something of a disappointment. Going home with a single fish in the box has been the norm over my past few solo trips - the result of scarce decent fish as well as the outrageous disparity between our NY limits and Jersey's far more liberal regs.
Well, not today. We had a very good pick of almost keepers right away, with us starting out fishing my favorite "corner" of the grounds. I quickly put a 5-er in the box, followed by another nice one by Capt. Mike. Once that area got overrun by various weekend "entities," including a party boat that sailed all the way from Captree (only to leave after less than an hour - can you say "boat ride?"), it was time to move on to greener pastures.
Went to one of my pet drift lines and found instant life. Another 5-er for me. then a fattie flattie 6 by Mike. And so on, as we picked thru a ton of Jersey keepers, putting together a solid catch for the day. Ended the trip with two x 4lbs, two x 5lbs, Mike's 6 lber best of the day, and a couple of 20" fish for good measure. So, 7 quality fish for the three of us is what I consider a good catch nowadays.
I actually pulled a swifty on the little bastids - by leaving the big 70-quart Coleman home, and taking along my much smaller 48-qt Igloo instead. "Lowered Expectations." The good juju worked like a charm - filled it right to the top with some really solid fluke. And about time too.
Such a nice ocean today, spinning gear with 2oz jigs were all we needed to do the damage. Hopefully this is the start of a decent late season bite.
Snapprhead27
Well-Known Angler
Very nice!!
Well, we gave it a real good shot anyway
Repeating success has been a near-impossible task this fluke season. Ran off with our host George and my friend Frankie who runs his boat Teresa V out of Howard Beach. Beautiful ocean, light breeze and quarter moon phase made it look like a perfect "spinning rod" day. Yeah, nope. Forget that. Despite the relatively gentle ocean a very strong under-current had us using 5 and 6oz bucktails to stay in contact with the bottom. Kinda weird, but I've seen it before out on the offshore grounds.
Anyway, tons (and I mean TONS) of Jersey keepers right thru the trip with only two "NY-style" fish in the box by lunchtime. Late in the trip the S breeze came up, forcing the use of 8oz sinkers. Put another two fish away for a trip total of 4 keeps, one x 5lbs, one x 4lbs, and a couple of 20-inchers. That late bite had some serious-weight contenders come unbuttoned after a few cranks - tough to keep them stuck in those conditions. Not the results we were looking for, but it is what it is this season.
Repeating success has been a near-impossible task this fluke season. Ran off with our host George and my friend Frankie who runs his boat Teresa V out of Howard Beach. Beautiful ocean, light breeze and quarter moon phase made it look like a perfect "spinning rod" day. Yeah, nope. Forget that. Despite the relatively gentle ocean a very strong under-current had us using 5 and 6oz bucktails to stay in contact with the bottom. Kinda weird, but I've seen it before out on the offshore grounds.
Anyway, tons (and I mean TONS) of Jersey keepers right thru the trip with only two "NY-style" fish in the box by lunchtime. Late in the trip the S breeze came up, forcing the use of 8oz sinkers. Put another two fish away for a trip total of 4 keeps, one x 5lbs, one x 4lbs, and a couple of 20-inchers. That late bite had some serious-weight contenders come unbuttoned after a few cranks - tough to keep them stuck in those conditions. Not the results we were looking for, but it is what it is this season.
Yeah, me too.
But in 2025.
Uggh.
But in 2025.
Uggh.
Anytime I take a deep drop fluke trip, I get that anticipation of the shot at a quality fish. It's that feeling, knowing that no matter how small the fish are - and in this case, we're calling 18-19 inch fish small - in my opinion, you are in the best deep water fluke fishery on Long Island.
We all feel that things are off, but the fact is, without question, if the size limit were 18 1/2 like last year, we would have limited by 1 pm with a 5-pounder, a 4-pounder, a few 20 inches, and a bunch of 18-19 inch fish. That's in crappy condition. In fact, if this were last year, we would have considered it a great day.
So maybe it's not as bad as we think. Maybe we're again seeing regulations squeezing us out of another fishery.
In any case, I'm on board for the next one
We all feel that things are off, but the fact is, without question, if the size limit were 18 1/2 like last year, we would have limited by 1 pm with a 5-pounder, a 4-pounder, a few 20 inches, and a bunch of 18-19 inch fish. That's in crappy condition. In fact, if this were last year, we would have considered it a great day.
So maybe it's not as bad as we think. Maybe we're again seeing regulations squeezing us out of another fishery.
In any case, I'm on board for the next one
Crabman
Angler
Send some of those fish to the east. It's been pretty much pathetic in the Fire Island area. Reef has shorts and very few keepers. Decided to go for triggers before the tide for fluke. With a beautiful ocean, got on a piece and action was on. We probably had 35-40 triggers, keeping 19 nice fish. Triggerfish are one of my favorites. These were bled, chilled and filleted. My fishing partner didn't want any. So, I got out the vacuum sealer and have a nice freezer of triggers for the winter. Got a bunch of blueclaws and cooked them up for a nice snack.
I'm done with the longer runs for fluke until things get better. I plan to switch over to skinny water fishing with my Carolina Skiff and small bucktails tipped with spearing in the back bay.
I'm done with the longer runs for fluke until things get better. I plan to switch over to skinny water fishing with my Carolina Skiff and small bucktails tipped with spearing in the back bay.
Last edited:
captmike28
Well-Known Angler
Very impressive catch of Triggers! Not only do they taste great they fight like crazy... a ton of fun.
Shrimp Stuffed Fluke Roll-Ups
Wifey had to work late, so inspired by my friend Frankie/Teresa V, I made dinner tonight - Broiled shimp-stuffed fluke roll-ups in a light white wine sauce, with air fryer-blistered Shiseido peppers and fries - washed down with iced Sangria. Really great!
Wifey had to work late, so inspired by my friend Frankie/Teresa V, I made dinner tonight - Broiled shimp-stuffed fluke roll-ups in a light white wine sauce, with air fryer-blistered Shiseido peppers and fries - washed down with iced Sangria. Really great!
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