Post your 2019-2025 Fluke Pix & Trip Reports Here!

[captmike28]

Hit the Deep with RobPav aboard. Was a little concerned being right on the full moon, with a breeze from the ENE. Needless worries, the fish bit their heads off. Had to have put 60 units in the boat, with 5 true NY Rec keepers to 22". Sooo close to a boat limit (big deal, a whole 6 fish). Put back two 19" fish on the same drift among many other near-misses, which almost killed me. If they hadn't increased the size by that miserable 1/2", we would have been done at 10:45. Anyway, it does looks like my area is coming alive, finally.

By the way, I've stopped using bucktails entirely. The past few trips it's been solely the B/S rig carrying a 5 or 6 inch GULP! grub, with a suitable sinker on the bottom. Haven't seen a drop-off in my catching, and no more losing 6 bucktails (or more) every trip. Even with building them myself, I've grown tired of footing that bill.

Anyway, here's Robbie with our catch.

View attachment 104165

View attachment 104166

That's more like it, Lep!!
Still plenty of time to even the score with those crafty Fluke.

 

[Leprechaun]

My turn to cook. Turned part of Saturday's catch into "Mediterranean Fluke" per the attached recipe.
Served over rice, side of fresh garlic string beans with blistered cherry tomatoes. Scrumptious!

Paired nicely with this Frenchie Wine.

Here's the recipe.

Mediterranean Cod Delight: A Symphony of Tomatoes, Capers, and Olives – delicious-recipes

If you do decide to give this a try (and it's a super-easy recipe to follow), add a half cup of white wine, a quarter cup of water, double the amount of garlic and use more fresh tomatoes. And don't be shy with the salt and pepper. I used 6 very ripe medium plum tomatoes, which I pre-cook in the microwave for 4 minutes, so to loosen and help remove the tough skin - which I truly dislike in my tomato-based dishes. They start to break down nicely at 4 minutes, and after removing the skin I like to use a pair of kitchen scissors to chop up the tomatoes in the microwave bowl.

Give it a shot!

 

[Leprechaun]

Saturday had George and KenScot aboard. Must have put a hundred fish in the boat, only able to box four NY keepers to 23" plus a coupla big biscuits. Threw back a minimum of four other 19" fish. Not to mention at least ten fat biscuits in the 15-16" range. These NY regs are as bad as everything else about this State.

Anyway, here's pan-seared fluke with eggplant, along with a very tasty Vodka & Tonic. This is a really delish recipe - becoming one of our favorites. Super-fast prep too.

Served over white rice

Recipe:

Halibut with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

halibut

www.foodhuntersguide.com

We like to add a good shot of red pepper flakes and by all means add at least a cup of Seafood Stock (worth looking for in you local supermarket).

 

[Chinacat]

Looks Great Pete!

 

[george]

Now I'm hungry!

Back to the trip on Saturday. My hand is still cramping from all of the 2-3 pound fish and had to release. I know you hear the bitching and complaining about the regs all of the time, both here and all over the web. I decided to break down this trip and multiply our results to the 200 anglers total targeting fish and the party boats there. This is one eye opening stat I found here. This is proof that our fisheries managers don't have a clue. WE KILLED 3X THE AMOUNT OF FLUKE THEN WE KEEP! Had the limit been 18-inches, there would be about 1000 more fluke swimming around today. many of them over 2-pounds!

Here's a breakdown on the day:

For years, recreational anglers have been blamed for fluke declines. The reality on the water tells a different story.

One day fishing south of Jones Inlet:
Our boat had 3 anglers. We released 100 fluke, kept 4, and 11 died after release.
All party boats in the area: 290 anglers (five trips total). They released 7,250 fluke, kept 290, and 797 died after release.
Private boats: 200 more anglers. They released 7,000 fluke, kept 280, and 770 died after release.

Add it up:
Total anglers fishing that day—almost 500.
Total fluke released—14,350.
Total kept—574.
Total dead from release mortality—1,579.

That means for every fluke kept, nearly three died after release. Strict size limits mean anglers throw back thousands of fish, and many don’t survive. The numbers expose the truth: more fluke die from being tossed back than from being taken home.

The system is not working. Lowering the size limit would save more fish and reduce waste. That’s how you support both the fishery and the anglers who care about it most.

 

[Chinacat]

And in my opinion an 18-19” fluke is sweeter and tastier than one thats over 22-23”

 

[Matts]

Now I'm hungry!

Back to the trip on Saturday. My hand is still cramping from all of the 2-3 pound fish and had to release. I know you hear the bitching and complaining about the regs all of the time, both here and all over the web. I decided to break down this trip and multiply our results to the 200 anglers total targeting fish and the party boats there. This is one eye opening stat I found here. This is proof that our fisheries managers don't have a clue. WE KILLED 3X THE AMOUNT OF FLUKE THEN WE KEEP! Had the limit been 18-inches, there would be about 1000 more fluke swimming around today. many of them over 2-pounds!

Here's a breakdown on the day:

For years, recreational anglers have been blamed for fluke declines. The reality on the water tells a different story.

One day fishing south of Jones Inlet:
Our boat had 3 anglers. We released 100 fluke, kept 4, and 11 died after release.
All party boats in the area: 290 anglers (five trips total). They released 7,250 fluke, kept 290, and 797 died after release.
Private boats: 200 more anglers. They released 7,000 fluke, kept 280, and 770 died after release.

Add it up:
Total anglers fishing that day—almost 500.
Total fluke released—14,350.
Total kept—574.
Total dead from release mortality—1,579.

That means for every fluke kept, nearly three died after release. Strict size limits mean anglers throw back thousands of fish, and many don’t survive. The numbers expose the truth: more fluke die from being tossed back than from being taken home.

The system is not working. Lowering the size limit would save more fish and reduce waste. That’s how you support both the fishery and the anglers who care about it most.

George
I don't quite follow your reasoning that a smaller size limit would reduce catch and release mortality or am I missing something.
It seems to me the only way to reduce catch and release mortality is to reduce catching, i.e., shortening the season, which no one wants.
Are you suggesting that if we lowered the size limit, anglers would catch their limit, and then stop fishing? I think most anglers would just switch to catch and release. some might even cull a dead fish for a new, bigger fish.
If I was on a party boat and caught my limit early in the trip, I'd be pretty pissed if they made me sit and watch for the rest of the trip; or if they headed in after a full boat limit was reached.

 

[OVERBORED]

George
I don't quite follow your reasoning that a smaller size limit would reduce catch and release mortality or am I missing something.
It seems to me the only way to reduce catch and release mortality is to reduce catching, i.e., shortening the season, which no one wants.
Are you suggesting that if we lowered the size limit, anglers would catch their limit, and then stop fishing? I think most anglers would just switch to catch and release. some might even cull a dead fish for a new, bigger fish.
If I was on a party boat and caught my limit early in the trip, I'd be pretty pissed if they made me sit and watch for the rest of the trip; or if they headed in after a full boat limit was reached.

Its what some boats in Alaska do when Halibut fishing. No C&R!

 

[george]

I’m

George
I don't quite follow your reasoning that a smaller size limit would reduce catch and release mortality or am I missing something.

Matt, you’re reading me right. A lower size limit reduces discard mortality because anglers reach a take-home bag with fewer handled fish. Fewer shorts in the net means fewer fish stressed, gut-hooked, or dying later.

It seems to me the only way to reduce catch and release mortality is to reduce catching, i.e., shortening the season, which no one wants.

“Just shorten the season” only tackles effort. Managers care about total mortality. If we can convert a pile of dead discards into a smaller pile of legal keepers with fewer releases, total mortality drops without chopping the calendar to bits.

Are you suggesting that if we lowered the size limit, anglers would catch their limit, and then stop fishing?

Have you ever been on a party boat playing catch and release for fluke? You would never do that on my boat. Not that the opportunity has shown itself recently

I think most anglers would just switch to catch and release. some might even cull a dead fish for a new, bigger fish.

Again you wouldn't be doing that on my boat. And I personally have rarely seen it happen on parry or charter boats. There's always something else to move on to.

If I was on a party boat and caught my limit early in the trip, I'd be pretty pissed if they made me sit and watch for the rest of the trip; or if they headed in after a full boat limit was reached.

If that were the case wouldn't that be true today? Have you ever seen anyone on a party boat catch their limit and stop fishing?