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

[Chinacat]

I do set the bar for myself pretty high each trip.

Also, I must tip my cap to you Mitch as the 23" Fluke from your own trip yesterday beat anything we put in the box. Perseverance still pays off!!

 

[OVERBORED]

Not easy to do when you've seen some damn good fishing in your time!

I never bought in to lowering my expectations. Seems like you don't either. Customers DO notice!

 

[Litugboat]

Finally got the fluke to bite the jig in the bay today . Keeper ratio same as usual . 1 22 inch fish out of 30 . At least I’m not burning much fuel for my dinner. Had 2 others that were July keepers as well

 

[Leprechaun]

FINALLY!

Well, it only took a month and a half, but today Mike and I had a great day fishing my offshore drops. So freakin' rough early, once we lost the lee heading out, I really had some doubts about being able to hang in there. But the forecast called for it to lay down on the turn, and for once it was right. Fishing today without the drift sock would have been impossible, as many of the boats that beat their way offshore found out once they arrived on the grounds. One or two drifts and they were gonzo. We had to go straight to the 8oz sinkers even with the sock in the water, and had a TON of shorts to 18" all morning.

But once the tide dropped out and went outgoing it became quite nice - dropping down to 4oz sinkers was perfect. Right on the turn the better fish went nuts - we quickly put three NICE keepers in the box on the first drift of the outgoing, and we zeroed in on the best line to quickly filled our limit.

It was all over in about 30 minutes - without pre-rigged spare setups we would have wasted valuable time dealing with break-offs/re-rerigging. Lose a rig? Pick up another rod - I really think that's the key when the big fish window is so narrow. 30 minutes - that's just crazy! Anyway, we finished with the boat limit to 24" and three quality biscuits to round it out. Man, what a relief, I was about to lose my mind this season - now there's some hope to finish strong.

 

[longcast]

FINALLY!

Well, it only took a month and a half, but today Mike and I had a great day fishing my offshore drops. So freakin' rough early, once we lost the lee heading out, I really had some doubts about being able to hang in there. But the forecast called for it to lay down on the turn, and for once it was right. Fishing today without the drift sock would have been impossible, as many of the boats that beat their way offshore found out once they arrived on the grounds. One or two drifts and they were gonzo. We had to go straight to the 8oz sinkers even with the sock in the water, and had a TON of shorts to 18" all morning.

But once the tide dropped out and went outgoing it became quite nice - dropping down to 4oz sinkers was perfect. Right on the turn the better fish went nuts - we quickly put three NICE keepers in the box on the first drift of the outgoing, and we zeroed in on the best line and quickly filled our limit.

It was all over in about 30 minutes - without pre-rigged spare setups we would have wasted valuable time dealing with break-offs/re-rerigging. Lose a rig? Pick up another rod - I really think that's the key when the big fish window is so narrow. 30 minutes - that's just crazy! Anyway, we finished with the boat limit to 24" and three quality biscuits to round it out. Man, what a relief, I was about to lose my mind this season - now there's some hope to finish strong.

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Awesome catch in the short window. Congrats on pounding it out.

 

[Chinacat]

Awesome!
Glad you guys had a good day

 

[captmike28]

FINALLY!

Well, it only took a month and a half, but today Mike and I had a great day fishing my offshore drops. So freakin' rough early, once we lost the lee heading out, I really had some doubts about being able to hang in there. But the forecast called for it to lay down on the turn, and for once it was right. Fishing today without the drift sock would have been impossible, as many of the boats that beat their way offshore found out once they arrived on the grounds. One or two drifts and they were gonzo. We had to go straight to the 8oz sinkers even with the sock in the water, and had a TON of shorts to 18" all morning.

But once the tide dropped out and went outgoing it became quite nice - dropping down to 4oz sinkers was perfect. Right on the turn the better fish went nuts - we quickly put three NICE keepers in the box on the first drift of the outgoing, and we zeroed in on the best line and quickly filled our limit.

It was all over in about 30 minutes - without pre-rigged spare setups we would have wasted valuable time dealing with break-offs/re-rerigging. Lose a rig? Pick up another rod - I really think that's the key when the big fish window is so narrow. 30 minutes - that's just crazy! Anyway, we finished with the boat limit to 24" and three quality biscuits to round it out. Man, what a relief, I was about to lose my mind this season - now there's some hope to finish strong.

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Thanks for a terrific trip, Pete. This season has pushed the hard-core Fluke fisherman to the point of madness, but our patience and persistence was indeed rewarded today!

 

[Snapprhead27]

FINALLY!

Well, it only took a month and a half, but today Mike and I had a great day fishing my offshore drops. So freakin' rough early, once we lost the lee heading out, I really had some doubts about being able to hang in there. But the forecast called for it to lay down on the turn, and for once it was right. Fishing today without the drift sock would have been impossible, as many of the boats that beat their way offshore found out once they arrived on the grounds. One or two drifts and they were gonzo. We had to go straight to the 8oz sinkers even with the sock in the water, and had a TON of shorts to 18" all morning.

But once the tide dropped out and went outgoing it became quite nice - dropping down to 4oz sinkers was perfect. Right on the turn the better fish went nuts - we quickly put three NICE keepers in the box on the first drift of the outgoing, and we zeroed in on the best line and quickly filled our limit.

It was all over in about 30 minutes - without pre-rigged spare setups we would have wasted valuable time dealing with break-offs/re-rerigging. Lose a rig? Pick up another rod - I really think that's the key when the big fish window is so narrow. 30 minutes - that's just crazy! Anyway, we finished with the boat limit to 24" and three quality biscuits to round it out. Man, what a relief, I was about to lose my mind this season - now there's some hope to finish strong.

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There ya go!! Persistance paid off. Great JOB!

 

[OVERBORED]

That's an awesome report! Well deserved. Hopefully you're keyed in for the next trip!

 

[Litugboat]

And the tough fluking continues . One 20 inch fish out of 25 or so . Bay is overrun with gulp nibblers so had to resort to sea robin strips to keep bait on the hooks. Best fishing was in deep holes in the back very close to Freeport on the flood in 76 degree water

 

[captmike28]

And the tough fluking continues . One 20 inch fish out of 25 or so . Bay is overrun with gulp nibblers so had to resort to sea robin strips to keep bait on the hooks. Best fishing was in deep holes in the back very close to Freeport on the flood in 76 degree water

Enjoyed an absolutely spectacular weather day off Montauk yesterday with my long-term regulars, Matt, Jenn, Chef Nader, and his friend Will. With the challenges we all face this Fluke season it was good to have one of my most experienced crews aboard.

Started off on the flood tide on my favorite south side drop and we are quickly attacked by hordes of Sea Bass, a common theme this season. Jenn puts 2 keepers in the boat before the other guys can blink and then Matt hits pay dirt with the first keeper Fluke a plump 20” fish. The typical short parade of Fluke and Sea Bass begins and we spend the next 90 minutes doing a lot of sorting. Will briefly catches fire and adds 2 more keeper Fluke in the 20-21” range along with another Sea Bass for the box before the action dies.

I move further south and while the Fluke and Sea Bass short action returns, the next 90 minutes only yields one more keeper Fluke and a couple of keeper Sea Bass, one of which Matt landed that was a very healthy 19” beauty!

I got some intel of a decent bite at the point so we head back north and while the action was pretty fast, with more short Fluke and a keeper Sea Bass the current really started to scream. So, we finished the day tight to the beach, and with a lot less current and the fishing became manageable again. Matt landed his second keeper Fluke of the day a solid 22” fish. Then Will takes the best fish of the day, a 24.5” beasty that tips the scales at 5.1#. He also nabs one more keeper Fluke at 19.5” and the crew finds another Sea Bass or two for the box. So, final tally for the day winds up tying our best trip to Montauk this year during very challenging times;7 keeper Fluke and 7 keeper Sea Bass out of 100 fish decked! As a bonus we also landed 8 of the largest Scup I have seen in a long while with a couplie well over the 3# mark. Mate Tom, my ace in the hole, does another masterful job of cutting the fish as we head back to port on a calm sea. Many thanks to the entire crew for a very special day at Montauk!


Capt. Mike

 

[longcast]

Now that’s a crew!! Some nice filets went home for sure.

 

[Litugboat]

Finally better fishing in the bay today . Had to work hard but limited out . Even the shorts were bigger . Dropshot rig with long strips was very effective. Better fish were up shallow in the back bay around Freeport in 76 degree water

 

[Snapprhead27]

Thanks again for another great day on the water!!

 

[hartattack]

Best Fluke Bait This Season
Hopped on a Belmar NJ party boat yesterday b4 the storms, glad I did. They were hungry and hooking themselves (love when they inhale the bottom jig). I was the only one on the boat using Salmon skin strips and I was easily high hook. Mates were skeptical that it would attract shorts but after getting my limit by 8am they were asking me where they could get some. The answer is WEGMAN's. Look for the cheap Salmon Trim packages,,,, heck it looks like it's pre-cut by a fisherman for fluke fishing. And the SeaBass love 'em too. Very oily, emits a slick in water, you must thoroughly rinse/dry hands b4 handling your rod.. we fished SeaGirt Reef, 55'. Still seeing unlimited short fish, in fact I had 2 double header fluke yesterday, a rare occurance for me. My LI friends did well this week on local reefs too... yesterday for me it was : leave the Gulp, take the Salmon strips...

 

[Snapprhead27]

Best Fluke Bait This Season
Hopped on a Belmar NJ party boat yesterday b4 the storms, glad I did. They were hungry and hooking themselves (love when they inhale the bottom jig). I was the only one on the boat using Salmon skin strips and I was easily high hook. Mates were skeptical that it would attract shorts but after getting my limit by 8am they were asking me where they could get some. The answer is WEGMAN's. Look for the cheap Salmon Trim packages,,,, heck it looks like it's pre-cut by a fisherman for fluke fishing. And the SeaBass love 'em too. Very oily, emits a slick in water, you must thoroughly rinse/dry hands b4 handling your rod.. we fished SeaGirt Reef, 55'. Still seeing unlimited short fish, in fact I had 2 double header fluke yesterday, a rare occurance for me. My LI friends did well this week on local reefs too... yesterday for me it was : leave the Gulp, take the Salmon strips...

Would they freeze well, or would you say get them a day or 2 out of an outing?

 

[hartattack]

Would they freeze well, or would you say get them a day or 2 out of an outing?

They freeze and refreeze very well. The darker pieces need trimming but it's no big deal given the cheap cost....

 

[Snapprhead27]

They freeze and refreeze very well. The darker pieces need trimming but it's no big deal given the cheap cost....

That's good to know. Thank you!!