What has happened to the fluke fishing??

[pequa1]

Koz, I squirmed when I heard of the injury. Snapped my distal biceps tendon off at the elbow in 1995. Probably took 4 months before I was taking the army APFT again. Hope you have recovered completely by now.
My 2018 fishing season was my worst. Ever. While I mainly kayak, and only do so locally, I did boat from the JI and back about ten times as well, and after thinking 2017 was bad, 2018 made it look OK. We didn't get a keeper bass while surfcasting either. I personally blame all you guys not connected to a sewer or fertilizing, liming, herbiciding and grubiciding your lawns. Grow zoysia ! I don't even water it.

 

[Koz]

Koz, I squirmed when I heard of the injury. Snapped my distal biceps tendon off at the elbow in 1995. Probably took 4 months before I was taking the army APFT again. Hope you have recovered completely by now.

All good now thanks! I am eager to get my 2019 season going since 2018 was for the most part, a washout.

So eager in fact that I'm heading to Florida in a couple of weeks for 5-6 days of hard fishing!!!

 

[BoatGuy]

2018 was a frustrating year. I caught a ton of fluke, all short. I can't remember the last year I failed to get a keeper. I was talking to the guy in Miller Place bait and tackle. He said he heard the same thing from a lot of fisherman. I even went out on a Party Boat when my friend came to visit from Texas. He is a big man with bad knees, so he needed a stable boat. Even there, I must have caught 40 fish, all throwbacks.

 

[poorrichard]

BoatGuy is correct. Last year was a frustrating year for fluke in the Port Jeff area. Tons of shorts everywhere I fished. Sea robins as usual were everywhere. Did manage a few keepers last year. Had to cull through many shorts to get them. The fish never seemed to move into the area as in years past. We got the first wave in late May early June. The second wave of fish seemed to stop at Montauk and Orient. They did not come around and down the beach like years past. The bite was pretty much over by July 4th. Bluefish never showed either. Lots of bunker around but nothing feeding on them. Jigging the deep side of B11 produced nothing every time I tried

 

[Johnny205]

2018 was my best year in many years, only caught 5 keepers but they were all 20-25 inchers. The 2 in my avatar are 2 of 3 I caught in Niantic on July 18th. I'm not sure how many years in a row prior to last year I've caught hundreds of shorts and zero keepers, that's where my nickname "Short Fluke Johnny" came from. Or as my buddy Don likes to call me "Cool Hand Fluke" Now on a flip of the coin, last year I caught 5 keepers but the number(s) of short fluke took a big drop! I'd say maybe 25 all season. Also the "bruiser" black sea bass also have seemed to dropped off too.

Now I'm in CT and the boats I usually go on are from Clinton east to Stonnington, that entire area has been slow. The day I got the 3 keepers I became "Grand Master Fluke", after that day the fluke seemed to have left all together. I do go out on the Middlebank in Bridgeport too, and now that I think about it they seem to get into quality fluke early season (late May-June.) then it tapers off fast over there.
Most of the guys on the CT fishing site would take their boats over to Montauk.

I didn't go to Point Judith last year at all, or down to the SnowGoose (I'd like to go on the SnowGoose this year tho, haven't been there in a few years.)

 

[BennyV]

2018 was my best year in many years, only caught 5 keepers but they were all 20-25 inchers. The 2 in my avatar are 2 of 3 I caught in Niantic on July 18th. I'm not sure how many years in a row prior to last year I've caught hundreds of shorts and zero keepers, that's where my nickname "Short Fluke Johnny" came from. Or as my buddy Don likes to call me "Cool Hand Fluke" Now on a flip of the coin, last year I caught 5 keepers but the number(s) of short fluke took a big drop! I'd say maybe 25 all season. Also the "bruiser" black sea bass also have seemed to dropped off too.

Now I'm in CT and the boats I usually go on are from Clinton east to Stonnington, that entire area has been slow. The day I got the 3 keepers I became "Grand Master Fluke", after that day the fluke seemed to have left all together. I do go out on the Middlebank in Bridgeport too, and now that I think about it they seem to get into quality fluke early season (late May-June.) then it tapers off fast over there.
Most of the guys on the CT fishing site would take their boats over to Montauk.

I didn't go to Point Judith last year at all, or down to the SnowGoose (I'd like to go on the SnowGoose this year tho, haven't been there in a few years.)

Come by and see me on the Snowgoose this year Johnny.