Questions on Fluke populations related to tournaments

[fin_s_guy]

I'm sure this is going to open a can of WTF...but I'm just wondering something.

This year saw a lower percentage of the 18" to 22" Fluke in my opinion. Bait was there, conditions were more or less favorable (minus dirty water in the deep) and there were more than a few weekends with the "west is best" winds.

There was also a fair amount of HUGE Fluke caught this year. More than I can remember in years past.

Now tournaments were run out of every port, every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day with most if not all tied to great causes that raise money for special needs or people with mounting medical bills...which are all awesome causes.

THAT SAID. "Research" shows that most Fluke over 5# are female. Average 200 boats a tournament with average 2 guys per boat...that's 400 people every weekend looking for "the one". Targeting big fish areas and keeping all larger fish, whereas if they were fishing for recreation those same guys might appreciate a larger fish for what it is (breeder female) and release the larger fish if caught unharmed and keep a few medium size fish for the table.

Just wondering if anyone else has thought about this angle to the fishery?


Popcorn is on the stove and ready to pop...:rolleyes:

[Gerry Zagorski]

Picking up what you are laying down here Bobby....

Everyone likes the combined weight of 2, 3 or 4 fish and I do too. This reduces that game of chance where someone gets lucky (like my brother Joe's Flukasarus) and stumbles on one big fish but it also means they have to keep more larger fish.

I think it does make a difference and just maybe we should consider how these tournaments are run.

Pass the Pop Corn please ;)

[tjd24]

I recall a the video of the commercial fisherman shoveling dead double digit fluke over the side that circulated a while ago. It was very disturbing and wasteful. I believe that is a huge factor in the decline of breeding stock.

[bassnblues]

I think most of the people who enter the tournaments would be going fishing anyway and Fluke have never been a big catch and release fish so I don't think it has much of an effect.

[bunker dunker]

I think this year was just an off year with lots of different thing that went on.
we had bad weather,cold water until late july,dirty water all season until the last 2 weeks and way to much south wind.another reason could be that they are in a down cycle.remember the late 70's and early 80's when we were going thru the same thing.the 1/2 boats were fishing for ling.

[Gerry Zagorski]

I think that it could have been an off year as well... However, if we are wrong, and the Fluke stock is in fact in trouble, wouldn't you want to:

a) Make sure we have the best science available to make a true assessment of the the stock

b) If the stock is in trouble, do your part to sustain the stock and encourage tournament committees to do the same?

That's where I'm at on this....

[bunker dunker]

behind you 100%,we should have up to date data regardless of how the stocks are.we should not have to put up a fight for these results as monies are given out so there are up to date records.

[Gerry Zagorski]

behind you 100%,we should have up to date data regardless of how the stocks are.we should not have to put up a fight for these results as monies are given out so there are up to date records.

I think we are on the same page here dunker but see my post up above on the Future of our Fluke Fishery and SSFFF update.

I've said before that I think NOAA with their 2015 5.5 Billion dollar budget should allocate some of that massive amount of our money to better science to assess our stocks.

Fact is, although their own Scientists agree that the Science is flawed, they claim they don't have the resources or funds to change it.

So as I mentioned in that same post I referenced above , " It's also thought that once we prime the pump with private funding, government funding will follow"

I hope that's a good bet but there are no guarantees...

I will bet you one thing.... If we do nothing, then nothing is going to change.

[hammer4reel]

Many of the guys who tourney fish didnt believe it was that bad a year IF you fished where the fish were.
Many of those boats had boat limits each weekend. BUT tourney or not they still would have caught the same fish.
Just because there isnt a tourney , doesnt mean those guys are going to stay home.
The are going fishing, and catching fish due to putting extra time into finding them and working those areas hard.

I know the guys I talk to all fish very hard, tourney day or not.
There were ALOT of fluke around. but NOT in the areas we are used to fishing.
Water quality in many areas really sucked for weeks in places that normally held fish.


The difference between tourney fisherman and some others is that tourney fisherman will put a little more time and miles looking for the right fish.
Many others keep their runs closer hoping to find a pay day, and accepting it if they dont find the fish.

[bunker dunker]

got ya Jerry and you are right about having to act.i just think that noaa is spending there money on lesser matters and should refocus on what is and needs to be done.

[fin_s_guy]

Many of the guys who tourney fish didnt believe it was that bad a year IF you fished where the fish were.
Many of those boats had boat limits each weekend. BUT tourney or not they still would have caught the same fish.
Just because there isnt a tourney , doesnt mean those guys are going to stay home.
The are going fishing, and catching fish due to putting extra time into finding them and working those areas hard.

I know the guys I talk to all fish very hard, tourney day or not.
There were ALOT of fluke around. but NOT in the areas we are used to fishing.
Water quality in many areas really sucked for weeks in places that normally held fish.


The difference between tourney fisherman and some others is that tourney fisherman will put a little more time and miles looking for the right fish.
Many others keep their runs closer hoping to find a pay day, and accepting it if they dont find the fish.


I know you're for people releasing 50# Bass....but wouldn't the same mentality make sense to release larger Fluke which you know are breeder size and most likely female?

Would you release these same fish in a tournament?

That's more my question than if "limits" were caught. It's why I included option 4 for the poll.

I'm basing the years production on both my own experience, dock chatter and even the reports from the best charter captains on (and off) the site. There were some days that were better than others, and times when the fish stacked themselves in the usual haunts...but collectively the year was off and I was wondering about the 20+ tournaments (which used to be a half dozen) and their effects on the population.

[Gerry Zagorski]

got ya Jerry and you are right about having to act.i just think that noaa is spending there money on lesser matters and should refocus on what is and needs to be done.

With you on that Dunker!!

[hammer4reel]

I know you're for people releasing 50# Bass....but wouldn't the same mentality make sense to release larger Fluke which you know are breeder size and most likely female?

Would you release these same fish in a tournament?

That's more my question than if "limits" were caught. It's why I included option 4 for the poll.

I'm basing the years production on both my own experience, dock chatter and even the reports from the best charter captains on (and off) the site. There were some days that were better than others, and times when the fish stacked themselves in the usual haunts...but collectively the year was off and I was wondering about the 20+ tournaments (which used to be a half dozen) and their effects on the population.


I think that there should be a slot limit for fluke fishing.
Something like 3 fish between 16-19"and 2 fish over 20".

It would break up the year classes of fish.as well as limit the amount of females taken.

But I think blaming the fluke decline on really about 50 fishing teams is ridicules.

More likely it's because the salt water fishing community has doubled.
Way more people fishing for the same body of fish.

This year many of the draggers were also staying local.
Hitting many spots that are fished heavily.
I know of a few that had incredible seasons .and the amount of large fish they caught showed there was many more large fish around than anyone thought

[hammer4reel]

What I dont agree with is that there was alot of bait around this season.
most of the fish we cleaned had nothing in their stomaches.
areas that usually have alot of squid around, and others that hold sand eels, really lacked bait most of the season.
I think water temps held alot of bait offshore.

we didnt see sand eels inshore until august.
and never had the squid come into those areas at all.
It kept fish moving searching for bait.
when you did find bait you found fluke.

Fish were VERY tide specific also .fish for hours without a touch , only to have fish chew their heads off for an hour and and the bite become drop and reel.

If we hadnt stuck it out some days we would have thought we were fishing in the desert.

Time and tides put fish in the boat each weekend

[bulletbob]

The late great Frank Woolner a wonderful saltwater fishing author stated in one of his books..

"Fishing is a contemplative sport, NOT a competitive one"...

Thats my long held opinion on any and all "fishing tournaments".. Just not anything I would ever take part in, but hey, to each his own I suppose.... bob