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2@17.5 and 5@18

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Not sure. I can recall reading that most fish 18" and over are prime egglaying aged females. If that is the case then wouldn't we be killing off the "breeders" with 8@ 18"? Not trying to cause a shytestorm here, but if in fact this is what science tells us. Then why do we want to kill those fish off in greater numbers?

Naturally, we'd be killing off prospective breeders at 17.5" 16" or even 15" for that matter. But, if we continued to take those 18" survivors with a higher bag, wouldn't we then be eliminating the future juvenile stocks? Which in turn would lead to a kind of, ought oh, here we go again, greater size limits with smaller bag.

I have to assume that through all the hard work done by the SSFFF in getting the proper numbers looked at. And, the possible season bag and size limits proposed. That with any option, the fishery can bear the projected numbers and sustain in future years.

In bygone years October has been very productive with very good catches put together. Yeah you had to work for them but, there was a lot less pressure on them as others were after different species.

I mostly bay fish now so I'd like to see a 17.5" size and the diminished bag of five wouldn't overly anger me. But, I fully understand the call for the longest season with the highest bag.

No matter what is decided, one thing is for sure. There will be plenty of bitching to go around. There isn't a one size fits all option. I really wish there was.

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I just voted for 5 at 17.5 inches. Who really needs 8 fish bigger than this? And at 17.5, many more people have a shot at bringing home a nice dinner. This would make for more customers on the party boats.

Also, by late September, people might be able to get into some good porgy fishing. And, who knows, maybe we could get the Deciders to let us do some sea bass angling.

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From someone who works on a headboat who fluke fishes throughout the summer I voted #5.

First, the season is just about right. The 1st week of May is kinda sorta just around the time you can bet on it getting warmer & warmer each day. Furthermore, Sepetember is a completely unpredictable month. You can get hit with NE'er after NE'er and have a few fishable days inbetween. By the 1st week in October just about all interest for fluke is gone just about regardless of the weather. The interest may not be gone to a few people on this website, but as a general whole the interest is gone (imo).

5 keeper fluke @ 17.5" is a pretty realistic & acceptable number in my eyes. How many times have we heard guys bitch & moan about throwing back that fish that was 17.9999999? How many fish to we go through to find that 18"? In my eyes, even a 1/2 inch difference in the size limit compensates the smaller bag limit. 5 fish is 10 fillets. That's a good amount, or a reasonable amount of meat anyways.

I always thought the best regs would be 6 @ 16.5" but.... thats just my opinion.

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Some solid logic there Chris.

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Let's hear from some of the party boat captains and see what they think?

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Longer season keeps guys like Capt. Ron in business longer with arguably the most popular fish for targeting.

More money for PB's and more fishing.

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True May is "usually" good. But we are talking about this year- 2012.

The winter is mild and the water temps are not staying down like many years. Barring a long chill I can see fluke bite on in mid April.

This winter is not average- it's warmer. How many 50 degree days in February "usually" happens.

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can anyone here ever remember catching a quanity of fluke in April ?? not saying maybe they were not here but tradionally we were all winter flounder fishing

IM talking someones fishing log showing that , not just thinking it might have happened

early May had always been just that EARLY except for some of the mud flats, channel fishing usually got good the 3-4th week in may .

Sure the water is warmer this year , but the fish have still moved out, not like they stopped at the mud hole.they still need to make their trek back .

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My only concern with starting later in May and Ending later in October would be NJ's tumultuous weather patterns in early fall. With a winter this mild, I can only imagine what mother nature has in store for us come that sometimes busy hurricane season. I can honestly say I'm one of the people on this board that never limited (8) out on Fluke, though I would have had the size minimum had been 17.5. Can't say I ever picked up my doormat either, and I did give it a hell of a shot last season, with my largest at 22" and 3.5lbs. At this rate, I'd be happy with a mid April to mid October 6 fish limit @ 17.5, and I'm sure the PB captains would agree.

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We have caught fluke in late April on many occasions while flounder fishing, especially in the river when we had an "open" season on fluke (open all year with no closure). There are times when we caught more fluke than flounder, and have caught plenty of keeper sized fluke while doing this. Log books show this in certain years in the 90's and early 00's - nothing as recent as 07' though. In the 80's, for whatever reason, the earliest I have EVER catching a fluke was early May with many flounder entries INTO the month of June.

Usually the boats in the Highlands have that quick shot of fish out at the CG station and the bug light and that usually happens from the last week of April into the second week or so in May - its traditional and its pretty dependable as every year that seems to go on.

For our ocean fluke fishing, we really haven't seen a good bite prior to Memorial Day in my memory or in the log book.

In fact, up until the early or even mid 90's, alot of the "fluke boats" that sail out of our inlet bottom fished up until the 15th or so of June, then started fluking. This mind you, was when we had no or little restrictions on tog and seabass, and had ling and whiting inshore in the spring.

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i voted for number 2.. this is a nice long season and with the higher bag limit.. If we give up the 8 fish bag limit we will never get it back.. Ever!.. 8 fish at 18in is the way to go.. Id rather have to catch larger fish.. I know last year my father and I would at least put 6 to 7 fish in the cooler each.. The bite isnt all ways that hot but it i don't feel that going down in the bag limit will help us.. half an inch for 3 fish doesn't add up in my book.

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i like option 3 the best for a longer season but the bag limit is a little much. do we really NEED to keep 8 18 inch fluke?

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yes.. because they taste sooo good!

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Keep them at 18, all those 17.5s may be good eating but if everyone keeps even five you will deplete the stock and next year it will go to 19 able to keep 3.

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I have it on good authority that we WILL have Sea Bass to fish for in Oct in federal waters ;) and Tog opens back up on 10/18.... As long as we have something else to fish for in Oct. I don't mind the shorter fluke season / smaller bag limit and definitly like the smaller size to increase keeper ratio.

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Capt Frank, I combined both you're replies.

A longer season (as dictated by this past season) does not necessarily mean that you will get to fish & catch. This past year we got what everyone wanted, a longer season (and a larger bag limit) but in the grand scheme of things meant nothing once Irene showed up. 2 days prior to Irene was the last time we caught any signifigant amount of fish. Furthermore, the interest for fluke fishing dwindled... not only from lack of fish, but also from people recovering from the hurricane. So, just because you have a longer season, doesn't mean you'll actually get to utilize the alotted time. Grant it, hurricanes are rare but NE'ers and residual hurricane effects are not.

Also, it may be "most popular fish for targeting" but really the majority of the fluke clientle/business is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I'm not saying that people like you and I (fisherman) wouldn't target them before or after, but from a business stand point that's when you're going to see most people (IMO).

I know you mentioned that this is a mild winter, and it's hard to imagine but, but alot can happen from now until late April.

Overall, I would just rather see more people go home with fish for dinner during the height of the season, than gamble on a longer season during two of the more unpredictable months of the year. When people go home with something to eat, it actually brings people back. It gives them hope. I don't about you Frank, but i'm pretty tired of hearing "Last time I was out I caught (insert some ridiculous number here) of fluke & not a SINGLE keeper". :)

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8 fish @ 18 inches May 5 – Oct 21

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agreed 100% brother! also i like the longer season especially for the southern ports like fortescue who got cockolla to catch sometimes they get a decent early run of big fish. Also my fear with lowering size and bag limits is more fish will be kept thus we will go over our quota for the next year and have to do it SCI style wit no ky

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^ what he said.
5 @ 17.5" is best for us party boat fishermen.

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Everyone seems to only see this from their own view. Fluke quotas are established with an average catch per fisherman per day. This year I believe it was 1.5 fluke per day. Reducing the size will certainly increase that number to the point where I believe we will over harvest and pay for it next year. We're very close to rebuilding this fishery.

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Excellent point.

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I believe if we go with a 17.5 fish the harvest will go up to 2.3 or 2.4 per person. It could be a very large increase in looking at the BIG Picture.

I personal would love to get a smaller fish since weather over the last five years has shut down the fluke fishing in Sept. One or two good storms in Sept will be the end of fluke fishing.

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I voted for 8 fish @ 18 inches May 5 – Oct 21. Longer season, highest bag limit, good for the captains. I like the later start because the boats will still get plenty of business in April from stripers.

As for people believing the best way to fill the freezer is 17 and 17.5 inch fish, you are right that it would be easier. However, the 18 inch-plus fish are there; the sharpies in the bow almost always catch the majority of them on any party boat. Maybe no one wants to admit that catching a keeper fluke is more challenging than just robotically dropping squid/spearing to the bottom? :rolleyes: :p

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As the father of 3 young children 8, 6, 5 I would like to see a more attainable keeper. I took my boys out 3 times last year, and though they caught a few fish they were massively disappointed they could not bring home dinner for mommy. From the sheer number of just missed a keeper fish caught over the past 2 years it seems the bio-mass is in good order. I prefer a management that protects the breeding stock as the most valued commodity. It has worked well in FL and LA for multiple species!

I grant I am not the world's finest fluke fisherman, certainly closer to the bottom, but:

Dad to fish $50. 3 kids to fish $120. Tackle, drinks, sandwiches for trip $40. Coming home with no dinner for mommy $200 shopping trip for her! My kids - "mommy we caught you dinner!!" Priceless! AND a recommendation we go out AGAIN!!!

So yes, my interest in the smaller size is self-serving, but also in the hope my children will grow up appreciating the resource we have at our back door, as well as the importance of respecting credible attempts to maintain and protect it for ALL to enjoy, not just the most skilled amongst us (me not being one of them!).

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I fully understand the desire to get the size limit down so those 17.9in fish you released last year will go in the box and any keeper is better than none. But, if history is correct, about a month into the season we will hear, why do I have to throw back 17 3/8ths inch fish, we need a lower limit. Do you really think there are that many 17.5-18in fish out there that they will carry the party boat fleet through the season? If the fleet, party and private, takes 15 to 150 fish each trip the resource is going to be depleated pretty quickly.

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And that's why 1 slot fish @ 17 or 17.5" is the compromise, NOT juggling the bag vs. size limit.

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Chris,

Agree- but you never know.

But my point is that you CAN fish and keep. Actually getting keepers in the boat are a whole other matter. But that goes without saying. It's more for the PB's that I like it. On your own boat/charter you can go for whatever you want. Fluke is just another option.

PB's will obviously not target an out of season fish. And the angling skills for catching Taug and fuke are a universe apart. So having a longer season gets occassional flukers back. Hard core blackfisherman are a different breed.

Last year we had the huricane blow through and everyone yanked their boats and few put them back in. While on the tow boat and my own boat you could see private vessel fishing traffic was WAY down after the first week of Sept. 2011. Bait shops said the same.

The weather does kill opps. But the PB's are ready to go everyday. Let them add Fluke to casual fisherman customer. Hardcore fishermen will be looking stripers and later Taug in the Fall.

The longer season makes a great transition from Fluke to blacks. Don't you think- at least from a PB perspective?

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Oprion # 2 appeals the most to me the larger fish are there its a matter of being in right place at the right time

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Option #2 for me... shocked at how many folks are willing to reduce the bag limit. Once we give those 3 fish up may never get em back.

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I believe the best for rec. fisherman is option #2. However it's disturbing to see how some people are voting for a lesser bag limit. Do they realize that you won't
get those fish back. Do they realize that a less bag limit is going to hurt the party boat industry that is already weak. Obviously the people that are voting for a lesser bag/size limit are fishing from a small boat, land or have no boat.
My recommendation to those for a smaller bag/size limit is to get a bigger boat
and fish where the 18" fish live. For those who fish off land, hop on a charter or party boat.

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I really don't think it matters to the party boat industry in terms of bag limit.
because really how many people go on a party and limit out with 8 fluke??? sharpies do but other then that the vast majority don't even get close.

I think that the boat themselves would welcome a little shorter size limit in hopes that every customer will then get atleast a few fish to take home. then you will more repeat customers and guys coming out more often because they have faith that they will get some fillets for the table.

And who are to tell someone that its tough if they have a little boat or fish off land "go on a party/charter boat." maybe those guys can't afford a bigger boat or a party boat but once a month. fishing is getting to be a very expensive sport and with gas on the rise who knows what we will get to in the summer. between toll hikes gas prices ramp prices bait prices and a plethora of other expenses and lack of income Its a wonder that so many people can still afford to fish

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Uh......arent we getting more fish this year than last? Isent that the point of the change in the regs? Just asking.

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I voted for 8 fish @ 18 inches May 5 – Oct 21. Longer season,

why does everyone say that??????

it's not the longest season. its the second longest season compared to number 3 ........ April 21 to October 8

option 3 is the longer season. not 2

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Thank you for telling me what I should do.

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probably because there are not many here expecting to catch fluke in s great numbers with the season starting so early looking at REAL fishable days . will lose almost a month to days when fish are not here

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I would personally take the earlier start and closure. I have no faith in late October weather in NJ.

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And who are to tell someone that its tough if they have a little boat or fish off land "go on a party/charter boat." maybe those guys can't afford a bigger boat or a party boat but once a month. fishing is getting to be a very expensive sport and with gas on the rise who knows what we will get to in the summer. between toll hikes gas prices ramp prices bait prices and a plethora of other expenses and lack of income Its a wonder that so many people can still afford to fish[/QUOTE]

When you spend upwards of 10k to prepare to fish for a season like I do, and some others, I don't need a person who may fish off a dock with a 5 buck bag of spearing saying "I can't catch an 18" fluke, lower the size".

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Skolmann, I'm not telling anyone what to do just making a suggestion.

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With so many fish at 17.5 last year and in previous years science would say 18" will be plentiful! Lol