Fluke Options Poll
 

This is for the 2012 Fluke Season

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

I voted for Option 2 May5-Oct 21 for the longest season :D

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

+1

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Not everytime I go fishing I get even close to limit out. I'm for shorter size.

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#2 seems like a no brainer to me. I could see where some would want a smaller size limit, but for me it is not worth loosing days to fish and make the bag limit smaller.

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oct 21 is a little cold in my book for fluke

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Option 3. Since we lost the last month of Fluke season last year lets get it going ASAP. :D

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After the first big storm in early or mid Sept fluking will be done anyway. Personally dont like to eat the bigger fish. Plus the 17 1/2" gives the guys on the surf a better chance to home some fish. Remember not everyone fishes from a boat.

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I like 3 tbh. End of October, I've got other fish on my mind. :D

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My vote goes to #2. The longer the better.

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I agree!!

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It's completely dependent on what the alternate specie's seasons are going to be.

We used to be gearing up for flounder NOW then jump right into stripers and slide into fluke. After fluke we could sea bass and tog and porgy along with Fall stripers until November 15th. December was tog and off-shore porgy and January finished up the tog and off-shore sea bass. With all the closures and changes to the seasons, I'm not sure WHEN would be the best fluke season anymore.

I do know certain things to be true:
1. If you don't take the largest creel limit, you'll never get it back.
2. The keeper size will be split, and rightfully so. Party boats NEED a smaller size so more fares can keep fish. They just can't fish the same as charter or private boats.
3. We USED to catch a shyte-load of keeper fluke well into October but in the past couple years, early season hurricanes/tropical storms seems to have killed the season right around Labor Day.
4. I can't wait to be fishing in shorts and a T shirt!:D

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

but option two is not the longest season........ option 3 is.

the biggest fish arrive first and leave last. gotta go option with april 21 to oct 8.

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Seeing how the water never got too cold, and will probably warm up faster than usual option 3 may be better than you think. I'm okay with option 2 or 3.

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Couldn't agree with you more, Mike.
Except we did get two more fish last year than 2010.

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As I don't get to get out as much as I would like, I would like the 5 fish 17.5 inch regulation. As has been said, Mid September on it always seems as if a storm kills the Fluke fishing. 17.5 would also make a lot more kids smile as their fish gets thrown in the keeper box.
Another factor is fuel prices. It is alot easier to justify my fishing expenses when I come home with a bag full(hopefully) of fillets. I don't need 8. 20 fillets on a limit trip would be great.
:)

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

like option 2,From looking at my logs , we used to be winter flounder fishing until almost May, so I see no reason for us guys up north to want to have an early season start.
might be becuase I bass fish much more but I see the third week and later as the earliest I started to fluke fish , and def caught WAY more fish in the channels in October than I ever caught fishing even the last wek in May
be nice to fish the dep channels on October like we used to . Was a little less traffic then but LOTS of nice quality fish. only thing that hurts that time of the year is unstable weather can push the fish out quick.

but would give us something to still fish for till the fall bass run gets underway
__________________

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

I voted for #2, solely for the period it would be open and hoping that the other species target dates would back up to this and allow fluking later into the season when the bigger fish actually do show up (sometimes). Anyway, the longer I can experiment with my bucktails the better!:D

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# 2 longer is better

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Some of the best Fluking was going on then. I know if the season was open then there would have been quite a few limits.

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I think the same Doug, I would be betting there would be ALOT more limits caught in October than would be the first two weeks in May.


just curios how many guys have done well when you could start to fish in May early.

I think even most of the fluke guys were still bassing then too

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May and October have both been bad for several years. Are you guys really going to fish for fluke then? :confused:

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I got my limit the first weekend when fluke open last year in may. I think fluking is good in may.

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I know I def will not be fluking in May. if the season was open in October I def would be.
There is good fluking to be had then . you just have to spend some time and find the fish. when you do its usually pretty good fishing

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#2 All the way :D

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Option 5. The smaller size means more keepers. Personally, a limit of 5 is more than enough. I could even vote for option 6, but the season is little too short, especially at the start. With the mild winter, the fluke will probably be here earlier than last year. Unless, of course, we get hammered with a late snowstorm.

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I truly believe that we all owe much to the people that finally got things going in the right direction, especially with the SSFFF. The party boat captains who are fighting for their livelihood deserve our support. I would vote for the option that they think is the best. They have earned it. My best guess would be # 5.

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Agreed. Have not talked to any of the other deckhands or captains, but I STRONGLY feel that we will benefit most from option #5. I have yet to see anyone get more than 5 keepers on a half-day trip (think bunker dunker did it last year, but I wasn't working that trip). We will not be fluking past the end of september anyways, that is tuna season, and I can't see us fluking before may 5th. From my perspective option 5 is the only option.

Everyone wanted the longer season last year instead of more fish to take home and then fluking was dun-dun-dun-duuuun around labor day.

Those that say "if we give up fish, we will never get them back" are a lot of the same people who said that if we gave up size we'd never get that back too. We've got the opportunity to get size back right here without having a 2 day long season and we got fish back last year.

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

Option 2 seems to be the best, to me.

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I like option 4 - my experience is ocean water isn't warm enough for fluke until around Memorial Day. However, real key for me is keeping bag at 8 fish .
I understand some fish bays and rivers early on but that's not my preference.

Also, I enjoy the October shot at doormats.

Seems most of us want one of the 8 fish options so far in the poll.

Al

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

option 4 the larger fish are hard to find sometimes in early may, but usually by the end of may they are there. October deep ocean

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Option 5, fits in with our typical weather patterns and will or at least should provide for some fish being taken home in light of the previous years limits. The party and charter boats need this as well.

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Trying to have some forward thinking. If some think it's easier to catch a 17.5"
fluke than an 18" you are right. That goes with all other size limits on all other fish as well. If you think you can limit out on more trips, you may be right.
Will we meet our quota faster, you're right again. Will they close the season early, right again. Will the party and charter guys lose booked trips, right again.

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Option # 2...so we can catch'em in the drop ,when they come inshore
to feed on the fall Snappers.....lots of fun.....:D

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Option 2. Plenty of fluke around in October providing the hurricanes don't send them offshore.

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I have one fear w/ the 17.5"/5 fish option = like LAB said, if we give up those 3 fish to the bag limit, my fear is that we NEVER get those three fish back.

With that said, it looks like the poll is pretty much split with the 17.5"/5 fish option and the #2 option where we get the LONG season. I bet when things are set the decision makers will have the same result with a very narrow split between those 2 options.

FWIW, I personally still like any season/option with 8 fish and a tad longer season to get us through October.

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

Good points Allen but I think some of the #18 inch 8 fish options are drawing votes away from others.

If there was only one 18 inch 8 bag option in poll my guess is its lead would be substanital over the 17.5 option

Whatever it is, can't wait til fluke season :)

Al

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

Cool hand makes a good point.

I also would like to see us be able to keep 17.5 inch fish because you know most of the decent size fish we get are going to be right on that mark.

However, I'd much rather have the longest season possible to keep the fishery open. I think it's better for business and it gives me an option to fish for them when the fishery would otherwise be closed.

One other point I'd like to make.... As much as we all don't like to see a fishery limited by closures and size regs, I think the Fluke and Striper fishery has improved over time in terms of size and numbers because of these limits. We just need to continue to make sure the science behind the fisheries is not flawed and that the special interests groups don't influence the regs.

Re: Fluke Options Poll
 

Very true Al, good point.

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70% of my trips are in the bay so I'm for # 5 but to make everyone happy, 2@15.5 and 5@18 to easy!!!!!!