Re: Can Fluke Fill The Bill
I guess, in a way, I’m looking at things from a business point of view. Captains that would ordinarily fish for fluke in June opted for a sure thing with sea bass. I trust their judgement in why they did not fish closer to home for fluke. My best guess is that they figured there were not enough fluke around to attract the numbers of customers as when they targeted sea bass.
There are always early bird fluke that establish themselves in the warmer waters in the rivers and bays where bait is abundant. The rivers get pretty crowded and can’t accommodate a fleet of boats, not to mention, party boats. The ocean, bays and channels are where most boats have to go. So, while there are fluke in the rivers and inlets, fishing for them is limited to small boats and limited numbers.
The fluke come inshore in waves. July should push more of them inshore. The observation I made is that the majority of fishermen were not fishing for fluke and yet, all of those day that were not used for fluke fishing could have been put toward a later opening day for fluke and either a bigger bag limit or extended season.
Judging from the obviously low numbers of fluke taken so far this season, I’m beginning to believe that the fluke population is indeed in trouble. Of course, if you check the Montauk reports, you’ll have every right to question my theory. Why there, and not here?
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