"Opening Day of Fluke Season"
Capt. Lou - Freeport
May 10, 2000
Opening day of fluke season was ridiculous...there were hurricane winds screaming
across our waters and a 25 degree drop in temperature. God definately has a sense
of humor! And guess what? It didn't matter, because the fluke were on the bite.
Captain Smitty must have been going nuts just trying to maneuver the boat so that he could slow down the drift. With 40 plus winds this is not an easy task. I hooked up four fluke and went inside the cabin. My hair looked like Kramer on a bad day! Thank God it was only a half day trip!
The great news is that the fluke are definately here in numbers. When the weather settles down, it will be hammer time...so go get them cowboys!
Fluke Fishing Tips
Battle plans. The time to go for the "barn doors" is NOW, not in two weeks or even one
week from now. The window of opportunity for doormats is upons us. Oh yes, there will be some nice fluke over the summer here and there...but barn doors are in the crowd chasing down whole squid or whatever it can shovel into it's hungry mouth...and the time to catch them is right now!
Where to go is the question. Nice fluke are being caught in Sheepshead Bay and Jamaica Bay in large number...there you'll have a possible shot at a 10 pounder. In Montauk there are some big mama lukes. Don't tell me that I didn't give you enough notice...put gas in the car, leave the slow "I don't know if I can go" fishermen at home, so that they can watch "Judge Judy" or "Leave it to Beaver" reruns. Get out and go for that 11 pounder and better.
The best bait to use out in Montauk is large fillet strips. A nice 6 inch prime cut sea robbin white belly strip. This is like steak to a fluke. Or cut the belly of one of your legal size fluke into strips. They will grab this bait and not let go. You need to let them eat a bit and feed the line to them. Then hook that puppy good. No jerking the rod back and forth, we're not going for marlin for goodness sakes! Then use a steady retrieve with the maximum pressure on him. I've seen hundreds of doormats lost because of pumping a rod. The skin around a fluke's mouth is thin and tears easily leaving a large hole when the hook is set, which does not leave any room for mistakes. Loose line = lost fish...done deal. Tight even pressure will put a smile on your face when the fish comes in the boat. So head out to Montauk...my car is packed and I'm out of here...see you at the docks!
To send us your fishing reports,
Click Here.
Return to Main Page or Dave's Special Reports.
May 10, 2000
Opening day of fluke season was ridiculous...there were hurricane winds screaming across our waters and a 25 degree drop in temperature. God definately has a sense of humor! And guess what? It didn't matter, because the fluke were on the bite.
Captain Smitty must have been going nuts just trying to maneuver the boat so that he could slow down the drift. With 40 plus winds this is not an easy task. I hooked up four fluke and went inside the cabin. My hair looked like Kramer on a bad day! Thank God it was only a half day trip!
The great news is that the fluke are definately here in numbers. When the weather settles down, it will be hammer time...so go get them cowboys!
Fluke Fishing Tips
Battle plans. The time to go for the "barn doors" is NOW, not in two weeks or even one week from now. The window of opportunity for doormats is upons us. Oh yes, there will be some nice fluke over the summer here and there...but barn doors are in the crowd chasing down whole squid or whatever it can shovel into it's hungry mouth...and the time to catch them is right now!
Where to go is the question. Nice fluke are being caught in Sheepshead Bay and Jamaica Bay in large number...there you'll have a possible shot at a 10 pounder. In Montauk there are some big mama lukes. Don't tell me that I didn't give you enough notice...put gas in the car, leave the slow "I don't know if I can go" fishermen at home, so that they can watch "Judge Judy" or "Leave it to Beaver" reruns. Get out and go for that 11 pounder and better.
The best bait to use out in Montauk is large fillet strips. A nice 6 inch prime cut sea robbin white belly strip. This is like steak to a fluke. Or cut the belly of one of your legal size fluke into strips. They will grab this bait and not let go. You need to let them eat a bit and feed the line to them. Then hook that puppy good. No jerking the rod back and forth, we're not going for marlin for goodness sakes! Then use a steady retrieve with the maximum pressure on him. I've seen hundreds of doormats lost because of pumping a rod. The skin around a fluke's mouth is thin and tears easily leaving a large hole when the hook is set, which does not leave any room for mistakes. Loose line = lost fish...done deal. Tight even pressure will put a smile on your face when the fish comes in the boat. So head out to Montauk...my car is packed and I'm out of here...see you at the docks!