Post your 2019-2025 Fluke Pix & Trip Reports Here!

After suffering nearly 2 months of downtime with a succession of mechanical problems my boat is finally up and running well again. To be sure I have been fortunate to catch plenty of keeper Fluke recently, thanks to my good friend Pete. Still, despite his best efforts I seemed to be cursed on each of the last 3 trips aboard his boat dropping a really good fish half way up on each outing. So, todays trip aboard my own vessel was particularly satisfying.

Yesterday afternoon I learned of a last-minute cancellation of a planned family party at my home today. I started making calls to many of my good charter customers but only my most loyal angler, Sal, was able to join me on such short notice. Hearing of an improved Fluke bite at Montauk and seeing the great weather forecast we made a beeline for the point early this morning.

First drops just east of the lighthouse near the end of the ebb yielded a steady diet of Porgy and Bird action with just a couple of short Fluke. After 45 minutes of this frustration it was time to hit some of my favorite south side spots. No sooner did my rig hit the bottom on the first drift in 65’ of water then I get a solid hit and a few minutes later a hefty 5.5# Fluke hits the deck. We go back to repeat the drift and this time I get an even more powerful hit. After a spirited battle, with lots of head shakes and plenty of drag stripping, my largest Fluke of this season, a fat 8.2# Fluke finds its way into the box! Things are really looking up. Two drifts later Sal gets a solid thump and I slide the net under another 5.5# beauty.

We continued to carefully work this piece of bottom for the next couple of hours and while the numbers were not huge, the quality today was really solid. The typical mix of Sea Bass filled in the gaps and while they were not as large as 2 weeks ago, we had no problem icing a limit of biscuits to 3.5#. By the time the clock hit 1:30 we had five keepers in the box with 3 from 5.5-8.2#. So, I decided to give it one more hour on a set of numbers nearby that have given up 3 DD’s for me in the last 2 seasons. We spent the last hour working this area and were rewarded with 2 more keepers, one of which tipped the scales at a respectable 6#. So, we came up one Fluke short of a full boat limit but, once again, today’s quality more than made up for it. Talk about feeling a sense of redemption!

Hopefully this will be the start of some more consistent Fluke fishing at Montauk for the balance of the season. I know I will be heading east with a lot more confidence on the next trip out there.

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Great "antlers?"

Hey Mike, "nice rack!"

Siri can be a little too creative at times.

Had KenScot and George Scocca aboard today for a day's fluking outside JI. Flat calm, no-drift morning and so the spinning gear helped put a few in the box, including a 5-er for me. The drift finally shaped up after the morning's turn and we went to work, progressing up from 2oz thru to 5oz bucktails as it gained strength. Fish were coming pretty good - but mostly 18-18.75" Joisey-sized fish. We fished on and did manage to box a total of 9 keeps to around 5.5lbs, plus 4 good sized C-bass. Not horrible, I guess. Beautiful, not too hot day, not a drop of water on the windshields 'til we got back in the Bay, dealing with the idiotic antics of that crowd.

We did have a TON of short biters today, and all of us dropped some sure keepers. George was hi-hook (again!), doing some good work with his new-to-him Harrier spinning rod. He has the touch with that stick, no doubt about it. He also had about $400 worth of GULP! with him today. Dick's must have closed early last Monday, as George couldn't have left a single pack un-purchased.

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Happy Saturday my Friends!! Today July 25th, View attachment 22598James H. Chartered the Miss B for fluke and brought his friends Lee, Sunny, Jayden, Alex snd Unchen. First 2/3 of day we had dead calm conditions with a death pick. When the S wind finally came up a bit the fish started to chew. The guys totaled 10 NY keeper size fluke with some CBass and Ling. Sunny copped the big bucks pool with his 8#. Thank You very much guys for fishing hard all day with the roasting heat and tough conditions.View attachment 22600

Another Massachusetts Massacre in the books. Our annual trip targets Fluke/Sea Bass one day then Cod/Haddock the next. Unfortunately the State will not allow anglers to sleep on boat so we had to travel from Nantucket Shoals back to Hyannis, grab a nearby hotel then muster early next day to go to Haddock grounds 2.5 hour ride. All that traveling couldn't wipe the smile off my face - 13 keeper Fluke (ORL) 3 over 27" up to 9.5 lbs, many ginormous sea bass, as many Haddock as u wanted (we were not gluttons, no limit on this tasty fish & some folks kept 50+), just a few cod caught because we never left the Haddock grounds for George's Bank cod. I'm knackered today but still glowing. BTW the hot gulp color for me was the red/white/blue Patriot grub.