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

Yea the past couple trips I was out with him has been tough. Such is the story this year.

For all of us Matt

Fished yesterday - Saturday

Couldn't seem to put a crew together and so sailed deep solo. A nice day, despite the strong New Moon tide and the minor SE breeze. Pretty fast drift, up to 1.4mph, but didn't put the sock in, because despite how good it is at slowing a wind-driven drift, its pretty much useless for current speed issues. So segued up from 4oz to 8oz sinkers as the morning progressed. Still, it was quite fishable.

Had plenty of fat shorts all trip, but nothing for the box - and toward the end of the trip I dropped three really solid fish (all took drag more than once during the tussle). Geez, super-frustrating, but it is what it is when you're reeling in a good one from deep water. Between the fish's pull and the fast drift, there's lots of pressure on the hook. Especially so when the fish is either lightly hooked or lip-hooked.

All three came unbuttoned, two no more than 6' down - both looked to be in the 22-24" class. After the last one I just shook my head, reeled in, racked my rod, and sailed home. So no getting the fillet knife dirty this trip. Oh well. Some days the dog, some days the fire hydrant.

I know one friend had some decent units fishing near me and a buddy-boat friend weighed in a 28.5" 9.8lb specimen at Scotty's, which along with 4 others were all taken inside on peenootz.

Still some decent ones in the back bays. One at 20 one at 19 3/4 . Strips on a Dropshot rig worked well . Flood tide 70 degree water

They're still inshore and so are the seabass, big ones at that.
Hopefully September is one to remember 🤞 .. today we never fished deeper than 60'. My crew loves to be back at the dock by Noon; cleaning fish in the sun now seems to take longer than ever 😕

Fished Last Thursday

Fished with new crew Stephen at my offshore home. Had lots of fat fish, but only a single true NY keeper for the two of us. The throwbacks now weight more than the keepers of a month ago. Both of us dropped a few that certainly felt like boxers, but as usual . . .

Anyway, don't know if this coming week's weather system will kill what little we had in the way of an offshore fluke season. Don't know if I'm sailing again for that matter. Ehhh, no great loss either way. What a disappointment of a season.

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Ended up that I couldn’t get out yesterday so with a busy week coming up I went anyway today with that big breeze from the east and made the best of it. And then the rain started lol. Filled the live well with peanuts and off I went with my brother. Honestly, we caught a lot of fish, but only one Keeper size. I think I’ll be hanging up the fluke rods for the season. Beyond disappointing.

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Probable last 2026 post on this thread. I'll leave this here from a couple of seasons ago.

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Last fluke trip in the bays local to Freeport today for me . Very slow fishing . 10 shorts nothing over 18 inches . Wrap for me switching to local bottom fishing until tog season

Put boat back in water this morning after sitting out the storm on trailer in the driveway
Ebb tide with light NW wind got me to give it a shot for a couple of hours in my favorite and most productive “inside” spot
Boated 4 fish
1 @ 20” 1 @ 19” and 2 short shorts
The white side of the keeper looked funky but when I filleted it the meat was fine
Thats prolly it for me for fluke this year

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Nice going! Thought I saw you today in the distance.