Jones Inlet fluke bite heats up as bay water climbs past 65 degrees

The fluke fishing around Jones Inlet finally turned the corner this week, and it's about damn time. Bay water hit 66 degrees Tuesday — a solid jump from the 62 we've been stuck on for weeks — and that thermal shift has the flatfish moving like they mean business.

The Meadowbrook Bridge has been the epicenter of the action, with boats stacked three deep on the southeast side working the 18- to 22-foot zone. I've been hitting it hard on the last three hours of incoming, and the fish are responding to white bucktails tipped with fresh smelt. Skip the squid strips — these fluke want the real deal. A 3/4-ounce white bucktail with a 4-inch smelt hooked behind the head through both lips is deadly. Add a teaser bucktail 18 inches up the line, same setup.

The bite window is narrow but productive. Start your drift tight to the bridge pilings and work southeast toward the channel edge. I'm seeing consistent action from guys who stay patient and work the bottom methodically. Lift and drop, lift and drop — don't just drag it. These fish want movement, but they're not chasing anything that's racing by.

Inside the inlet proper, the area around the Coast Guard station has been giving up keeper-class fish to boats working live peanut bunker on fishfinder rigs. The key is positioning yourself in that 25- to 30-foot sweet spot where the channel starts to shallow up. The current has been moderate on this moon phase, making it fishable without getting your sinker dragged all over creation.

What's driving this bite is simple: bait concentration. The warmer bay water is pulling massive schools of spearing and juvenile bunker through the inlet on every tide change. I watched clouds of bait getting pushed around the jetties yesterday morning, and where there's bait, there's fluke. The fish are staging in the deeper holes, ambushing whatever gets swept their way.

The ocean side has been tougher, but don't write it off completely. Early morning trips to the 40-foot line south of the inlet have produced scattered fish for boats willing to cover water. Diamond jigs in white and chartreuse are taking fish, but you need to work them aggressively. These aren't the lazy bay fish — ocean fluke want speed and flash.

Weakfish are making their presence known too, which is something I haven't been able to say with confidence in years. Small schools are moving through the inlet on the flood tide, mostly at night. Guys fishing the channel edges with bucktails after sunset are picking up fish in the 14- to 18-inch range. It's not a blitz, but it's consistent enough to get excited about.

The bass situation remains frustrating. Scattered fish are around, but nothing you can count on. A few boats working the inlet mouth at first light have connected with schoolies on small metals, but it's more hope than strategy at this point. The bunker schools haven't really organized yet, and until they do, the bass fishing will stay spotty.

Looking ahead, this weekend's new moon should amp up the tidal flow and really get things moving. I'm expecting the fluke bite to spread out from the Meadowbrook area as more fish move into feeding position. The key will be finding the bait concentrations — where you see diving birds and nervous water, that's where you want to be.

Water clarity has been decent despite some afternoon thunderstorms, and the salinity gradient between bay and ocean water is creating perfect ambush zones for predators. If you're planning to fish this weekend, focus on the tide changes and don't be afraid to move if the action dies. These fish are mobile right now, and the successful anglers are the ones willing to chase them.