Fluking 7/16

[macojoe]

Well I have been hitting it pretty hard and I am beat to crap!! The weather has been a 100 on a scale of 1 to 10!!

We got 190 yesterday and 140 today, and there have been some nice fish out there!!

It was a bit lumpy here this morning but Kenny was able to hack it pretty good!

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/albums/MJ-hide/Picture_011_Medium_004.sized.jpg

And here is the catch

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/albums/MJ-hide/Picture_017_Medium_002.sized.jpg

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/albums/MJ-hide/Picture_018_Medium_001.jpg

[Sean]

:clap:Speechless:clap:

Did you guys see any of the swell from the tropical storm? We had some pretty big swells hitting the reefs the past few days.

[shubey61]

Damn thats were all the keepers went! Outa 20 fish caught here, you might get 1 keeper

[deshet]

Are you saying that you caught 330 flounder in two days?

Man I have never caught that many in my entire life. VA has so many rules I think we are limited two per day limit. I really don't fish for flounder too often but getting two is hard enough. I believe ours must be 17 3/4 inches to keep.

Do you normally catch that many?

Thanks,

[whale]

MJ, if I didn't see the pics I would not believe it. I am baffled as to how you can find so many fish. You see party boats loaded with people go out and not catch that many. I think my best day ever I caught 20-25 fish....total, not just keepers. Forget the fact that you are commercial and can keep smaller fish. I have just never seen anyone catch that many fluke regardless of size. Are you sitting on the fluke motherload up there? WOW

[nipper]

MJ, you gotta be talking 140 and 190 lbs. and not # of fish. Right?

[whale]

MJ, you gotta be talking 140 and 190 lbs. and not # of fish. Right?


I think you are correct but I still find the numbers staggering.....

[CaptJJ]

Nice job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:beer:

[macojoe]

Thanks all!!

Yes I am commercial, Yes I mean Pounds, and this is all the time, some days there are 75# some days 200# and any were in between.

That was 330 pounds in two days, I am limited to 200 a day, but I never fish past noon, so I don't always make it.

I blew reverse yesterday?? But it will be fixed tomorrow or Sat, BS & CB have offered to help, I have a spare lower unit to swap for now and have the other repaired l;ater. I will be back on the water Tue for sure.

[Blue_Runner]

I bet you are glad to have that spare motor laying around about now....you might have to fish past noon a couple days to help pay for those repairs to your LU.

Way to whack em and stack em MJ! Oh and awesome pics! :clap:

[whale]

MJ what was the upper end on size out of all of them?

[macojoe]

The largest in this bunch was 6.1 pound and we got 6 Jumbo's, (over 4 pounds) and over.

The day before my nephew got a 6.8 and the largest this year was 7 on the nose.

[BigDaddy]

Wow! :clap:
Heres to being a professional fisherman:beer:
Go MJ

[Blue_Runner]

MJ do you use a net on the larger fish or bail em?

[C YENSEN]

YOU SUCK:bat:

[macojoe]

When we get a big one we use the net, I have lost them before, they to heavy to just pull over the side, the hooks pull right out!

[whale]

I net anything that is a potential keeper (20"+) for me. If it looks like it might be, it goes in the net.

I lost my net a couple weeks ago and had a 5+ pounder on up by the boat and after 4 tries of trying to grab the fluke, it shook the hook and escaped to freedom. UGH

[macojoe]

we lose at least one good fish a day as we yank everything right over the side. And think we all set, till POP another one gone, then the net comes out.
Will we ever learn?? I doubt it

[whale]

old dogs and new tricks!!!!!

[bassarama]

Nice mess of fluke MJ :clap:

[Sean]

Yup, on the V we used to sling them in throught the Splash well, we'd call it the Tuna door:beer:

[billfish16]

Wow!! What is your comercial min, 14"? NJ has an 18" min and yesterday 7/19 we only scratched one 18" keeper out of 20+ fish brought on board. Two weeks ago not one keeper out of 40+ fish caught.

Is that a Winter Flounder in the corner of the cooler?

Very jealous in NJ

[macojoe]

All summer flounder no winter! Yes 14" is the min for commercial, recreational is 17 1/2 we get pleanty of them also!!

[whale]

17 1/2" is pretty good considering what the other states in the area have (up to 20.5" in NY).

I picked up a few keepers Friday and a few Saturday but yesterday a guy at my marina had a 28 1/2" 9.75 lb slab! What a monster! The tail was curled up the side of the cooler!!!! He was fishing about 100 yards from me when he caught it....UGH!!!!

[willy]

Billfish, fish the channels, your looking for 40' of water plus. Don't know why but that is where the larger keepers are at right now. Im talking inside Raritan Bay. If you are fishing Barnegat good luck, good fisherman down there are pulling in 1 keeper for every twenty fish.
Also if you have a source for live herring that is the bait to use, all the larger fish we are pulling in on them.
Set up an appropriate size Spro Jig with the weight needed to bounce bottom and set up a stinger hook about two to three feet behind. You will get them 50/50 on one or the other. You can use the a dropper loop to rig stinger or tie right onto hook of the Spro. I have had better luck with the dropper loop set up.

[Stillrunning]

Are you saying that you caught 330 flounder in two days?

Man I have never caught that many in my entire life. VA has so many rules I think we are limited two per day limit. I really don't fish for flounder too often but getting two is hard enough. I believe ours must be 17 3/4 inches to keep.

Do you normally catch that many?

Thanks,

Va. is 19 1/2" and the season is currently closed until the 30th or maybe its through the 30th. You can keep 4 fish or maybe thats 5 per person. We have not had that issue so I'm not sure if its 4 or 5 per person.

[billfish16]

Willie,

thx for the reply. I fish Raritan Bay. We usually start at the Bug Light(Sandy Hook) or TC Channel then move out to the Sandy Hook Channel, Fynn's Knoll or the Reach Channel. Next month will start Fishing Ambrose Channel(edges and deep). You make a good point about the deeper water. I usually like to short drift the channel egdes avoiding the deep if possible. We also have youngters on the boat about 1/3 of the time so long drifts on the flats is commom. I will have to start laying the law down with my dumb *** buddy, Lefty, who likes to aimlessly drift around while scratching his *** and telling me what a great fisherman he is. No herring but Lefty is good at thowing a cast net. As soon as the peanut bunker show in numbers in the Shewsbury and Navasink we will sart using them Live. As far as Bucktails we are using them with a teaser above them. Thx again. Where do you keep your boat?

[willy]

Just contracted for Twin Lights Marina rack storage at Atlatic Highlands.
Boat should be in down there tommorow.
What radio channel you monitor, I will give you a call when I getr out, probably the end of this week.

[billfish16]

Willy,

We usually do not keep the radio on. It is also my freind's boat(my transom is shot, I'm just about to take a chain saw to it) and I do not know if his radio works. My Cell is (201) 747-7313. Weather permitting we are planning on going out this Sat morning leaving the dock at 5am. If you think of it give me a call Sat morning.

Bill

[billfish16]

Wiliie,

We did a little better on Sat the 26th. Four keepers up to 20.5" out of about three dozen Fluke caught. One keeper in 60 feet and the others in 35 feet on the edge. Many of the throw backs were over 16 inches. Two throw backs were a 1/16 of an inch short of 18", which killed us to release. Did you get out?