First Striper of the year
 

Got out on the bay today, lots of bunker around but no big fish yet, my buddy did pull in the first resident striper of the season, hopefully the first of many

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...Picture001.jpg

Nice catch! Is that a Cuban? Billy Mac

Won't be Cuban but most likely rolled on the thigh of a Honduran virgin.
Or was it a Dominican virgin, can't remember??

I got out yesterday [fri.].....first launch of the 09 season. Flounder,[winter flounder ,not fluke, for all you southern boys]was our target fish. The TinMan hooked up about 20-30 mins. of setting anchor, a decent 1 3/4 lb. flattie and that was it for the next six hours....not even a nibble. A little discouraging but nobody else around us was hooking up either. The flounder fishing by me is a far cry from what it used to be. Never the less the boat ran great after a long winter nap, it was nice to get in the salt again and hang out w/ a good friend. Bass [mostly schoolies] are around and moving into our local bays and even though the N.Y. fluke regs, [I think it's 20.5" and TWO fish bag limit] are rediculious, I'll still try for that 13lb. doormat. Larger bass will be along soon. Good luck to all,have a fun, SAFE, 09 season.

How is the TinMan? He does not post too often any more. Please explain again for me fluke and flounder, also check you pms. Billy Mac :beer:

Same down here Phes, the flatties are sporadic, a few fish here a few there. we went two days exclusively for them chummed like crazy men and had one keeper to show.
A little tid bit I gleaned from a guy I saw taking samples at waters edge near my marina, he was a biologist. He says the water temps are still to cold for them to feed and move much, we had 48-49 degrees all over the bay here.
He said look for them to bite good when the water temps get in the low 50's for a couple of days and look for them first on dark mud flats on tide in tide rising times.
we have had so much cold rain coming out of the rivers it has turned down the bite to nada.
Tell Tin I said hey

Oh and the cigar is a Davidoff Special Reserve, got a case as a gift from a friend.
They are made on the golden brown tanned thighs of Honduran virgins who pass stringent tests for the right curves and angles to produce consistent rolls.
Dividoffs are made with the best tobaccos produced by the different houses each year. I try to smoke one each trip out so I can enjoy the scenery, hopefully the fishing and good friends. It has the final touch for me to a nice day of fishing or hunting

nice catch willy,,,

Nice!! I am still a month away from fishing. The Herring are in and that means the bass are not far behind.
Might try for a Cod trip in a week or 2?? But I will be right in the middle of my garage build so not sure?

Git er done

NICE!!!


I get REAL Cubans for free here and there. Got a Bar Pilot buddy that gets em by the box from ships coming into port as gifts. Them thangs is GOOOD! :clap:

To the unfamiliar eye they look nearly identical. Fluke can grow much larger than flounder. I think a record size fluke is somewhere around 25lbs., looking like a mini halibut. Don't know what the largest flounder is but anything over 2 1/2lbs. is a nice flattie. Fluke have a nice set of teeth that warrant caution when handling, where as a flounder just have a "gums". Both yield a very nice white meat. That there is the short version. And as stated in the past....TheTinMan is a crusty old sea captian who sometimes preffers the life of a hermit....he will lurk this site in the VERY early am hours....be advised...

Yeah Willy flattie fishin is not what it used to be. We worked really hard, chumpot, 2 full bags of crushed mussels, and gave it more than six hours for that one fish. Our water temp. was a bit lower than what you had, we're still at 44-45*. I agree, a 50* water temp is ideal and I always preffer an incoming tide double anchored right over a little honey hole full of muck and mire. We need warmer/sunnier days thats for sure. In the last few years it has been [for me personally] fewer fish but ones caught are mostly in the 2-3lb class.

Our flounder have teeth. I sure wish we had fluke. Ive noticed where some of yall flukers have a 18-19" minimum...thats a NICE flounder. Flounder minimum here is 12" and I keep any legals I can. 12" prolly seems small to the fluke guys but they pan fry up nicely whole.

Another difference is that flounder is a "right" sided fish where the fluke has the eyes on the other side or "left" sided fish.

see this for a better http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=103724

And they are all good eats.

Left out a "p" didn't ya? :party: