First flatties of 2008

[whale]

Well, this is a delayed fishing report from opening day of fluke season in CT but I just got around to downloading the pics. I took my boys out to try for some fluke on May 24. The minimum here is now 19.5" and where we usually fish in Rhode Island it is now 20" so any keeper is a decent fish. We got out late (8 am) compared to my normal 5 am departure. The bite was fairly slow. I heard from some of the "pros" that went out at 5 am that they got their limit. We managed about 6 or 7 fluke with 2 of them being keepers. The little guy (Cameron, 8 yo) had the high hook with 4. I went out on Memorial Day Monday also with my buddy and managed 4 keepers (no pics of them). Here's my boys!

first fluke of 2008


sadly, these are just barely "keepers"

[macojoe]

Congrats!!

Thye season here opens Tuesday!! I can't wait!!

Ma. its 17.5" and 5 fish for recreational.
I am commercial so I get 14" and 200 pounds a day!

I have kept my Fluke Lic (can't get any more!!) for years as the recreation guys have been getting stiffed more and more every year!!
This year they are opening the Rec. season on the same day as Commercial isn't that a You don't really make any money doing it, but it does put some nice fish on the table and pay forthe gas at the end of the day.

[Monkey Butler]

Originally Posted by macojoe

Congrats!!

Thye season here opens Tuesday!! I can't wait!!

Ma. its 17.5" and 5 fish for recreational.
I am commercial so I get 14" and 200 pounds a day!

MJ,

I have never been a fluker but can you explain the rational behind the fluke regs? Okay I know they don't always make sense but do you agree with them and above all do you think that they help to sustain the fishery?

#2 is how do you think enforcement is? I was on a buddy's boat last year in Buzzards Bay and I saw a skiff with with a crew of divesified culture types that had at least a dozen small fluke.

[THEFERMANATOR]

The reasoning behind letting the commercial guys keep smaller fish than recreational is they feal a recreational fishermen should take the time to properly vent a fish if it bloats and it should have a greater chance of survival if a short is caught and released. They allow the commercial guys to keep smaller fish since they know MOST of them won't take the time to properly release a fish and it makes them fill there quota quicker. Although back door sales is a MAJOR problem with the commercial marketplace. Alot of the commercial catch is NEVER reported unless it has to be.

[whale]

I have witnessed plenty of people keeping shorts....I can only assume they have a commercial license. Of course, I have first hand knowledge of guys at my marina keeping shorts w/o commercial license.

On opening day I witnessed Rhode Island DEP checking boats off Watch Hill. I was boarded once last year but it was by the Coast Guard. They looked at my fish but did not measure any. I do not keep shorts but I do keep fluke belly strips for bait....technically this illegal and I can be fined for it so I keep them handy for subtle dumping over the side if I see a DEP boat nearby.

[willy]

Nice job Whale, how is she running Kev?

[whale]

Originally Posted by willy

Nice job Whale, how is she running Kev?

Running pretty good.....she does not start on the first crank like last season.....might be the 2nd filter I added or just a bit of tuning. Other than winterize I have not done anything to the motor. Once warmed up it starts up instantly when running to a new drift. The Lowrance fuel flow stuff is great.

I hope to get out again tomorrow.

[willy]

That is great, what kind of numbers have you seen so far, I am curious because it was extremely inexpensive fuel wise for me.

[macojoe]

No I don't agree with the rules!! The recreational guy have been taking it on the chin for years!!
Commercial fishing in Ma, is a joke!! No one and I mean no one is making money on Fluke or Bass!! and now that gas is $4+ there is no way anyone is making it!!
I still do it to pay for my day and thats it, I get to do what I love , put some fish on the table and pay for the gas and if I am lucky I have am little left for hooks and things I need for the season.

As far as it being fair, NO!! But the idea behind the commercial guys getting a smaller fish is that a dragger scrapes the bottom and all come to the top, small and large, The rule is no culling!! But they all do it!
When i go sell my catch I have all 14 and up fish, when a dragger comes in they all have Jumbo's!! they are culling all the time and the ones that say they don't tell lies!! Fluke on open day can range $2.50 to $5.00 a pound depending on size. The have S M L Jumbo, but in short order say 2 weeks they get rid of the L size and the price drops $1.50 to $3.00

As far as law enforcement, thats also a joke, there are no were near enough police to watch the fishery!! And everyone knows it!
Now we are going to get a Saltwater Lic, its nothing more then window dressing for them to look like they are doing something when they are not!! And who is going to enforce these new rules??
I can see it now, a guy takes his son or grandson to the water for some nice fishing and they get fined for doing what has been free for 1000's of years! When the dragger's and others are on the water stealing, killing, culling and god knows what and never get caught cause who is going to be out there watching them?? NO one thats who!!

I say keep it free for recreational people, band all I mean ALL commercial fishing from state waters, it is a joke after all any way!!

I could go on much much more but the rant is over for now!!

[whale]

Originally Posted by willy

That is great, what kind of numbers have you seen so far, I am curious because it was extremely inexpensive fuel wise for me.

Not quite as good as I expected but not bad. If I tweak it just right on flat water it shows 3.1-3.3 mpg. More typically in some chop etc is 2.5-2.9 mpg. Again, I have not done any motor maintenance other than winterizing so maybe I could improve it a bit. Just not sure where to start. Any suggestions? I have a SELOC manual and a factory manual but haven't looked at them much.