Hungry Fluke

[Billfish715]

For those of you who, like me, are the ones who do the filleting when you get back to the dock, this question is for you. Have you found the stomach contents of the fluke you clean to be empty? I've noticed that most of the fluke I monger have absolutely nothing in their stomachs. This has been going on for some time. I understand that the fish often regurgitate when they are being reeled in but I haven't seen any evidence of that happening. Any ideas?

Just as another observation, I have yet to fillet any male fluke. They have all been females with orange egg sacs.

[Duffman]

Some guys here posting reports are seeing stomachs and fluke puking up small crabs and shrimp.

Total opposite for me, just as you have seen. Everything I’ve cut so far has had clean empty stomachs.

FWIW….haven’t had anything big, largest keep going 22” so far and have been fishing relatively shallow, light gear to this point in the season.

Fish have looked healthy and fat otherwise.

[LotsobitesBB]

One on Sunday spit up what looked to be a baby dogfish.
Other then that, they spit up $1,000 of gulp tails in a variety of colors.

[tjd24]

I've put fluke in my live well and at the end of the trip, there were loads of regurgitated crabs, baitfish, etc. We've also had fluke spit up smaller flounder, porgies and baby robins right on the deck after landing them.

Like Striped Bass, most of the largest Fluke are females. We kill those large breeders and wonder why fluke numbers are diminishing.

We need a slot limit with a single trophy allowance.

[dales529]

Can you say GULP LOL. Jigs and Gulp. Not saying in anyway that Fluke aren't eating their normal forage but if you think about it a stuffed with bait Fluke may be happy not eating and a non stuffed fluke eats GULP. Not exactly as nature planned but a possibility

[dales529]

I've put fluke in my live well and at the end of the trip, there were loads of regurgitated crabs, baitfish, etc. We've also had fluke spit up smaller flounder, porgies and baby robins right on the deck after landing them.

Like Striped Bass, most of the largest Fluke are females. We kill those large breeders and wonder why fluke numbers are diminishing.

We need a slot limit with a single trophy allowance.

Many groups including RFA NJ are working on the slot fish etc. Its not so easy given the current regulations Fed and State and especially harder when Fluke are apparently abundant for some boats. We all get taking breeders as a non solution yet NOAA to date doesn't see it that way although there is more traction

[Merle31483]

It's definitely called GULP

[frugalfisherman]

Fluke don't eat Gulp they hit it. Sometimes they get hooked before they can spit it out. Belly, squid and spearing get eaten when they take it.

[Billfish715]

Some guys here posting reports are seeing stomachs and fluke puking up small crabs and shrimp.

Total opposite for me, just as you have seen. Everything I’ve cut so far has had clean empty stomachs.

FWIW….haven’t had anything big, largest keep going 22” so far and have been fishing relatively shallow, light gear to this point in the season.

Fish have looked healthy and fat otherwise.

I agree about the thickness of the fluke I've been catching. They have been chunky for their size. Even the 15" fish have been heavy and certainly don't look like they've missed any meals, yet the bigger fish have no evidence of any forage in their stomachs. Maybe their digestive cycle is very quick.

We have put fluke in our livewell also and only on occasion have I seen anything they regurgitated. What does get spit up are mostly crustaceans like crabs. I've also seen things like mantis shrimp and baby lobsters in some fluke.

[tjd24]

A year or so ago, I found 2 whole mantis shrimp in the gut of a 3-4lb fluke. I iced them down, wrapped them carefully and put them in my freezer. Next trip down near the 1SR can at the Rocks, I dropped one down. It wasn't down for more than 30 seconds and an 8.8lb fluke nailed it.
I'll save every one I see.

[Billfish715]

Fluke don't eat Gulp they hit it. Sometimes they get hooked before they can spit it out. Belly, squid and spearing get eaten when they take it.

I use both Gulp mullets and grubs. I have had many occasions when I thought I had a solid hookset, my rod was bent, the fish was throbbing, and halfway up, the line went limp and the fish was gone. It wasn't until I had several fish up to almost the surface and within net range that I realized what was happening. The fish was holding onto the the Gulp and was never hooked. Two things had to happen. One, the Gulp was tough enough to stay intact and not be cut in half by the fish's teeth. The second was that the hook was never turned at the proper angle to penetrate the fluke's jaw.

I don't think any of the Gulp tails were ever bitten off by fluke. Most of the tails are bitten off by seabass. If you want to go through a bunch of Gulp quickly, just drop it down when the small seabass are around.

Here is a picture of why many solid hooksets are not set at all. Just look at the size and angles of their mouths and why it's likely they can just spit out a hook.

[Gerry Zagorski]

A year or so ago, I found 2 whole mantis shrimp in the gut of a 3-4lb fluke. I iced them down, wrapped them carefully and put them in my freezer. Next trip down near the 1SR can at the Rocks, I dropped one down. It wasn't down for more than 30 seconds and an 8.8lb fluke nailed it.
I'll save every one I see.

Yep a favorite of the Fluke for sure..

[Irish Jigger]

Loads of shrimp, crabs and peanut bunker or small mullet.

[Jerseydix]

All i've been seeing is baby blueclaws, and lots of them.

[atcojg]

The ones I have caught in the surf this year have been loaded with sand fleas. Didn't even know they ate them.