I marked my Fluke ruler

[pcheesesteak]

No fines for me for oversized fluke!

[TwoDDs]

You'd be legal, but shorting yourself....:)
If the 18" mark is at the dead center of the 18" line, 17.99" would still be within the thickness of the black line.

[hammer4reel]

You'd be legal, but shorting yourself....:)
If the 18" mark is at the dead center of the 18" line, 17.99" would still be within the thickness of the black line.


Def will be when they hit an ice slurry and shrink up a little more

[Detour66]

PERFECT! :D

[PortlyRedhead]

You'd be legal, but shorting yourself....:)
If the 18" mark is at the dead center of the 18" line, 17.99" would still be within the thickness of the black line.

I love this thinking. The slot is 17” to <18”.

[TwoDDs]

The lines on my fluke ruler are about 1/16" wide, which means, technically, there's 1/32' on either side of the true 18" mark. That 1/100" fits easily within the 1/32".
Point being, in the field, 1/100" is not discernible and is the increment that may determine whether or not a fish can be possessed.
Law enforcement nightmare.

[Billfish715]

The real conundrum will be what to do if you catch an 18” fluke right off the bat. Do you keep it or let it go? If you keep it and continue to fish and then catch a 24” fluke, what do you do? Hopefully you will be with a group or partner so you can share. Otherwise, that 5 pounder has to go back.

Lots to consider. Strategy will come into play. You still have to catch ‘em first.

[frugalfisherman]

[QUOTE=Billfish715;568490]The real conundrum will be what to do if you catch an 18” fluke right off the bat. Do you keep it or let it go? If you keep it and continue to fish and then catch a 24” fluke, what do you do? Hopefully you will be with a group or partner so you can share. Otherwise, that 5 pounder has to go back.

[/QUOTE

Simple. You keep them both

[PortlyRedhead]

The real conundrum will be what to do if you catch an 18” fluke right off the bat. Do you keep it or let it go? If you keep it and continue to fish and then catch a 24” fluke, what do you do? Hopefully you will be with a group or partner so you can share. Otherwise, that 5 pounder has to go back.

Lots to consider. Strategy will come into play. You still have to catch ‘em first.

Fill your cooler with saltwater instead of ice. Keep your 18”+ fluke alive until you catch a bigger one.

[Foul Hook]

[QUOTE=Billfish715;568490]The real conundrum will be what to do if you catch an 18” fluke right off the bat. Do you keep it or let it go? If you keep it and continue to fish and then catch a 24” fluke, what do you do? Hopefully you will be with a group or partner so you can share. Otherwise, that 5 pounder has to go back.

[/QUOTE

Simple. You keep them both

This is the answer. Become a ☠️

[Blind Archer]

Yo Ho Ho, and a battle of dumb.
Give the Commercials 3 thousand # more a week and stick it to the recs.
The will regulate themselves right out of compliance.

[togzilla]

The real conundrum will be what to do if you catch an 18” fluke right off the bat. Do you keep it or let it go? If you keep it and continue to fish and then catch a 24” fluke, what do you do? Hopefully you will be with a group or partner so you can share. Otherwise, that 5 pounder has to go back.

Lots to consider. Strategy will come into play. You still have to catch ‘em first.

This is an easy one! Keep the 24” inch fluke and trim the tail of the 18” fish by a 1/4 inch and your legal. If the warden boards you just claim a bluefish bit the tail when you were reeling it up. Quite simple.