M.I. Fluke Exodus

[Billfish715]

It's happening now. The amount of fluke that were being caught from all along the inlet wall the last few days indicate that they are on the move. Live peanut bunkers ( if you can net them ) as well as live killies were doing the trick. All of the fluke that I saw were shorts but there were a lot of them. The fish are beginning to bunch up for their migration ( at least this first wave ). There are still more waiting to make their way to the ocean from the back but by the time they get to the coast, the season will be over..........for the hook and line crowd, but not for the commercial boats. They won't have to go as far off to get their limits because the fluke will be concentrated and easy targets.

If you are interested in snapper fishing or in taking a kid snapper fishing, now is the time. I kept myself entertained and reverted to being a kid by chumming with some spearing off a dock in the Glimmer Glass and threading a bait onto a long shank hook and casting it out. The snappers were very large as snappers go. I don't use a snapper popper because I do very well on bait and I didn't see much "spraying". The larger snappers were following the peanut schools and they were very aggressive and lots of fun on a light freshwater outfit. They are around but they might have to be enticed with some chum. By the way, I also caught a dozen or so seabass from 5 to about 8 inches. Be a kid again and catch some snappers.

[NJ219bands]

I caught nothing in Manasquan Inlet yesterday evening while casting an Ava and teaser rig for two hours. Missed one hit. Saw a boat catch and release an undersized fluke on bait. Ocean was still rough and dirty from the full moon nor’easter and Hurricane Earl. Saw a double crested cormorant catch and swallow a sea robin.

[Billfish715]

Switch to bait or put a Gulp swimming mullet on the teaser.

[Skolmann]

Fluke (keepers slots & shorts) have been stacked along the wall all summer. I’ve had several 40+ days there this summer. Most of my outings there are from 2-4 hours and I average about 17 fluke per trip. Only had one trip that I would classify as being bad/slow when I caught 5 in 3 hours. On the opposite side of the coin, in past summers I would see start to mullet swim by in late August but have not seen one mullet pod yet this year (although there is a ton of other bait; peanuts, spearing, rain fish that can be caught in a cast net & 1-2” snappers, tinker mackerel and sennets that can be caught on a sabiki rig).