Winter flounder

[briansnat]

While fluke fishing in Sandy Hook Bay I caught what at first we thought was a short. We realized that it was not a short fluke, but a good sized winter flounder.

Is that unusual this time of the year or is it fairly routine to catch one?

[Gerry Zagorski]

They usually leave the bay by mid may when the water warms up but not totally unusual to still catch one occationally.

[Reel Class]

pic of the fish?

[hartattack]

Winter Flounder on a Fluke bait :confused: Me-thinks it was a Sundial

[bulletbob]

IMHO there are always a few in the bay... I caught a BIG one many years ago near the ammo pier.. I was weak fishing early morning with a 3+3 rig using a whole big sandworm and a big Weakfish sized hook.. That was in late July or august,,... We used to catch tog in the bay as well in mid summer, if you knew where to go... In the rivers we used to catch a lot of flounder in summer, in the warm weedy water, but they were always very small... bob

[briansnat]

Winter Flounder on a Fluke bait :confused: Me-thinks it was a Sundial


It grabbed a small Gulp. Small mouth, no teeth, different color from the fluke we were catching. About 14". Didn't think to snap a pic

[Reel Class]

I don't know man. Very skeptical but... We've been catching the flounder out in the deep this year, and in years past on seabass hooks LOL

Not sure what ya caught, you should've taken a picture. I think it's very late for them to be in there but stranger things have happened.

[fin_s_guy]

That cold water push might have bought one in for sure. Hammer handle Dogfish invaded the hook and a lot of fat ling on inshore rockpiles.

This South wind has GOT TO STOP!!!

Marked 62-63 degree surface temps in the bay at the top of the tide Thursday. WTF?!?

[Reelron]

I agree with Fin-S Small gulp bait, Cold water, very possible this year.

[Reelman73088]

Was the fish dark in color or was it light and kind of transparent on the edges? The latter would most likely be a sundial I've caught a bunch of them this year in the surf. When I was fishing last Thursday the water was 56 degrees according to the sign with the tides on it near the beach in Belmar, so wouldn't shock me if a winter came back in close to shore.

[reason162]

I caught my biggest winter flounder in the last week of July near City Island (Western Sound). 4.5 lbs on the boga. Was jigging a 2 oz spro with a 7" gulp jerk shad; gaffed it in the head. Thought long and hard about keeping it since it was unlikely to survive...but in the end released since season was closed.

[flyersnfluke]

Three weeks ago me and my buddy drifted into the muddy water behind a clam boat off the nude beach at the hook we caught 2 large flounder (some of the biggest I've caught), one on a 4"gulp with squid, the other with a 4"gulp with spearing/squid (but I wondered if the hit I had a little before the flounder may have took off the spearing because I was/is surprised of a flounder on a spearing).

[briansnat]

I was just looking at pics of sundial and winter flounder online. I definitely think it was a winter flounder. The mouth was too small and the sundial seems to have a rounder shape.

[stevelikes2fish]

We had them last summer, up to 23"!!! Several 19-21". Got my first one in probably 30 years, fall of 2012, surf fishing, gami 6/0 circle hook, big glob of clam, seaside heights.

[tautog]

I have caught a few in the rivers in the summer.