Fluke migratory habits and taggiung

[Pete]

Common Names: Fluke, summer flounder
Scientific Name: Paralichthys dentatus

Range: Estuarine and coastal waters from Nova Scotia to Florida. Most abundant between Massachusetts and North Carolina.

Migration

Fluke are normally found in the nearshore coastal waters and bays where they are available to anglers in the warmer months of the year, thus their other common name of summer flounder. In the fall and winter they move offshore into depths of 100 to 500 feet of water. There is also a tendency for fish to return to more northern estuaries in successive years, resulting in a higher occurrence of larger, older fish in the more northern parts of its range.

The above was taken directly from the NJ Div. of Fish and Game website.

My friend also tags fish for the littorial society. His tag returns for fluke always come from northern states as far as Mass.

So, while you believed the 17 1/4" throwback would return as a 17 1/2" keeper (pre regulations change) early season 2014. Think again! It appears very likely that fish and many similar won't even come near Jersey water.

NY has been the recipient of our benevolant ways for some years now. The difference is they just got blessed with a more liberal set of regulations. Which will likely cause the entire region to, yet again overfish.

Hey don't get me wrong NY did take a hosing for quite a few years. I guess our NJ pols. outsmarted theirs for that period. Who knows?
This is one huge shit sandwich, and each and every bite gets worse.

Where does it end.

There has got to be a sustainable size and bag. 25 years and they still can't get it right. I can't believe it is regional. It would be more than likely state by state. To say a guy fluking from Montauk has the same odds as say an equally skilled guy from Cape May, to catch his limit is absurd. Ask those guys from the southern part of the state, how many 18" keepers are around in their waters?

Conservation under regulations for all these years got me, or the fluke fishery as a whole, nowhere.

[SaltLife1980]

Thanks for the info

[NJ219bands]

Since 1993, I tagged 149 fluke in NJ with ALS tags and 6 were recaptured within a year of the tagging date. The first one was tagged in August at 14" and won first place in the Youth Division of the Governor's Cup Surf fishing tournament at 17". Then a 14" tagged in September was recaptured in the Hudson Canyon by a commercial fishing vessel in April at 15". Next, a 12" tagged in July was recaptured the next July in Charlestown, RI at 13". Then I caught the same one that I tagged earlier in the day 4 miles offshore in July. Next, a 16" I tagged in Manasquan Inlet in May got caught in April offshore of Accomack, VA by a dragger. The last tag return that I got was from a fluke that I tagged in Barnegat Inlet that got caught 2 weeks later near Barnegat Light. I think that most recaptured tagged fish don't get reported. I met a Delaware Bay netter who has > 600 ALS tags that he never reported and most of his friends don't report the tagged fish that they catch. I also found my tags cut in half and laying on the ground. Most poachers don't report tagged fish.

[Capt Sal]

Best tag ever recovered on my boat was from a striper and it was 12 years old.Caught in the Arthur Kill near Sewaren and it was tagged in Maryland.The bass was 36'' and when tagged it was 24''.By the way we down in Florida and they have fluke here also.The limit is 10 a day at 12''.The Maryland tags are purple.

[frugalfisherman]

My 17 1/4 ain't making it to NY

[Pete]

Originally Posted by NJ219bands

Since 1993, I tagged 149 fluke in NJ with ALS tags and 6 were recaptured within a year of the tagging date. The first one was tagged in August at 14" and won first place in the Youth Division of the Governor's Cup Surf fishing tournament at 17". Then a 14" tagged in September was recaptured in the Hudson Canyon by a commercial fishing vessel in April at 15". Next, a 12" tagged in July was recaptured the next July in Charlestown, RI at 13". Then I caught the same one that I tagged earlier in the day 4 miles offshore in July. Next, a 16" I tagged in Manasquan Inlet in May got caught in April offshore of Accomack, VA by a dragger. The last tag return that I got was from a fluke that I tagged in Barnegat Inlet that got caught 2 weeks later near Barnegat Light. I think that most recaptured tagged fish don't get reported. I met a Delaware Bay netter who has > 600 ALS tags that he never reported and most of his friends don't report the tagged fish that they catch. I also found my tags cut in half and laying on the ground. Most poachers don't report tagged fish.

Thanks for posting! Very insightful. Especially because you provided firsthand info.

As a side note my friend had a few tag returns from the canyons and such. But, he said the fish might have been caught North. However, the fish wasn't processed until the vessel returned to a southern port. So, the count could be skewed, I guess.

When the scientist hired by the SSFFF conveyed his findings and offered possible solution. Tagging, in his professional opinion, should be done on a grand scale to obtain accurate numbers. I don't know what was, is or hasn't been done in that regard. But, I still maintain there is NO WAY we went over in 2013!