Fluke Season - This year compared to last year...

[hammer4reel]

Water quality and temp have Def been inconsistant .
We have had a great year.but seems the bite daily had been good only an hour or two a tide.
Some days I have not had a keeper from 6-11 then had a limit of quality fish at 1115.
I feel bait is NOT where it should be most of the season.
The fish we are cleaning in the area normally loaded with squid have had nothing in theit stomachs.
Out of the last 50 fluke I filleted only one had anything in it'd belly and that was a small sea Robin.

The fish south of my inlet finally showed up a week ago when the sand eels showed up.
They are over a month behind the normal time showing up.

Hopefully the next few weeks will see even more of these fish showing up

[reason162]

The following is a response to a similar thread in another forum, which tends to mirror my own fluking reality over the past 4-5 years. As some of you may know, the proposed cuts for next season is based on recruitment, rather than "overfishing" from any sector.

You've got a big hole in the population right now. Four consecutive poor recruitment years--2010-2013--explain what we're all seing in the catch.

The 18 to 22 inch fluke that would normally be the bulk of the landings are, for the most part, 4 or 5 years old (some 3s), which means they're from the 2010 and 2011 year classes, which were the smallest we've seen in recent years. 2012 and 2013 were better--the big shorts you're seeing--while 2014 was pretty much back to average, which accounts for all of the 12-14 inchers.

On the plus side, 2008 and 2009 saw solid recruitment, which explains why there are still reasonable numbers of larger fish being taken.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Counci's Monitoring Committee reports started predicting this back in 2011, when the first poor recruitment was documented, and you could see it coming as each year's reports indicated more sub-par spawning success.

Sometimes things all come together, and we have a few episodes of pretty good action, but it can't last, because there isn't a sufficient quantity of fish to support it for long.

What we're all experiencing on the water merely validates the accuracy of the stock assessment reports, which showed that, for a few years, this is what we're in for.

[SNAPS]

Originally Posted by reason162

The following is a response to a similar thread in another forum, which tends to mirror my own fluking reality over the past 4-5 years. As some of you may know, the proposed cuts for next season is based on recruitment, rather than "overfishing" from any sector.

You've got a big hole in the population right now. Four consecutive poor recruitment years--2010-2013--explain what we're all seing in the catch.

The 18 to 22 inch fluke that would normally be the bulk of the landings are, for the most part, 4 or 5 years old (some 3s), which means they're from the 2010 and 2011 year classes, which were the smallest we've seen in recent years. 2012 and 2013 were better--the big shorts you're seeing--while 2014 was pretty much back to average, which accounts for all of the 12-14 inchers.

On the plus side, 2008 and 2009 saw solid recruitment, which explains why there are still reasonable numbers of larger fish being taken.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Counci's Monitoring Committee reports started predicting this back in 2011, when the first poor recruitment was documented, and you could see it coming as each year's reports indicated more sub-par spawning success.

Sometimes things all come together, and we have a few episodes of pretty good action, but it can't last, because there isn't a sufficient quantity of fish to support it for long.

What we're all experiencing on the water merely validates the accuracy of the stock assessment reports, which showed that, for a few years, this is what we're in for.

Arent they havijg a good year in new england ?

[Fisherman120]

Originally Posted by SNAPS

Arent they havijg a good year in new england ?

yes.

[reason162]

Originally Posted by SNAPS

Arent they havijg a good year in new england ?

Different population.

[Dupes]

I think the fluking has been great. Lots of limits.

Definitely a different year and not for the better and have heard the same sentiments echoed from many fluke anglers. This year the bite appeared very different as fluke would consistently grab the tail or teaser, hang on it but when you swung the fish wasn't there. Had that happen time after time, maybe that's because they weren't seeing it because of consistently bad water quality or colder temp. I know a few divers who said the wrecks they dove were loaded with fluke but you could literally grab the fluke with your hands because they were so lethargic with the colder temps. Inconsistent I think is how I would categorize '15 and overall off from last year. Nothing imo which should warrant another significant drop in recreational quotas.