2016 fluke

[Reckless]

Sounds like it will be the same as last year.

http://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2016/01/11/anglers-throw-support-behind-17-inch-fluke/78633304/

[Scott Bailey]

Sounds like it will be the same as last year.

http://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2016/01/11/anglers-throw-support-behind-17-inch-fluke/78633304/

It's gonna be 18 everywhere else

[Pfishingruven]

I will never understand how these conservation/management areas are determined by state and not bodies of water! I also remember fighting when it was 16 inches...here we are however many years later with a 2 inch increase on the minimum .

[Fisherman120]

I can't believe party boats still get a lot of fares for fluke.... Fluke is one of those species like seabass where you shouldn't have to be a "sharpie" to get your limit. With the way regs are it's pretty nearly impossible to catch your limit with spearing/squid on board a party boat. Even with bucktails/gulp/fluke belly it's hard enough. Make it 4 fish at 14 inches, everyone gets their meat and plenty of big fish will be fine. Win-win situation.

[Luna Sea 5]

there is no meat on a 14" fish.. Not worth it.. Anything smaller then 17" is useless... The large fish are there.. Just have to find them.  I think 18" is a good size..

[Luna Sea 5]

I can't believe party boats still get a lot of fares for fluke.... Fluke is one of those species like seabass where you shouldn't have to be a "sharpie" to get your limit. With the way regs are it's pretty nearly impossible to catch your limit with spearing/squid on board a party boat. Even with bucktails/gulp/fluke belly it's hard enough. Make it 4 fish at 14 inches, everyone gets their meat and plenty of big fish will be fine. Win-win situation.

Fishing is a sport.. Sports are supposed to be challenging.. The better the challenge, the better the reward.. If you are just looking for dinner, go buy fluke at the shoprite, its much cheaper then any fair on any boat. 

If you are going to limit out on 14" fish everytime out, its not fun.. Remember.. This is a recreational thing, for us..

Charter captains are the ones that have the right to complain because it is there business, but we all know, those guys know how to put 14 lbs fluke in the boat and not 14"

[Fisherman120]

Bud, I caught my limit 10 times last year and caught over 100 keepers, don't talk to me about "challenging". Fishing is a hobby first then a sport, going out on a party boat isn't tournament fishing. Most people on a party boat only go a couple of times a year and they aren't your best fishermen. Those people want a day out and some meat, 4 fish at 14 will do no harm to the fishery at large. I'm not suggesting 4 at 14 so I can get dinner, I'm suggesting it for the more common fishermen who only fishes several times a year. Charter or party boat it's both their business.

[Luna Sea 5]

Bud, I caught my limit 10 times last year and caught over 100 keepers, don't talk to me about "challenging". Fishing is a hobby first then a sport, going out on a party boat isn't tournament fishing. Most people on a party boat only go a couple of times a year and they aren't your best fishermen. Those people want a day out and some meat, 4 fish at 14 will do no harm to the fishery at large. I'm not suggesting 4 at 14 so I can get dinner, I'm suggesting it for the more common fishermen who only fishes several times a year. Charter or party boat it's both their business.

14" keeper fluke is absurd.  You'll never see it.  If you want to enjoy the hobbie of fishing, try catch and release.  Have all the fun you want.  If you want dinner, go to the seafood market.  If you want both, catch and release all the 14" fish and try to catch 1 for the table at 18".  I'd get more meat from 1 18" fish then 2 14" fish. 

[Luna Sea 5]

What you also don't understand, the regs are established as a whole.  You can't have different quotas for the rookie fisherman.  Obviously.  You have no clue what a reg like that would do to the industry as a whole.  You are a bit to young to know what is was like in the past that brought upon these regs today.  It's not your fault.  You 4 fish at 14 is a dream you will never see in your life time.  If you caught 100 keeps last year, then quit your bitch'en.

[Fisherman120]

There is nothing absurd about 14 inches. It was around 14 for many years, most recently in the late 90s, and the fluke population was totally fine. Fluke never went through dramatic population changes like stripers did, I didn't need to be alive in the 70s/80s to know old timers caught plenty of fluke without a problem, they did it without fancy gear and gulp too. You already know I rarely eat fish, so suggesting catch and release or getting meat from the market is rather silly. I fish because I love to fish.

There were several decades where the regs were even lower then 14 and the fluke population was fine. Seems like you're the one without a clue. If you didn't catch back then that's on you, the fluke population never went to low levels in your lifetime. Many Jersey Shore captains actually have said the last few years have been the worst for fluking in their lifetime. I'm pretty sure Jerry is one of those too.

I would hardly call 4 at 14 a dream- more fish are dead all in all and that's less for me to catch. Quit my bitching? You've been the one whining like a chick so far. Don't be selfish and realize there's a lot more then charters/private boats sharing the ocean with you. You don't get more meat out of an 18 inch fish when 80% of fishermen only catch a few per year compared to catching dozens between 14-17.5.

[Luna Sea 5]

The regs are behind.  The reason for today's quotas is because of the lack of  regs years ago.  The conservation today aren't noticed now.  They are noticed a few years from now.  It's a calculation.  Not totally accurate, of course, but there is a delay. 

Now, fishing population grows every year because people are having more kids, people are living longer, etc.   I am in favor of making the proper adjustments now, with in reason, so my kids have the opportunity to fish later on.  It's a give and take. 

We are local fisherman.  We don't have the knowledge to know what it takes to preserve a species, any species.   This takes years and years of estimated calculations and study. 

Maybe the reason for all of today's regs have a lot to do with the fishery when the quota was 14". 

For me, 18" fluke at 5 per person is fine.  I have more issues with the striped bass regs then fluke. 

[bassnblues]

I agree 14" can and should never happen but the problem with 18" is that it shuts out bay fisherman, shore fisherman and the half day party boats.

The days of going fishing to stock the freezer are gone but if it gets to the point of the casual fisherman having no chance to take a fish home, they will lose interest and spend their money on other types of recreation.

[Luna Sea 5]

I agree 14" can and should never happen but the problem with 18" is that it shuts out bay fisherman, shore fisherman and the half day party boats.

The days of going fishing to stock the freezer are gone but if it gets to the point of the casual fisherman having no chance to take a fish home, they will lose interest and spend their money on other types of recreation.

actually a smaller quote for the bay should me considered.. just like the beach.. If I am not mistaken, aren't the regs different for the surf guys?

[Fisherman120]

I don't have an issue personally with the regs either, it could be 0 fish or 5 @ 18 and I'd still fish the same amount as I do now. But for the sake of a winter discussion I do think that 18 is way too high for your common fishermen, which has been my point. I'm no scientist and don't know how to preserve a species either, but I do know that the regs have forced many more fishermen to use bucktails/gulp and fish the sticky stuff much more then years ago. There has never been more pressure on the breeder fluke fish then there has been over the last 6-7 years in our area. Maybe that's why the fishing over the past few years has dropped off.

We will have to agree to disagree all in all. My opinion is that 4 @ 14 wouldn't change much population wise, there would be more smaller fluke killed and more breeders saved. It's a reasonable tradeoff IMO.

[BigAl13]

make it 2 fish at 30" then only paulie would ever catch a keeper

[IrishAyes]

We are local fisherman.  We don't have the knowledge to know what it takes to preserve a species, any species.   This takes years and years of estimated calculations and study. 

They have been doing this regulations crap for years and years now. How much longer do they need to improve the fish stock? It seem the more they regulate, the lower the stock gets.

I'm won't say that we should do away with regulation, but I will say that we need a different way of regulation as this method is not working. There is apparently something wrong with the regulators.

[fluke - u]

  ... Sometimes it sucks putting a 17" gut hooked fish back knowing it probabily wont make it. I should have to count it towards my limit of fish.   

[BigAl13]

agreed there should be an exception for a fish thats gonna die, but with that said if the fish is gut hooked you should be cutting the line rather then pulling the fishes insides out.

To me its not too hard to figure it out, its very easy to breed fish in a tank.  I dont know when fluke reach maturity but I do know when I was breeding cichlids that certain species could reproduce in as little as 5 months old, some took much much longer. If they could raise a few fluke from fry until they were old enough and big enough to reproduce then theyd have a guidline as to where to set the size limits.

[fluke - u]

  ... Come on Al, Those hooks are expensive   ....lol ...

[bayonne]

I agree 14" can and should never happen but the problem with 18" is that it shuts out bay fisherman, shore fisherman and the half day party boats.

The days of going fishing to stock the freezer are gone but if it gets to the point of the casual fisherman having no chance to take a fish home, they will lose interest and spend their money on other types of recreation.

actually a smaller quote for the bay should me considered.. just like the beach.. If I am not mistaken, aren't the regs different for the surf guys?

only at island beach state park