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FISHING UPDATE LIST
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Early Birds Catch The Doormats
Local captains expects big start to '08
fluke season
May 22, 2008 |
by Daniel Nee
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Catches
are large doormat fluke were
commonplace last year on the Angela
Rose out of Pt. Pleasant Beach.
(Photo Courtesy of Capt. Anthony
Reina)
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When it comes to fluking, Capt. Anthony Reina of Angela Rose Charters, Pt. Pleasant Beach, knows his stuff. He can’t wait to begin his season this Saturday, and he’s expecting a great kickoff to the Jersey Shore’s most important recreational fishery.
“From what I’ve
seen over the last few fluke seasons,” he told
Jersey Shore Angler this week, “early season
could be like the traditional end of the
season.”
That means that the big fish could be caught by
those who get out early and fish hard opening
weekend.
Capt. Andy Grossman, owner of Riptide Bait and
Tackle, Brigantine, agrees.
“Last year, we definitely had more keepers than
throw backs during opening weekend,” he said.
The two differ on how, exactly, one should go
about catching the big flatties, signifying a
noted divide between anglers in Monmouth and
Ocean counties and those farther south in
Atlantic and Cape May counties. Capt. Andy
prefers Berkeley Gulp, while Capt. Anthony says
he’ll be sticking to natural and frozen baits
during opening weekend.
“Early season, we’ll try to concentrate more on
a squid/spearing combo,” said Capt. Anthony. “As
the season goes on, once you get into August,
we’ll switch up to sand eels and start
bucktailing.”
For Capt. Andy, Gulp does the trick.
“There’s nothing it hasn’t caught yet,” he said
of Berkeley’s product, which has taken the
Garden State by storm in the past year.
Capt. Andy said he has offered full refunds on
Gulp products if anglers were not satisfied with
the results of using the product after
purchasing it at his store. “Not one pack” was
ever returned, he said.
Still, Capt. Andy suggests mixing things up by
using a minnow on one rig and a Gulp product on
another, just to be sure.
Capt. Anthony, who has scored some monster
catches in the past year fishing the Manasquan
River, Barnegat Bay and the inshore waters off
the Manasquan Inlet, says Gulp hasn’t worked as
well for his customers.
“They’ll catch fish, but it won’t be to the same
numbers you get later in the season,” he said.
Some have cited Gulp as being less effective
early in the season, contending the cooler water
obstructs the product’s scent dispersal.
“Me, personally, I don’t think it works,”
maintained Capt. Anthony. “On the other hand, I
know guys and I’ve seen guys on the boat and
they swear by it.”
Fluke season opens Saturday, and this year’s
regulations state anglers may take up to 8 fish
at 18-inches each. One fish can be kept for
bait, as long as the carcass is kept on hand.
While more government regulations are never good
for business, Capt. Anthony said he isn’t
worried.
“It seems like every single year the fish are
getting bigger and bigger,” he said. “When the
limit was 13-inches, and you picked up a 17 or
18-inch fish, it was a big deal. Now, it’s
really not. A 17 or 18-inch fluke isn’t much to
brag about.”
Most experts suggest using braided line with a
20 to 30-pound test and a simple fluke rig early
in the season. In the northern areas of the
state, natural baits that score big hits usually
are of the “squid-spearing” genre. In South
Jersey, minnows and herring strips often pull in
the biggest flatties of the day.
To catch larger fish, anglers should consider
using larger strip baits to limit the number of
shorts which will pass up a bait they won’t be
able to swallow. The largest fish, of course,
will have no problem sucking down larger baits.
Other techniques popular with Jersey Shore
anglers include tipping bucktails and Spro jigs
with a squid strip.
Use just enough weight to hold bottom and bounce
your baits and lures on the sea floor. Work
channels edges and areas over mussel and clam
beds. Use your boat’s fishfinder to locate
bottom structure and undersea beds.
There are already scattered reports of anglers
reeling in early season doormats. Greg Bogan of
Brielle Bait and Tackle, Brielle, said anglers
in the Manasquan River fishing for striped bass
have reeled in fluke in the 20-inch range.
Likewise, John at Jim's Bait and Tackle, Long
Branch, said this week that anglers have caught
up to 9-pound fluke in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
If history repeats itself, there won’t be many
anglers making up fish tales this weekend.
They’ll be too busy grilling up their catch.
Angela Rose Charters is based in Point
Pleasant Beach and is accepting charters for the
2008 season.
Riptide Bait and Tackle is located in
Brigantine.
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