New York Metro &
New Jersey

May 14th, 2004

What do Fluke Mean to Fly Fishers?

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I assume that most readers of this site are hardcore saltwater flyfishermen. And if you’re like me you probably don’t target fluke (summer flounder) all that often. They are more the query of novice anglers because they don’t require much skill or effort to catch. Sure they can be great fun on a flyrod and no one can argue their excellent eating qualities, but they are usually pretty deep and don’t pull very hard. So quite honestly I don’t pay much attention to them or the management of the species. However, upon sorting through my usuall clumps of junk e-mail late last week, I noticed an e-mail from an old friend titled “NY Out of Compliance.” After reading the e-mail, a newspaper article on the subject and the DEC’s press release I realized the seriousness of the issue.

New York is the first state in history to blatantly choose to be out of compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) which sets state-by-state recreational harvest targets, and then requires the state to craft regulations that would theoretically be adequate to keep harvest at or under the target. On April 26th, in a direct challenge to the Commission, the state put regulations into place (3 fish at 17" during a season of May 15 to September 6) that were the same as those rejected by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in March. The disagreement between New York and the ASMFC springs from the questionable accuracy of the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) data on fluke. New York believes that the 2003 MRFSS data overstated recreational fishing effort, and harvest, and that anglers shouldn’t be forced to suffer further season, size and bag limits.

If the ASMFC and the Secretary if Commerce finds NY out of compliance (which they most certainly will), NY probably faces a closure by this summer. New York will, in all likelihood, challenge the closure in federal court, and request that the court issue an injunction preventing the closure of the fishery based on the same “bad data” argument commercial fishermen have been using for the last 20 years.

The moment NY officially issued regulations that intentionally put the state out of compliance, the dispute was no longer about fluke. It was about the integrity of the interstate management system. It will now be easier for a state to go out of compliance so its residents can kill more 24" bass, or to increase their bag limit for weakfish, because they can come up with an argument that, although rejected by the Technical Committee and Management Board, they feel they can interpose with the Secretary of Commerce or a federal judge. Likewise, this will open the door for commercial fishermen to challenge every needed restriction based on "bad data." Not good!!! If managers can't rely on MRFSS, there is no even remotely objective data available.

I’ll be keeping an eye on this thing as it develops and be sure to keep you folks in the loop. In the meantime, feel free to contact ASMFC commissioners Gordon Colvin gccolvin@gw.dec.state.ny.us and or Pat Augustine paugustine@erols.com to express your displeasure at NY’s choice to be out of compliance.

Now on to the reports:

From hot to cold… That’s the way the weather went anyway. For the first time since August of 2003 I fished in a T-shirt this week. Awesome! Looks like Jersey and Western New York had a killer week with almost perfect fly-fishing conditions. But the fishing was hot and cold as well. Things slowed in J.Bay quite a bit and the bluefish moved in with a vengeance. Bait guys continued to hammer big stripers on bunker while the mosquito fleet looked on in horror. Outside was a different story as small bait created some pretty spectacular bass blitzes. Raritan Bay fished very well this week and some hogs were taken on the fly under the bunker schools. Central New Jersey had a pretty good week as well. Some schoolies and the stray larger fish are being taken out east and points in-between, but things still haven’t gone off there. I suspect it will happen this weekend though.

Speaking of this weekend, looks like we might have a little wind, but considering the weather we’ve had previous to this week it looks tame. So get out there and fish!!!

And don’t forget to email me your own reports. Tight lines all.

Tight Lines!

John McMurray

New Jersey

Captain Gene Quigley from Shore Catch Guide service checks in this week with the following report:

Its been a mixed bag this week with some really good fishing on the nice weather days, and some really difficult fishing on the not so nice weather days. Down here in Barnegat the blues have literally invaded the bay and we are seeing fish on basically every cast from four to six pounds. This has been great topwater action and basically no stop for the last week. My last trip with Steve Apllegate and Bob Goodwin was all out bluefish slaughter on every cast.
 
The weakfish on the other hand have been basically non-existent. We know that they are here in decent numbers, however they just don’t seem to be biting off this last moon. Could be due in past to an early spawn. When I have been able to see on the flats we are seeing some really good sight fishing and tailing stripers from four to nine pounds on small sliders and poppers.
 
The real steady action this week was with our new Capt. at Shore Catch, Capt. David Goldman who is running our new 25 Parker out of Raritan Bay. David had a number of trips this week and had much bigger bass under the bunker schools with fish up to the mid twenties. It is all lining up real nice and as long as the good weather stays we should really start seeing some REALLY big fish coming into both Barnegat and Raritan bays.
 
That's all for this week.
 
Capt. Gene Quigley
Shore Catch Charters

As previously mentioned, after the weekend, Jamaica Bay slowed down a bit.  There seems to be plenty of big bait in the bay, but the small bait looks to have skipped town.  Those patient enough to fish bunker flies under the schools were rewarded nicely as there was at least one, albeit unconfirmed, report of a 30-pounder taken on a fly.  Saturday saw some very brief but good solid bass blitzes in the Bay but once Sunday came around it was all about guesses and sinking lines.  Outside however was a different story as a large body of fish moved in to feed on the vast schools of spearing. 

Some real hogs are coming out of Raritan Bay.  Check out Joe Mattioli of On the Bight Charters’ report:

Fishing in the Raritan bay has turned on with  quality bass from 8-24lbs taking bunker flies fished under bunker schools. Bluefish & Weakfish up to 10lbs have also moved into the Bay. Now is the time to get a Big bass there are bass in the 38lb class roaming the bay. I have dates available. Capt Joe Mattioli On The Bite Charters

Captain Ralph Burtis of Island Charters also reports great action.  Check it out:

Hey John, 
 This week has been great. The bass have moved into the metro area big time. Schoolies and large bass abound. Stripers in some parts of the area are taking flies more readily than artificials and bait. But in others, bait is king. That doesn’t mean they aren’t taking flies; hardly. We’ve been landing token blues here and there, but they haven’t moved in thick yet. Chartreuse and white half & halfs have been the key fly in some parts of the area, but in others, the key has been large flies. With the Metro area heating up as it has, next week’s Manhattan Cup should be as good as ever as long as the weather cooperates. It only gets better from here.

See ya on the water;
Capt. Ralph

Captain David Azar from One More Cast Charters reports good fishing from shore:

The back of J.Bay is still holding fish, including stripers to 20 pounds, and weakfish up to 11 pounds.  Last Friday Jon & David Cole both landed J-Bay spring slams: striper, blue and weakie!   This past Monday morning was a bit slow but I did manage to take a 12 pound striper that was working one of the massive schools of bunker that have invaded the bay.  Plenty of small bait and bluefish on the outside.

Western Long Island

Salty Flyrodder Brian Bifano was gracious enough to share his experience wading the North Shore this week. Check it out:

Fished once again on Sunday morning (glen cove), as I was able to sneak out and fish for a few hours before the wife woke up. Had a another good day, caught three stripers between 26 and 27 inches on a olive and white half and half. The larger fish made two nice runs before I landed and released him to fight another day. Changed over to a jiggy as my original fly needed some repairs and I managed to have one more break off. They were all bigger fish as compared to my other outings only weeks before. The weather patterns were almost perfect that day, low light, outgoing tide, and no or very little wind. Seems like the run is in full swing now as the rock fish head eastward and onward. Spin guys next to me said that they had some weaks about an hour before I arrived.

Eastern Long Island

From the Shinnecock area another Salty, Joel Filner checks in with this report:

Striper thumb in the springtime is a very pleasant malady indeed. Fished Shinnecock bay for three days. Friday was a great afternoon, with the tide turning and warm weather. I spared two hours and managed one weakfish, about 5 lbs, two small stripers and walked out when the wind turned up to 25 out of the west. Saturday morning water was still cold, about 45 degrees, and the wind out of the east northeast making it tough for the the righthanded flyrodders. Two small stripers again, and then out at the inlet small stripers working with the largest about 26 inches fighting the wind all the way. Two spin rodders fishing in the bay walked out with a keeper bass of 33 inches, two blues, and a 7lb weakfish. I went back for breakfast, then back to water for the top of the tide, only to be turned away with the wind and cold. Sunday morning was what we dream about all winter, cold water, no wind, a small phalanx of spin fishermen, and a slightly droozley overcast morning. Still 46 degree water, but a lot of activity. Fished from 630 to 11am, waded about 1.5 miles, and did a small slam: bass, shad, weakfish, and sea robins. There were three of us flyfishing with a constant spate of fish ranging from 12 inches to 26 inches for the bass, weakfish to 8 lbs but nice colors and fat, and shad just to keep the action up. Only one blue in the mornings take, not by me but by my colleagues, who out fished me again.. but still an impressive and memorable morning. The only visible bait were small bunker in scattered pods otherwise the mikkelson epoxy sandeel, a clouser with dark olive and a small flash of white on the bottom, a deceiver with olive and white, and my favorite clouser with pink and chartreuse with a flash of gold ala schlowinski waking up the weakfish were the flies of the day. The one big bass kindly spit up part of his breakfast showing a long nasty worm as the main dish. It certainly was a shudda been there yesterday day.

Joel

That’s all for this week… Take advantage of this weather we’re having. Go fish!