Post by jc30967 on Sept 30, 2012 8:24:26 GMT -5
So, here we are ladies and gents. The 2012 fluke season ( in NY anyway) closes today. I thought a thread recaping how the season went for us as individuals would be a good way to look back at how we did, what worked, what didn't work, all that good stuff
Here's how my own fluke season went this year. I began the season as I do most years, out east, usually fishing in the Greenport/Lawns areas. My first trip of the season was on May 2 I believe, on the Hampton lady. Capt.James made a bunch of trips up through the Shinnecock Canal to the abovementioned early season areas, and for the most part it paid off, but unfortunately not on my first trip of the year. Stiff wind and rain conspired to keep the fluke catching to a minimum. The first weekend of the season I did another trip to the waters off the North Fork, this time on the Brooklyn Girl in Orient, along with my pal Reelcranky,aka Fishwhistle. On this day, much improved conditions led to a solid catch of keeper fluke. I managed a limit, although nothing big. Still, it's always enjoyable to fish those east end waters with a 2 oz bucktail, as opposed to dragging bait with heavy lead.
Unfortunately, the early run that the Greenlawns/Greenport area usually experiences never fully got going, either in terms of numbers or size. So, towards the end of May, my attention turned to where most of my flukin efforts have been these last few yrs from late May thru early July, on the North Shore, from Pt Jeff.east. A charter set up on another site with our very own Capt.James on the Osprey on Memorial Day weekend was pretty productive, I think I had 5 keepers on that day, along with numerous shorts, and many other people limited out as well. Made a trip on a private boat a week or so later to the area just west of mattituck that has been especially productive in recent yrs, and had another good day. 3 of us had close to a boat limit in just a few hrs fishing, with a couple nice,chunky 5 to 6lb fish thrown in. Sadly,though, this phase of my personal fluke season,which happens to be my favorite ( there is just nothing like bailing fluke, keepers and fat shorts alike, in shallow water on 1 and 1 1/2 oz bucktails!), also fell far short of what we have experienced in previous seasons. Usually, May and June sees a HUGE influx of sandeels in the area of the Sound from pt Jeff east. There have been days in past seasons when it sounds like its raining, but it's dense schools of sandeels on the surface. The fluke in this area usually are just stuffed to the gills with these easy pickins, coming up with their stomachs bursting, and often puking up globs of small sandeels. Not in 2012, unfortunately. Although there were shots of decent fishing, the absolutely savage shallow water bucktailing we had the last few yrs just didn't happen up there this season.Oh well, there's always hope for next year!
So, now we're into July and I focused my effort in a few different areas. I got out to Montauk one day on the Marlin,along with some of the crew from the Celtic Quest, and we had a very good day bouncing 2 and 3 oz bucks on the South Side, with many 4 to 6lb fish, and a couple that probably topped 7.Again, nothing really big but still very nice fishing for quality fluke. A few days after that, I did a 2 day Nantucket trip on the Helen H, with Cranky,crabcake, and Mickiebelle. Same old story, no bigguns ( although several double digits were caught by other anglers over the 2 days), but plenty of fish. This wasn't light tackle,small bucks and teasers fishing, dragging bait seemed to work best, and I didn't use less than 10oz of lead the entire trip. Still, it was something new for me,something that I had wanted to do for a while now.And it was nice to see Nantucket,too! Upon returning, I began to concentrate on the South Shore,ocean fishing that has become very good in recent yrs, although I did do another away game, this time to RI on the Francis Fleet, on a charter set up by Mickiebelle. Again, good fishing #s wise, but lacking in quality. Still, that was another very enjyable trip with a great group! Anyway, right on cue, the ocean fishing started to heat up, and all I can say is wow!!!!!!! Myself and Bill Cranky fished the Hampton Lady during the 1st few days of Aug.,and if I recall correctly we had 14 legit keepers between us on one trip! Nice, quality fat fish,every one! I also started to fish to the West, nice and close to home on a buddy's boat a few times, and we just clobbered the fish on every trip, fishing bucktails and 6" Gulp grubs on the hard bottom outside Jones Inlet. Losing several 2,3,4 oz bucks,as well as the Gulp grub and 5/0 Gami baitholder each trip may be a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for, and in this case what we got was lights out fluking for all real good quality fish. But,not to sound like a broken record, but there was one thing still missing. What was that? A double digit! One one trip, I did hook, and got more than halfway up, what felt to be the biggest fluke I have ever hooked in my life. But of course, that was the one I had to drop! Oh well, that's how they get even bigger, and I think it's what keeps us coming back for more each year!
Then, true to form, Mother nature had to rear her ugly, demented head and just like last season, ruin what was shaping up to be another terrific late season on the South Shore. A week's worth of swells caused by tropical storms down south pretty much killed this sick fishing. I got out Labor Day weekend with Roger on the Bingo, and fishing the same general area that had outstanding quality fluke before the swell now had mostly small fish not even worth measuring. We did have a decent # of keepers on this trip, but the quality was way off. That just seems to be the way it goes! The laws of man allow us to fluke fish through Sept., this year and last, but the laws of nature decided against it!
So, to sum up, I would say that my own 2012 fluke season was a very good one in terms of quality fish, but once again, a true beast has yet to be caught by me. I did honestly think that this season, between my trips to Nantucket, RI, as well as the savage fishing on the south shore of LI in the deeper water, I would finally break that elusive 10lb mark, but it was not in the cards. So, that just gives me something to look forward to, and try even harder for, next season!
Ok, that sure was a lot of typing! I would love to see what everyone else has to say about their own personal 20102 fluke season!!!!!
