Conference wahoo::fishing

    I have only caught a couple of fluke, but I have read numerous
    articles about them. I just wish they came north around the cape
    so I could fish for them more. Most people use a strip of bait that
    fluters in the tide. A strip of the white belly skin from the fluke
    works great, strips of squid also work. People also use 'killies
    or mummies', I am not sure exactly what these are (sand eels??).
    Fluke are agressive and have teeth unlike our flounder north of the
    cape, they also growth much larger with dormats into the low teens
    not uncommon. When fishing from a boat most people drift over a
    bottom known to hold fluke.  So I think a moving bait is  better.
    A strip bait on a bucktail jig is also common.
    
    I would suggest checking with a local tackle shop as to where to
    find fluke from shore. 
                
    Capt. Codfish

    You can buy already put together fluke rigs that are similar to
    flounder rigs (Spags has them). 
    
    Bait, depends where you are fishing. I like sand eels. I cut them
    in half and put half on each hook. From what I have been told is
    try to use the food they feed on. Sand eels happen to be the
    predominant food where I go. Sea worms work too.
    
    I fish out of a boat, what we do is bounce the rig off the bottom while
    drifting.    
    
    The fishing is usually slow.
    
    Rich
    
    

    I have never fished for them from the beach but can I will tell
    you how we do it from the boat.  First thing is to take a minnow
    trap with lots of bread and catch some poggies.  Bait fish from
    1-3".   We fish over the sand flats in about 10 feet of water.
    
    Hook on a poggie cast out and just drift.  We make a 2 foot leader
    with a swivel thats all the weight we use.  Sometimes we will
    use a weight to get down if the fishing is slow.
    We have watch these guys who fish for a market they use some kind
    of strip bait white.  Looks like a porkrid.  I have tried pork with
    no luck.  Have caught them on rubber sand eels teasers and on squid.
    Some times I will put a teaser off the swivel and have caught more
    fish on that than the squid.  When we have poggies thats all we
    will use.
    
    The changing of the tides seems to be when they are most active.
    
    bassin Bob
    

    re: .0
    Now that the boaters and largemouth fishermen have taken a shot
    at your questions, I'll answer them. ;-)
    
    Bait: Best= strip of fluke belly 5-6 inches long (strips from the
    		dark side work good too)
    	  Next= Squid strips, 5-6 inches long
    	  These two are best when fishing from the beach as they stay
    	  on the hook while casting and last quite a while. When cutting
    strips, make them tapered, about 1/2 inch at the wide end and pointed
    at the other. Use a very sharp knife or scissors to get nice smooth
    edges (ragged baits don't work). Squid should be skinned, and fluke
    strips sholud not have too much meat left on them.
    Killies (a.k.a. mummichogs, kellys,mummies, chogs), sand eels and
    spearing all work, but may not withstand a lot of casting. All these
    baitfish can be used alone, or with a strip bait (always put the
    strip on the hook first). Killies should be fished alive and hooked
    through the lips. Sand eels and spearing get hooked through the
    eyes. ALL BAITS SHOULD BE AS FRESH AS POSSIBLE.
    
    Lures: the most common lure for fluke is a white or yellow, ball-head
    bucktail jig. These should weigh just enough to bump bottom on a
    slow retrieve. I have caught fluke on swimming plugs, metals and
    teaser flies, but these have been "flukes" (pun very intended).
    
    Time: Most fluking is done from sunrise to sunset, on any stage
    of a moving tide. At slack tide, pull up some comfy sand, sit down
    and have a cold one.
    
    Keep your BAIT MOVING. Even when fishing live killies, the standard
    method if catching fluke from the beach is:
    		- cast out
    		- take up the slack in the line
    		- point the rod at the rig
    		- sweep the rod 90 degrees to the side (or up) moderately
    			slow.
    		- take up slack as you bring the rod back to point at
    			your rig.
    		- IF you feel a hit or extra weight on the line, put
    			little slack in the line, then pull back carefully.
    
    Night fishing: can be done, the fish still feed then, but nights
    		are for stripers.
    
    When the fluke aren't hungry- try another spot or wait them out.
    		While they are aggressive fish, I don't think they bite
    		out of annoyance.
    
    Rigs / Tackle:
    	Any rod and reel conmbo that can toss 2 - 3 ounces 100 feet
    or more. A rod from 7.5 to 9 foot long is good, with a reliable
    reel. Lines can range from 10# up to 17# test.
    	As for the rig itself, it should be as simple as possible:
    	I use one that looks like this (sorta):
                  3-way
    	         swivel                                             \
    ---------------O-O---------------/  /----------------------o____/
    main line       O      Leader (18 -36 inches long)          Wide
    	       	   || snap	   				Gap
    		    O						or
    		   / \						Claw
    		  /   \						Hook
    		  \   / 					Size
    							   1 - 2/0
             Sinker- 1-3 oz flat or round
    
    
    
    Note : this has NOT been a very good year for fluke along the entire
    		coast
    
    Tight lines,
    
    Bagel
    
    
    
    

    I have been Fluke fishing for many years. The most reliable rig and 
    bait(s) I have used are:
    
    	- Store bought "Fluke rig" with or without teaser/spinner blade,
    	  etc. My fav is with spinner blade.
    
    	- Colored (white or yellow) sinkers for bottom bouncing. This helps
    	  attract the fish (same trick as for Flounder). Make sure to use 
	  enough weight to "hold" the bottom.
    
    	- Cut strips of Squid (bigger the bait, bigger the fish) about 1"
    	  wide placed on hook along with a live "Killie" (poggie?). As 
	  mentioned in the previous replies, Sand Eels and Spearing will 
	  also work. Larger baits get you BIGGER fish.
    
    	- Drift an incoming tide from boat, or fish from the beach in an
    	  inlet or bulkhead/rock jetty.
    
    If you have access to a boat, then drift "flats" as mentioned above, or
    drift channel edges. Move around alot because Fluke usually travel in
    "pods" which will settle into certain areas. If the action is slow,
    move on! Loners can be found in open water, but are few and far between. 
    But, they can be BIG!! The Fluke fishing down here (Sandy Hook, N.J.) 
    has been terrible this year, and according to certain sources this 
    condition exists from Long Island down to Virginia. There are a number 
    of theories on the cause of this, but nobody is sure on any one thing. 
    I have also heard that the Fluke are stacked up like wood piles out in 
    deeper water. Anyway, good luck ans have fun!
    
    fish on,
    Tom
    

    You can't go wrong with the advise of .4, I think you covered it all
    Rich! Are you sure you don't write for the Fisherman?
    
    -tom

    Yo Bagel,
    
      I take offense, my two top baits and keep the bait moving were
    right on the money with yours.....just for the halibut give credit
    where credit is due :-)
    
    Capt. Codfish

    Capt. Bruce....
    	No offense meant there....but I DID get your attention  ;-)
    
    
    Bagel

re:             <<< Note 1219.4 by SOLKIM::HORWITZ "Beach Bagel" >>>

>    of a moving tide. At slack tide, pull up some comfy sand, sit down
>   and have a cold one.

	There's that term again: Slack Tide.

	What _is_ a slack tide ?   The time between high and low ? 
	Ie, when the tide is in transition and is not "moving" ?
	That's my best guess...    

	Thanks,
	/Ken

    re: .9
    GOOD GUESS- 
    
    	"SLACK" tide is when the tide is NOT running. i.e., full high
    and full? low. 
    
    Slack tide _generally_ lasts for about an hour, but may be less.
    
    Bagel

    The above information about techniques & tools  is very good and useful. 
    There is, however, one important item missing.

    Before you go fluking, find out if the spot you are headed for 
    is suitable for holding fluke. Less than 80% of coastal waters within
    the range of fluke are suitable for holding them. They are very picky 
    about being in areas where they can dig in the bottom, and have bait 
    pass right over. They are found mostly in sandy bottom (sometimes muddy), 
    in holes or inlets. It sounds like the place you are headed may fit the 
    bill, but it would be worthwile to inquire at a nearby tackle shop.  

    Where on the Cape are you going? I had good success last year fluking from
    the shore at Herring Cove in P-town. I also heard a report from someone
    who claimed to have had excellent success from the shore at Cornfield
    Point (near the Pamet River?).

    Good luck. Fresh fluke is definetely one of the most pleasant tasting 
    fish there is.

    -- Kevin Phillips
                           

    Confuse the fish. Don't use salty terms like "slack tide"
    Ebb,Neap,Flood, ect....
    
    Anyway to the point!: Fisherman Mag. this week has a story on Fluke
    fishing in the Canal down by the bourne bridge. It recommends a
    moving tide with all the popular baits the Bagle has mentioned.
    Fish in real shallow water 3 to 20 ft deep as close to a chanel
    or drop off as you can. I catch most of my flounder by swimming
    up to them and holding a bag open so they can swim it. (Keeps em
    real fresh!) I slap them in the tail to get them moving.
    
    But from what I read about rod & Reel catching them . It helps to
    have some chum handy. Perfered types are crushed mussels & clams
    with cattle corn being used with good luck.
    
    Wish you luck. Give us an account of the fishing when you return.
    
                             Walt
    

Would someone care to illustrate the difference between a fluke and a flounder?
I used to catch (while a kid at the beach, in a harbor) what I was told were
fluke.  They are brown on top, white on bottom and occasionally had lighter or
darker brown spots.  The averaged 13-16" in size.

Tim

 Fluke have teeth and get bigger than winter flounder. They also seem to be
more aggressive than flounder. A fish based wicked stinky cheapo cat food makes
excellent chum.

 The Doctah

    fluke - Any of various flatfishes, esp. a flounder
    
    flounder - Any of various flatfishes caught for food. esp. a halibut
    
    Kind of confusing ain't it.  Flounder is a Scandinavian word.
    
    
    Kenny
    
    

    
       Well, I'm back from my trip only to find out all too well that,
    as mentioned in an earlier note, the Fluke fishing has been from very 
    slow to non-existant.  The spot that I fished is at Hatches Harbor,
    just to the right of Herring Cove Beach.  I'm told that normally the
    Fluke fishing in this spot is non-stop, but due to some unknown cir-
    cumstance(s), this year it is very slow.  
    
       All was not a total loss though.  From 6pm Friday night to ~5am
    Saturday morning I managed to catch 3 Bluefish > 10lbs. and more than
    18 Striped bass 30"-35", (no keepers), in the wash of the waves ~10ft.
    out in ~2ft. of water.  THIS was fun!  Also included in this package
    deal was a LARGE bass I hooked into that broke my 9ft. surf rod into
    three pieces on it's first run.  (That sure woke me up!)  This all
    happened in a wild, wind whipped surf in the pouring rain.  I'm hoping
    to repeat this next weekend if I can make it out there.  Saturday and
    saturday night were quiet with the exception of savage clumps of weeds
    viciously attacking all lures in their paths.  If anyone has a 4x4,
    and likes this type of fishing, I would recomend the Cape Cod National
    Seashore for sure!
    
    Good luck and happy fishing
    
                   Al Davis
    

    Does anybody know where (how far offshore) fluke migrate to during
    the winter months?
    
    I was wondering if the drastic drop in fluke action might be tied
    to the 106-mile dump site.
    
    - Kevin

    re: .13
    
    Like the Doctor said, the easiest way to tell (winter) flounder
    from fluke is by looking them in the mouth. Also, flounder tend
    to be more uniformly colored than fluke. AND, most books also talk
    of one species being left-handed and the other right-handed - I
    always forget which is the southpaw. This last difference is determined
    by placing the fish 'on edge' with the mouth towards the bottom.
    
    re: .16
    
    See...I told you nights were for stripers!  :->
    
    Re: .17
    
    Fluke do winter-over out towards the edge of the continental shelf
    and it's possible the 106 may have an impact here. Fluke do have
    a rather strange migratory habit. The migration is not just east/west.
    From what I have read, at least the inshore route is 'at an angle';
    i.e. they move west and north in the spring. Therefore, fish that
    may be in the NJ area this season, may be in southern New England
    next season. 
    So far, no-one has come up with any good reasons for the serious
    lack of fluke along the coast this season. Even though there is
    a considerable (winter) trawl fishery out on the shelf, so far the
    commercials aren't being blamed. FWIW- I hold to 2 possible causes:
    the tremendous amounts of rain we have had this spring and summer;
    and the fact that historically this fishery has had its ups and
    downs, although the cycles aren't as well defined as some other
    species. 
    
    Bagel

Re: the difference between fluke and flounder.

Everyone knows that flatties, the horizontal fish, begin their lives
swimming in the vertical plane. One eye on each side of their body, just
like the other fish. At some point in their growth they assume the
horizontal position (it may be a gradual thing, I don't recall) and the
eye that would be facing the bottom migrates toward the old top of the
fish's head, then continues its migration toward the other eye.

Hold your two hands out vertically in front of you, maybe 6" apart,
fingers together, thumbs upward; now gradually rotate your hands, sort of
bringing the thumbs together, until your palms face downward. Your left
hand just did what a FLUKE does, and your right hand did what a FLOUNDER
does.  Supposedly, FLUKE are always left-handed in this respect; their
old left side becomes their bottom side.

I don't remember where I read that...

Art

    	I can't add to much to this but I would like to emphasize something
    the Bagel mentioned, especially if your a Northern New England born/raised
    fisherman.
    
    	Fluke have VERY soft mouths. The hardest part I had in catching
    them is in not instinctively setting the hook hard. The reason I
    say N.E. born/raised makes a difference is because I can't think
    of any other fish up here that you don't wrench back on the rod
    to drive the hook in. I'm reasonably sure the Bagel remembers the 
    set of fish lips I pulled up on one of my first times out fluke
    fishing with him. 
    
    	Also, the vast majority of the fluke that I caught don't really
    bite per se. The closest I can come to describing it is that it feels
    the same as having a crab pick up your bait. The only way to tell
    for sure is to lower your rod, take up any slack, and SLOWLY lift
    your rod. For this reason saying that a fluke hook MUST be sharp is 
    an understatement.
    
    	RAYJ