Fluke season is finally here so let the hunt for doormats begin – and target them with meat! It’s a simple premise, really: Big fish like big baits, and the spring season offers one of your best bets at hooking-up with a summer flattie of trophy proportions. While its tempting after a long, cold winter […]… Read more »

  Picking up where we left off in part 1,  hook size is only part of the equation when teaser size is the topic. Length and fullness of body should also come into play when making your selections. Both factors are relatively easy to choose if you know the type and size of bait present. […]… Read more »

  Kicking up a bit of friendly controversy amongst the fluke fishing crowd has never been a difficult task. Often, lively discussion can be spurred with just a simple question or two: What’s the best rig? Should you use bait or jigs? Do channel edges, wrecks or submerged boulder fields produce the biggest fish? There […]… Read more »

  The month of May can be a magical time for Northeast and mid-Atlantic anglers. The freshwater lakes are bursting with action, doormat fluke are putting in their initial appearances, and the first keeper stripers begin making news from northern New Jersey to southern Massachusetts. All of this is headline-grabbing action and I have to […]… Read more »

    As was widely reported last week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) on February 4, 2014 passed a proposal to manage fluke catches in NY, NJ and CT as a single region under a combined quota. In the amendment, an example of how the fishery might be managed was provided using an […]… Read more »

In a move that finally brings fairness to the management of recreational fluke catches in the Tri-State area, Empire State fluke fans have gotten what they hoped for: regional fluke management that will see New York, New Jersey and Connecticut share a quota and matching regulations for summer flatties. In a 7-4 vote yesterday (2/4/14) […]… Read more »

  For as long as anyone I know can remember, skimmer clam has been the standard codfish bait here on Long Island. In fact, I can’t ever recall setting out for baccala without a bag or two of skimmers on board even when diamond jigging was expected to be the primary technique for the day […]… Read more »

While blackfish may have vacated most near shore hot-spots by now, some of the biggest white-chinned bulldogs of the year are still holding over deep-water offshore wrecks and scratchy bottom. You can reach these fish if your vessel is seaworthy and comfortable enough to plow though winter waters, or you can hop aboard a charter […]… Read more »