Fishing Friday

What Will the 2012 Fluke Regs Look Like?

Could the size limit for our favorite species dip below 18 inches this season?

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will hold its winter meetings the first week in February. And that can mean only one thing: we're getting closer to learning what our 2012 fluke regulations might look like here in the Garden State. While thanks to some controversial decision making on the part of federal officials, we have to take a quota hit this year, our actual allowable harvest will increase because anglers in our state did not hit their quota last season. When the ASMFC meets, it will consider a slew of potential regulatory options proposed by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife which will meet the federal harvest limits. The ASMFC will whittle those options down, and send several back to the state …

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Where Have All The Fluke Anglers Gone?

Did we really need to begin fluke seasons so early?

Early in the spring, I opined in this space that fisheries managers should not have sacrificed size for season. It was an unpopular view, but I think reality has vindicated my opinion. I get a plethora of fishing reports from charter captains, headboat skippers and tackle shops fed to my inbox on a weekly basis. And so far this fluke season, there seems to be very little fluke fishing going on. Sure, there are some scattered reports of a keeper here or a keeper there, but participation seems low, with most anglers tangling in the spring striped bass run or, on the party boats, still getting into ling and cod fishing. Water temperatures remain too low for consistent fluke fishing in much of our area, and those who have caught keepers have …

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State Council Sets 2011 Fluke Regulations

Size limit will remain at 18 inches, season to last through late September

New Jersey anglers will have to contend with another year of an 18-inch minimum size limit for summer flounder – also known as fluke – in 2011, though the length of the open season on the popular species will last significantly longer than last year. The state Marine Fisheries Council voted unanimously at its meeting Thursday afternoon to approve regulations setting an 18-inch size limit and a season which runs May 7 through Sept. 25 on summer flounder. Anglers will be able to keep eight fish per day. In 2010, the regulations included the same 18-inch size limit, however the season ran from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Anglers were able to keep six fish in 2010. The set of regulations approved at the meeting represents …

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