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Capt Neil Faulkner · 03-08-2007, 07:05 AM

Hi,

Yesterday the Fisherman mag arived. They have a list of options for fluke that the DEC can decide from. I am amazed that they are considering a 4 fish limit as early on there were rumors of a 1 fish limit. I never believe what is written in advance until the law is written.

There is a meeting on March 15 at DEC that I hope to attend.

Opt 7 19.0" May 6 - August 31 4 fluke 48.6% total reduction

Opt 8 19.0" May 12 - Sept 9 4 fluke 48.5% total reduction

Opt 9 19.0" May 6 - Sept 9 2 fluke 49.1% total reduction

Opt 10 19.5" all year 4 fluke 56.1% total reduction

I will never claim to understand how all this plays out. How we can fish all year and have the greatest reduction. Yes, the fluke has to be 1/2" longer BUT if you go where the fish are you will catch big fluke. This is what many anglers miss out on. There is no guarantee that fish will come back to an area year after year. This is why you have to stay up to day with fishing reports etc. The anglers that complained that their fluke season was terrible were fishing in the wrong locations. It has gotten to the point where an angler has to travel to where the big fluke are being caught. This is why more anglers are fishing outside inlets and into the ocean. Find the bait, especially squid, then look for the bigger fish.

I still favor the longest season. Tieing up your boats on Sept 12 until other fish appear just not make sense to me. This will take some pressure off the tog which are under tremendous pressure. We do have a finite supply of these wonderful tog as well as all other fishes.

Just listen to all the boats that will target tog this spring during their spawning season. That is cutting our throats in the future. Just my humble opinion. However, anglers want to catch fish and people in the business have bills to pay so they have to shift.

This I can quarantee!!! Whatever the fluke regs are NYS will again be over it's quota!!! There is a BIG STORY somwhere about that.

Beware of any group trying to shut down fishing areas. Once closed it is almost impossible to get an area opened again. Remember they get paid to do this, their job. They don't care about the fish, just about getting results. Ever wonder why they don't try to shut down all the polluting golf course, all that fertilizer and pesticides??? I do.

Capt Neil