If you didn’t catch a big Flounder last week there is a strong possibility that you didn’t go fishing with me! Anglers enjoyed what was undoubtedly the best week for big Fluke so far this summer. Since my last report we have had the pleasure of weighing in over thirty citations for big Flounder with several of these fish actually reaching double digits. These Doormats were no Fluke!

The week started out just like previous weeks with some days better than others, lots of fish, lots of throwbacks, and some impressive fish to boot. As the week progressed however it became obvious that this was not an ordinary week for Flounder fishing. They just kept getting bigger and they kept coming. It is hard enough to imagine catching an eight or nine pound fish and not winning the pool. Try to imagine catching one that weighed almost eleven pounds and having this fish not take top honors! This was a frequent occurrence last week. Our biggest fish to date has tipped the scales at just less than twelve pounds. Limits have been common on every day and we have even had a couple of days where the whole boat ended up with a limit! All tolled in these past seven days we have landed over four hundred keeper sized Flounder. I would have to say that the average keeper fish this past week would have been about four pounds, with many of these fish weighing in at five and six plus pounds. Don’t expect this every trip. Since the weekend we have had a little taste of reality and have gotten into more throwbacks mixed with the catch and our total numbers for the day were more normal. There has not been a day however without limits on the boat.

This fishing has not come without a price. As most of you already know a lot of our fishing has been around structure with rocks, coral, sea trees and even artificial reefs being the best. Any type of hard “sticky” bottom has been where these fish are showing up. Slow drifts of last week enabled us to grind away on some of these small pieces of hard bottom and the downside was lost tackle. Anglers have been loosing multiple rigs on any given trip. With slow drifting conditions a lot of times it is easier for the rig to hang up in the rocks. This can put a strain on even the most patient fisherman. There is nothing worse than hearing everybody scream for the net while you are stuck fast to the bottom. This goes with the territory though so come prepared. Even though I have heard a lot of griping about lost tackle, most anglers agree that it is worth it just to have a chance at catching one of these doormat Flounder.

Beautiful weather and excellent conditions no doubt have played a role in being able to land such impressive fish over this past week. There does however seem to be an abundance of Flounder around at this time both in the Ocean and up in the Bay and a lot of them are very nice sized. Perhaps some of these regulations that we have been struggling with are beginning to pay off. Hold on tight though they are already talking about a big reduction for next year’s total allowance of Fluke. I can’t imagine what they will do to us next. It never seems to be in our favor.

Fishing on all fronts seems to be as hot as the weather has been with the exception perhaps of offshore Tuna. The Tuna fishing has been somewhat of a disappointment so far despite some good catches coming in. Overall it does seem to be getting better now with more fish being caught on the “chunk.” Croaker fishing remains steady on our half-day trips with Capt. Mike reporting good to excellent action on all but a few of his trips. Most of these fish have measured between a foot in length up to about sixteen inches. These are scrappy fish especially when caught in some of the more shallow waters and are an awful lot of fun for everyone to catch! Remember we will be running three half-day trips daily for these fish. I will continue fishing for the Flounder with the all-day trips as long as we continue to have this type of success. Barring any major weather changes the Flounder fishing could continue well into September.

If you would like any more information on trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to reserve a spot on one of the upcoming Tuna chunking trips please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz

catchfish@verizon.net