Fluke season to open with new rules

Sunday marks the opening of fluke season in New York and many local anglers think it can't get here soon enough. New regulations this year stretch the season from May 1 through Sept. 30, a four-week improvement over last year. Even better, the minimum size has been lowered slightly from 21 inches to 20.5 inches, and the creel limit has been increased from two to three fish.

At Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside, Mark Keller said he would have liked the size limit for fluke lowered a little bit more, especially since his customers tend to fish in the waters of Hempstead Bay where fluke run smaller than in the ocean. Still, he admitted any improvement was welcomed.

Keller suggested that fluke fans try their luck in Reynolds Channel, targeting deep pockets off the Long Beach School. The bigger fish in this area, he noted, often fall to Spro bucktails tipped with spearing or Gulp 4-inch swimming mullets in white or dark shad color patterns.

At Saltwaters Bait and Tackle in West Islip, Jose Santiago was slightly more pleased with the new fluke regs. "I think they are pretty good this year," he said. "Being allowed to keep one more fish will make it a little more worthwhile to head out. Also, since a lot of our customers fish in the ocean outside of Fire Island Inlet, they should have a good chance at catching fish big enough to fill their limit." Santiago expects the best early season action to come from 50- to 60-foot depths.

Out at Wego Fishing Station in Greenport, newly relocated to Port of Egypt Marina on Main Road, Steve Sponza said he thought the new fluke regulations were "pretty fair."

"Getting that third fish means a lot," he said cheerfully, "and extending the season through the end of September is also a big plus. Last year, the season was just too short."

For Opening Day fluking around Greenport, where doormats are very much an early season possibility, Sponza recommended anglers use squid or fish strips for bait and try their luck off Claudio's Restaurant, The Greenlawns area of Shelter Island, or around Bug Light.

On the North Shore, Mark McGowan at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport called the new fluke regulations "Great!" noting the longer season will not only provide recreational anglers with more time to spend on the water, it should also help keep local fishing tackle shops and bait suppliers busy through September.

"Those extra four weeks are really significant," said McGowan, "and putting an extra keeper on the table should also generate additional effort."

McGowan recommended anglers in the Huntington/Northport area use spearing and squid combos, along with a red or white teaser, in 20- to 30-foot depths between Eatons Neck and Crab Meadow Beach.

While each of the areas above generally produce well as fluke season kicks into gear, it bears noting that the tasty and popular flatfish should by this point have Long Island completely surrounded. With local waters still quite cold, expect the fish to bite gently this week and figure the best action in relatively deep water. Other prospective fluke hot spots for Opening Day include Montauk, Shinnecock Canal, Moriches Bay, Port Jefferson and Jamaica Bay.

Email: outdoortom@optonline.net