A hot spot among hot spots, head to the Frisbees for a summertime double-digit fluke.
Lots of local fluke hunters say “Montauk” when asked where they’re headed or where they fished after a successful outing. Well, much like saying you’re heading to Montauk to fish the surf, saying you’re fishing the point for fluke is equally ambiguous. That said, Montauk has a slew of named and nameless fluke spots, most all of which have produced their share of double-digit doormats at one point or another over the years. One of the named spots that sees a lot of fishing pressure—for good reason—by both private and for-hire boats targeting fluke and black sea bass is known as Frisbees. This means that at times it can get rather crowded, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a drift or three if you find yourself working the area.
Located roughly 5 miles south/southwest of Montauk Point, this area is not accessible by small boaters hailing from Southern New England, but with the right boat, and the right weather, it is well-within range of fluke hunters heading out from Rhode Island and Connecticut ports. Comprising of mostly ragged, rocky bottom, and depths of 70 feet or so, there is plenty here to attract both predator and prey alike. However, this structure can make parts of the area sticky, so keep it in mind as you make your drifts to key more on the edges than the rough stuff itself, unless you’re ready to lose some gear or you know how to work gnarly turf.
Speaking of those drifts, like anywhere for fluke begin working along the edges, covering ground until you find some life. From there you can dial-in on tighter, more specific drifts and stay on the flatties until they get lockjaw or the tide dies out. As for tides, those with whom I spoke about the spot said the slower current stages, leading up to and off of both high and low tide, were generally preferred.
Most any fluke rig will work here, from the old stand-by ‘fluke sandwich’ to hi-lows to single jigs like a JoeBaggs Flukie to Spro Prime jigs and teasers to just about anything you can create at the workbench. If nothing else, all rigs really should have some sort of meat or meat-substitute for added enticement. This can include squid, belly strips, tinker macks and the like on the real side, to Gulp!, JoeBaggs Bottom Dwellers or the new ZMan Doormatadorz for man-made attractants.
