Couldn’t help but notice the number of large fluke finding their way into our reports recently. Now and for the remaining weeks of the season is prime time for doormats on Long Island but this season there seems to be an inordinate number of big fluke falling to anglers, especially at Montauk, in NY Bight and along the South Shore. While the leader board of The Fisherman Dream Boat Challenge is stocked with impressive fluke, in this week’s Long Island report alone, there were at least three fish that could slip into the standings providing the anglers are Fisherman subscribers. While the leading fish, a 15-pounder boated by New Jersey subscriber Mike Nelson has yet to be challenged, some impressive flatties continue to find their way to the nets of lucky anglers.
Here’s a glimpse of double digit doormats that appear in this week’s Long Island edition of the Fisherman, and you can be sure that there were others topping the 10-pound mark that never found their way into print. Montauk has been enjoying a banner season for quality fluke and the East End waters set the pace this week for sure. Gone Fishing Marine weighed a 12.3 pounder for Donny W. while Westlake Marina put a 12 pounder on the scale for Gary Stephens and a 10.2 pounder for Shaun Elumba. The Miss Montauk had no less than four double digit fluke hit the deck this week with Chris Wheeling, John and Pete all scoring on fish in the 11-pound class, Ken nailing a 10.4 pounder.
Moving west, Molnar’s Landing weighed an 11 pounder from the Sassy Lady, and Frank Dammeyer put a 12.25 pounder from Moriches Inlet on the scale at Dick’s Bait & Tackle. The Captree based Fishfinder checked in with a 10 pounder from Fire Island Inlet, while the Jones Inlet area had Mike Pignatelli weigh a 10.80-pound flattie at Bay Park Fishing Station, and Steve Abondondolo a 10 pounder at Comb’s Bait & Tackle. From the north side of the Island, Shannon Elkins decked an 11 pounder aboard the Mattituck based Capt. Bob.
In addition to these trophy fluke, countless numbers of 5 to 9 pounder appear throughout the reports, and I don’t know about you, but I have problem catching a 6 or 7 pounder while waiting for that monster to come along.
If you’re hoping to score with a true doormat before the season closes (it runs through September 21), you can probably improve your odds by fishing bigger baits like live snappers or squid, 5 to 6-inch bunker, and bluefish or mackerel fillets. Bigger baits are by no means the only route to a double digit fluke as many big fluke have fallen to killie or spearing and squid combos and 4 or 5-inch Gulp baits. But you will certainly put the odds in your favor with the bigger baits, and they can also help keep your bait in the water longer by discouraging bites from the many shorts that make up much of the action around some parts of the Island.