Great Early Fall Fluking by Ed Valitutto

Two days after the VHFC Fluke trip, I decided to give it a try on my boat. Joining me were John Stuebing and Bayside Dave. Shortly after leaving my dock, we saw the telltale signs of peanut bunker and the 2nd throw of my net got us more than enough.

Once on Barnegat Reef, the drift was okay but not great at ~.4 – .6 kts. Two things became obvious: the flutter spoon rig that had super results on our charter was not working at all. Captain Greg Carr confirmed Friday night that at least a 1 kt drift is needed for the spoon to flutter and not drag on the bottom. Secondly, the peanuts were the ticket especially on just a bare hook. Everything was hitting them,

We caught three respectable keepers, many shorts, birds and I had six skates! We tried tog fishing near Andy’s and the fuel docks, but all we caught were shorts. Still a great day on the water!

Posted in Member Reports
Membership Form

Fishing Facts

Of the fifty United States, thirty-eight have a striped-bass record. New Jersey has the largest striped-bass record—a 78-pound 8·ounce whopper that was caught in 1982. The state with the smallest striped-bass record is Iowa. That landlocked striper weighed only 9 pounds 4 ounces and was caught in 1983.
There’s something fishy about beer these days. Fish Tail Ale is popular as ever, and New Jersey’s Flying Fish Brewery is one of the state’s largest specialty breweries. There’s also Washington’s Wild Salmon Organic Pale Ale, Florida’s Land Shark beer, Delaware’s Dogfish Head beer, and two versions of Stingray beer—a lighter version from the Cayman Islands and a dark beer from Canada.
The triangle fly is probably the most unusual of saltwater flies. It’s one of the few, if not only, flies tied to a treble hook. It’s also barely a fly at all, because hardly any material is used. It is complete after tying the two straw pearl twinkle flashes and the tiny tuft of natural squirrel, leaving an entire hook fully exposed. Incredibly this barebacked treble fly is a knockout when it comes to sea trout.

Read More