OK, due to relentless requests to get this report out ASAP, I've substituted my fresh fluke dinner for a nice, gourmet bowl of cereal so I could get it done! Hey, who says I don't care about my readers!
Well, today's trip was a great one...possibly the best of the summer, certainly for Mike (MS22)!
Mike had asked me to come along for a little fluking adventure, with his brother Matt, and my friend Ting joining the group! We met up at Julians around 5:10AM or so and headed over to the Atlantic Highlands marina where Mike had his boat stored. We trailer her out and slip her into the water around 6:00AM or so and head on out to pursue some fluke.
We decided to head out to an area where I've been catching fish with several buddies over the last couple weeks, and get setup as the incoming tide is waning. It's a good time, perfect drift, really perfect conditions with a little breeze out of the NW. We bring a mixture of bait, but we all bucktail with mixtures of Gulp and squid strips throughout the day.
I drop in first and have 3 shorts on board before Mike, Matt, or Ting even have their lines in the water...OK...I was rigged and ready to go!
The fishing was very good, some of the best I've seen all season...an absolute TON of bait in and throughout the bay. Eventually Mike, Matt, and Ting got in the water and joined in on the fun...bailing fish all morning long. A lot of shorts, but some keepers mixed in...Mike and Ting started things off right putting some keeps in the box, while the Matts were suckin wind and carrying the keeper skunk! The pick of keeps started coming in more steadily, as we all contributed to filling the cooler...but none more so than Mike when he hooked into an absolute monster of a fish.
Here's how it went down...
Well, let's first rewind a little. I distinctly remember saying to Mike before we left in the morning, "Do you have an extra/bigger net? You want me to bring mine?"...seeing that his were just fine for average to large fluke...but probably a bit tight for something REALLY big. Mike was OK with the nets, you know that "Ahhhhhhh we'll never get anything THAT big" shrug off. Haha! I have a striper net I use for everything from fishing the canal to going out on boats...multipurpose and BIG...but we left it in my truck! Haha, truly ironic...but fortunately worked out OK in the end!
So, Ting and I were fishing in the bow bucktailing like mofos while Matt and Mike fished the stern. Ting and I are in the fish pretty good, lots of shorts with a few keeps...and then Mike hooks into a fish and issues a remark we often hear from fisherman..."Ohhhhh this is a BIG one!!!". Naturally, I kind of shrug it off...I figure he has a nice fish on, and nonchalantly say to Ting...when he gets him up to the boat, if it's something big, I'll hand you my rod and grab the net and scoop him up real quick. Sure, no problem! Well, Mike is pretty worked up...and has repeated "this is a REAL NICE FISH" like he's a monk chanting prayers on Mount Sinai...so I give in a little earlier than anticipated as he yells "GET THE NET, HE'S GETTING CLOSE!!!". I hand off my rod to Ting, and grab the net...and head over to Mike...I'm at the ready...waiting to see a nice 5# or 6# fish come up. Fish isn't taking any serious drag, rod isn't really cranked over or anything, just reeling him in nice and easy...but Mike is acting pretty crazy, but not nearly as crazy as I suddenly turned when I saw this BEAST of a fluke come from underneath the boat. What an absolutely HUGE fish...and I instantly realized getting him in the net I had in my hand was going to be difficult to say the least. It would basically have to be a perfect head first STUFF into the net...so I tell Mike, lift the rod nice and slow...and I don't know how it happened, but that fishes head came STRAIGHT UP and OUT OF THE WATER...it's thrashing around and I'm freaking out yelling at Mike to drop the fish back in the water and keep the tension. Mike quickly gets him back in the water and level and I swoop the net into the water lightning fast and stuff that big fluke's head home! The head enters the net...and I just kept scooping like you'd sweep the floor or something, as the fish slinked further and further back into the net and eventually reached the bottom...then I heaved that giant over the rail and onto the deck with a loud THUMP! We're all vamped up like a bunch of little girls, high fiving, screaming...what an absolutely insane and awesome moment...Mike landing the biggest fluke he's ever caught, and I have ever personally seen...and I had the pleasure of netting that absolute giant! We had no idea how much it really weighed...we were certain it was well over 10#...and probably over 12#. Once the fish died, we whipped out a digital Rapala scale, and it was hovering between 13lb 4oz and 14lb 11oz...and later weighed on Julian's scale at 13.80#!!! All I can say is congrats to Mike, what an awesome fish dude...and...well, you were right...it was a REAL NICE FISH!
OK, so we finish up on the high fives, as the adrenaline starts to subside a smidge...we get Mikes fluke on ice and continue fishing. Mike looks a little emotionally drained...and understandably so. He takes a short breather as we all head back into the water and try to find another big one! Well, the day continues, as we start to put more keepers in the box...but nothing really big. Boat traffic is increasing steadily as the morning continues, and the fish are migrating around...so we spend some time trying a few different spots in the same area and are eventually able to locate some more fish just as the tide and drift dies. We hang tough as the wind moves us a little bit and fish slack tide with marginal results.
Then the tide finally switches to outgoing and the fishing starts picking up again. We're on a lengthy drift through some deeper water when Mike hooks into another nice one. Here we go again, we're all thinking...and Mike again is chanting "this is a NICE fish!"...this time his brother Matt is ready with the net in the stern, and sure enough another nice one comes up over the rail. No where near as big as Mike's first fish, but still a big fish...which we estimate at around 8# or so, and sure enough weighed in at Julian's at 8.46#! Two fish bigger than any he's ever caught...and both in ONE day! Mike, you're the man buddy! Today was your day, without a doubt...awesome job!
Mike, overwhelmed decides to sit back and relax for a drift or two, and make a few phone calls. Shortly afterwards, Ting hooks into a nice fish and lands a nice 6.06# fluke, and two other 4#ish fluke as well. Meanwhile, Matt and I are totally big fish retarded (standard for me), and can't seem to get in on the action. I dropped a few nice fish on the day, two of which totally stopped me. Matt also dropped a real big fish later in the afternoon, he hooked into it...it just froze, he got it up for a second and it just started winging out drag for about 10 seconds...and then just spit the hook. ACK!
We continued fishing through midday and the afternoon and put a solid catch of keepers in the box with a ton of shorts and sea robins mixed in...even a couple bluefish. In the end, we called it quits around 2:00PM, having boxed 28 keepers...and headed back to the marina to get cleaned up, fillet the fish, and weigh in the big ones!
What a beautiful day on the water, and really a special day to be there and see Mike catch his biggest fluke ever...maybe even his two biggest ever! Ting, as usual, was catching up a storm and had a few nice ones to show for it. Matt and I struggled with the big fish, but had a good number of keepers. We all had an absolute blast out there, and I can't wait to get back out to see if we can find a few more of those big boys!
OK, OK...here's the pics!
Ting ready to go!
Big Matt, preppin the boat!
Mike, getting the gear ready!
Mike...securing the trailer hitch with...ummm...a hanger? NICE!
Matt, securing the rocket launchers with bungees to keep them from launching our fishing rods!
Ready!!!!!!!
Matt's all smiles!
Heading out...little gloomy...
Brothers going fishing!
Hey, who's that over there netting and snagging?
Yep I'm picture crazy...
Little hazy...
Little preview of the beast in the net...kinda...
Picture taken later...keep in mind Mike is like 6'6" and 300lbs...big boy!
Putting the tape to him...
32"
OK onto some more fishing...
Matt with a double header fluke and robin!
Mike with a fluke!
The Atlantic Princess coming down to NJ waters...
Mike with another fluke...
The man, taking a much needed break to regain some energy...
Ting hanging tight while we take a ride and move to another area...
Mike buddy, nice wingspan!
Ting with a nice fish
Mike's 8# fluke...in the boat!
Look at that grin...calling the buddies!
You can't wipe that smile off his face!
Mike, the instant celebrity...his brother Matt quickly jumps in and takes over as his personal sunblock application specialist!
Yoooooooooooo Tony!!!
Tony swung by at the end of our day and said hello...where was your fishing rod buddy?!?!?
OK enough fishing...let's go weigh some fish in!
Voop! 13.80#!
Wooohooo!!! 8.46#!
Ting's 6.06#
One more back at the dock of Mike's two big ones...before we started filleting...
Final fish pics...
Well, that's all folks...just an incredible day of fishing. Nothing better than seeing big fish come over the rail, I don't care who gets em...I never get enough of seeing em! Big thanks to Mike for taking Ting and I out...was awesome fishing with you dude! Matt, great meeting you too buddy, hopefully we can all get out again soon! Beautiful weather, great friends, and some awesome fish...just doesn't get any better!
Until next time....
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