Fishing Tackle Blog - Causeway Bait and Tackle » A Detailed Guide to Long Island Fluke Fishing

A Detailed Guide to Long Island Fluke Fishing

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August 22nd, 2009

One of the more popular questions we get asked in the shop and via email is, how do we catch more fluke (a.k.a. summer flounder)? Are we using the right lures/bait? Are we fishing the right spots? What are the best fluke rigs to use? What am I doing wrong? If you are looking to get the most out of your next fluke fishing outing, continue reading for some great fluke fishing tips and detailed map guides.

Fluke are one of the most popular fish to catch around Long Island. Despite the new New York State Fluke Regulations for 2009, many people enjoy the day or night on the boat with friends, family and loved ones while fishing for fluke. What makes these days or nights more enjoyable is packing the boat with some nice keepers. Not only is fluking exciting, they make quite a delicious dinner afterwards. We will cover all the fluke fishing basics in this how-to article. We invite you to submit your comments with additional questions or share your experiences while fluke fishing.

Where to find the fluke

Generally, weather plays a small roll into your fishing success. One of the best places to fish for fluke is over the flats. Situate the boat on top of the flats and drift off into the channel. For windy days, position the boat on the flat allowing the wind to drift you into the channel. Once you start hitting the fluke, fish the same area until there are no more fluke left. Once you’ve cleaned them out move on but not until then.

Some of best South Shore fluke fishing hot spots around Long Island are (in no specific order):

South Shore Nassau County Fluke Hot Spots*

Goose Creek (a.k.a. 2^nd Wantagh Parkway Bridge – Wantagh, NY)
Swift Creek (1^st Loop Parkway Bridge - Freeport, NY)
Haunts Creek (Merrick, NY)
State Channel (3^rd Wantagh Parkway Bridge -Wantagh, NY)
The Big M (last Meadowbrook Parkway Bridge – Freeport, NY)
Jones Inlet (Point Lookout, NY)

Great South Bay Fluke Spots*

Democrat Point (a.k.a. Fire Island Inlet - Babylon, NY) (not mapped)
Narrow Bay (the Narrows)
Moriches Inlet (East Moriches, NY)
Gull Island (South Side of Island north of Moriches Inlet, East Moriches, NY)
Potunk Point (Westhampton Beach, NY)
Quogue Canal (Quogue, NY)
Ponquogue Bridge (Hampton Bays Area - Shinnecock Bay - Ponguogue, NY)
Shinnecock Inlet (Southampton, NY)
Montauk Point west to Center of Montauk Town (not mapped)

Western Long Island Sound Fluke Spots*

Little Neck Bay (Little Neck Queens, NY)
Manhasset Bay (Kings Point - Port Washington, NY)
Sands Point (Sands Point, NY)
Hempstead Harbor (Sea Cliff, NY)
Mattinecock Point (Glen Cove, NY)
Center Island Reef (Just south of bumps in ocean floor)
Plum Point to Moses Point (Centre Island, NY)
Cold Spring Harbor (Cold Spring Harbor, NY)
Lloyd Point (Lloyd Harbor, NY)

Eastern Long Island Sound Fluke Hot Spots*

Sand City Island (Eatons Neck, NY)
Eatons Neck Point (Asharoken, NY)
Porpoise Channel (Stony Brook, NY)
Port Jefferson Harbor (Belle Terre, NY)
Mt. Sinai Harbor (Port Jefferson, NY)

Long Island Sound East End Fluke Spots*

Mattituck Inlet (Mattituck, NY)
Horton Point (Southold, NY)
Crescent Beach (Shelter Island Heights, NY)
Greenport Harbor (Between Shelter Island & Greenport, NY)
Orient Point (Orient, NY)

When?

Timing can be key to filling up the live wells. Fish on the outgoing high tide for the best results. As far as time of day and weather conditions, there is no good or bad time to catch them.

How?

Fluke fishing can be very tricky. Since fluke blend in with their surroundings on the bottom, being in the right spot and putting your bait in front of them is important. Let the rig down the bottom of the channel. As you are drifting, let the bait bounce along the bottom and the fluke will jump out and hit it.

Best Fluke Rods

Arguably, this is the 2^nd most popular question anglers ask us. While much of this is based on your personal preference and there are many options, we have listed our favorites and most recommended rods. In general, we recommend the rods to be 6 feet, 6 inches long and anywhere from light medium to fast action. This will give you the best experience. Some of our personal favorites are:

- Small Calcutta 200B - 6′6″ rod, medium to fast action

- Shimano Cardiff 300

- Any St. Croix or Tsunami rod - medium to light action

Best Fluke Reels

Most reels will get the job done. Everyone has their personal preference when it comes to reels. Some anglers are manufacturer driven, some are performance driven. We relate buying reels similar to purchasing cars. Some people are just Jeep people and will not buy any other manufacturer. With that said, we’ll throw two of our most popular and favorite reels to use for fluking:

- Daiwa Luna 300 Series

- Abu Garcia Ambassador 5500 Series

Best Fluke Lures and Rigs

Where do we start? Another very popular question that people ask and there is really no specific answer. Different conditions warrant different rigs and lures. There is a multitude of different combination’s that work, some better than others. One rig setup we like to use involves the following:

Berkley Gulp 4″ Swimming Mullets
1/8 - 1/4 ounce jig head (either chartreuse or pearl white)
1 ounce little chrome bullets

Fishing for fluke is a great time. Whether you’re young or old, a novice or experienced, fluke fishing always brings out the laughs and good times. Although the keeper to shorts ratio is not in your favor, there is usually enough action to keep you going all day or night. We have weighed in some “door mats” and fish in excess of 10 pounds at the shop. All in all, fluking is one of our favorite fishing seasons.

We remind you to check the fluke regulations on our site and engage in a catch n release program. Check our most recent fluke reports for the latest action.

Tight lines!

(*Source: Google Maps)

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