We have the best fluke fishing anywhere located in our backyards of Cape Cod. This whole fishery makes me feel like a kid again. I grew up fishing for flounder in Boston Harbor…. lots of us did. It was legendary. They got fished out/polluted out/dragged out…The old sewer treatment plant couldn’t have helped much, but I digress.
As a kid also, fishing Buzzards Bay for fluke was a blast and a treat. We drifted Mashnee Flats, dragging chubs that I caught myself in traps. We really didn’t know anything, but we still caught fish. Boy have things changed since then. We used “flounder rods”…old fiberglass rods with old Penn reels that were spooled with 80# dacron. We commonly snagged lobster traps and reeled them to the boat. We never wanted our line to break. We never used mono or flouro leaders. We never adorned our rigs with flash, scent, flare or anything other than a chub.
Thank you New Jersey guys. Your ridiculous looking rigs worked. You made it more fun for me. How so? Well, let’s talk about fluke fishing.
A few things to think about with fluking around Cape Cod. The elephant in the room is a little island called “Nantucket”. It’s officially the land of the giant fluke. 10# fish is the target here. The ride is long; the distance is great, but the reward is often worth the effort. We fish in anywhere from 50′ to 110′ of water and sometimes the drift is 3 or 4 knots. I like moving fast. We cover some good ground and the fish are active.
Big baits, big fish. It’s not uncommon to use whole mackerel, whole mackerel fillets, big fluke belly strips or big pieces of squid. Flashers, 6″ Gulp! baits, spinner blades, and other bizarre rigs. Or some guys simply go with a basic “high-low” rig with two simple baits. Part of me wants to bring a few dozen big chubs next summer and drag them on a single hook. Yeah, I’ll try that for sure.
Almost forgotten in the mayhem of “Shoals or Bust!” is the action that can be found much, much closer to our port of South Yarmouth. In fact, it is these waters that has really rekindled my love of the flatfish. There are so many rips to fish that I can say to my customers “you will catch one in 3,2,1…” You’re on. On these trips, it’s not uncommon to say “ok, they have to be 20” long to keep today”…The fishery is that strong. Or we pound out a quick limit and target other species. Some people like that variety. Black Sea Bass, stripers, blues, skate, sharks, porgy, bonito, false albacore….they’re all able to be targeted if you’d like.
In a word, fluke fishing is simple fun. Period. Be a kid again. Take your family. We use light tackle. Strong tackle that is light. Let me be clear. The gear today is soooo much better than what I had as a kid. We can get away with fishing with 20 pound braid that is so strong that we can hold bottom with very little weight while drifting fast. The rods are responsive and hooksets are fun. Somedays the “worst” or newest fisherman can outfish the most seasoned veteran.
Seeing the fluke get guided into a net for a perfect catch is the best feeling. They are delicious as you are probably aware. It’s one of best fish on earth for fish and chips. Baked stuffed fluke fillet is a real treat. Do you like butter? Fish Meuniere… Google it. It’s decadent.
We start fishing for fluke in June, with the long-range trips the target at this time of year. Amazingly, the life far south of Nantucket often involves whales, free-jumping sharks, and tuna….and BIG FLUKE! Once July settles in, we find fluke much, much closer to shore and trips can be done in a 6-hour stretch, though most people opt for the 8 hour trip as it makes everything much more peaceful and we are able to try new areas each time, hoping for bigger fish on better rips that we have the time to explore.
See all of our pricing on the webpage here. To call or text, use 508-269-1882 or email at captain@blackrosefishing.com