Keeper Fluke

Fished today with Tom, Tom, Doug, and Brandon in the bay. We had steady action with fluke. We ended up with two keepers. Pro Tip: Don't get pushed around. Control your drift with your engine. Try spots where the wind in perpendicular to the current. Use your engine in reverse to cancel the wind. Follow me on Instagram @captainjoehughes

Blues and Fluke

Fished with Tom, Tom, John, and Zack on Sunday. We started out catching blues and fluke on jigs. Then we switched over to dedicated fluke fishing. We had two keeper fluke to four pounds. Pro Tip: Everyone should fish the same weight lures when bottom fishing. This helps to minimize tangles.

Family Fluke

Fished with John, John, Jack, and Mason on Saturday in the bay. We had one keeper fluke and several throwbacks throughout the day. Pro Tip: Drop your lure straight down when flounder fishing. Casting while drifting is useless and puts out extra line that will tangle up your fishing buddies. Also, the added line from your cast prevents you from fishing your jig properly.

Opening Day of Fluke

Patty, Rich, Dad, and I headed out today for a few hours of Fluke Fishing on opening day. Fishing was good and we had four keeper fluke up to five pounds. All of the fish were over twenty inches. Not a bad start. Follow me on Instagram @captainjoehughes.

Fluke, Blues, and Stripers

Fished with Jack and Jody last night. We had steady action with blues, fluke, and bass all on jigs. We had absolutely perfect conditions. Fluke season opens today! Pro Tip: Avoid wire unless absolutely necessary. Try heavier fluorocarbon before resorting to wire.

Blues

Fished yesterday with the Mikes in the bay. After all the rain and wind we had you never can tell how it is going to be. Despite the wind and the previous week's rain, fishing was good. We had a decent pick of blues in a variety of sizes. Flounder Fishing opens this Friday. Pro Tip: Bluefish are not always ravenous feeders that only respond to rapid retrieves. Don't be afraid to try a super slow retrieve for blues. It worked today!

Big Blues

Fished with Dick in the bay. We found some big blues up to around 12 pounds on jigs. We ended up with several and called it a day. Pro Tip: Keep your knots out of the tip top when casting. The slight hesitation created by the knots can result on nasty wind knots.

14 Pound Blue

Fished with Doug and Ryan in the bay. Big Blues were on the menu and we had several that were up to 14 pounds. They were spread out but we had consistent action throughout the trip. Pro Tip: When the blues get big, it's time to break out the knotable wire. A double uni knot can be used to make the connection.

Big Blues

Fished with Tim and Tiffany in the bay. We found a few big blues and missed a few more. Tiff also caught a nice bass. Quality fish. Pro Tip: Tim taught me a new one. I think everyone has leaned a rod on the car only to have it slide off. Open the gas cap and rest the rods in the angle formed by the cap and the car. Perfect!

Fluke

Fished yesterday with Drew and Bill. Things were a bit tough and the wind was blowing. We ended up with a few flounder on the jig. Pro Tip: Consider underfilling your spool with braid. It minimizes wind knots.

Blues

Fished with Darryl, Sean, and Jenna. We had a productive day catching blues, weakfish, stripers, and fluke. Some of the blues were pretty big. There was consistent action throughout the day. Pro Tip: Set the hook hard on big blues and maintain constant pressure. They frequently hold the jig in their mouths so tightly the hook never penetrates and they simply will let go.

Grand Slam!

Fished yesterday with Bob, Craig, and Matt in the bay. We had consistent action with blues, fluke, weakfish, and stripers. Bob had a personal grand slam by catching a fluke, striper, weakfish, and bluefish all in one day. Spring fishing is great! Pro Tip: Most jig bites occur on the drop. When you jig, pay attention to the jig as it falls. Keep the slack out and lower the rod tip at the same rate as the jig is falling.