Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: High 8:36am
Water Temp: 75 degrees
Wind: NW 8 kts
Moon Phase: 100% Full

If you are looking into coming out on one of our evening trips please look at our schedule because we have some private charters coming up. These charters will only affect the evening trips.

Conditions – The conditions will be perfect following the tide change. There is a light NW breeze that will help move us along the channel. The only problem is going to be the wait. We should start seeing the first of the outgoing water around 9:30.

First Drift
Ray Angotti got us started with what looked like a July Flukemaster contender, but ended up a few ounces short. Ray’s fish weighed in at 5 lb 6 oz. . . Not much movement yet. It is going to take a little while for the outgoing water to get to us.

Ray Angotti – 5lb 6oz

Second Drift
Time -35 min
Distance – .12
Still no outgoing water, and we basically sit like a rock traveling only a 10th of a mile in 35 minutes. On another good note, we just had to move for an onbound ship. Going to let it pass and jump back in the channel.

Third Drift
Time – 47 min
Distance – .39 miles
We caught some current on this one and slow picked at the fluke. Gulp/Spearing and small live snappers have worked well so far here today. . . . During a conversation up in the bow, I was asked about the age of the fluke that Ray caught on the first drift. I do have a sheet on board that gives an estimated age according to weight and length. The numbers on the sheet are probably from the mid 90′s, so the science has most likely changed since then, but until I see a new chart I will go by these numbers.

Male Fluke
Age    Inches    Weight
1yr         6.5″      0.1
2yrs      10.0″     0.4
3yrs      13.5″     0.9
4yrs      15.5″     1.4
5yrs      17.5″     2.0
6yrs      19.5″     2.8
7yrs      20.5″     3.3
8yrs      21.0″     3.7
9yrs      22.0″     4.4
10yrs    22.4″     4.5
11yrs     22.7″    4.6
12yrs     23.0″    4.8
13yrs     23.2″    5.0
14yrs     23.4″    5.1
15yrs     23.5″    5.3

Female Fluke
Age   Inches   Weight
1yr         7.0″      0.1
2yrs      11.0″     0.4
3yrs      15.0″     1.2
4yrs      18.0″     2.2
5yrs      20.0″     3.0
6yrs      22.9″     4.2
7yrs      24.0″     5.5
8yrs      26.0″     7.0
9yrs      27.5″     8.6
10yrs    28.5″     9.7
11yrs    29.5″     10.9
12yrs    30.0″     11.9
13yrs    31.0″     12.8
14yrs    31.5″     13.4
15yrs    32.0″     14.3

Fourth Drift
Time – 6 min
Distance – .01 miles
Caught nothing. Going to jump to the other side of the channel.

Fifth Drift
Time – 10 min
Distance – .09 miles
Not much going on right now. It is a slow pick at best. We are going to head east a half mile or so.

Sixth Drift
Time – 11 min
Distance – .14 miles
We let the boat drift across the channel this time, and it remains the same. Just a slow pick of fluke.

Seventh Drift
We caught just a few and are now going to head way to the east.

Eighth Drift
We pick a few to end the day.

Today wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible either. It seemed that the same people had all of the success. On a fluke rating scale I would have to give it 2 flukes out of 5. . . Ray Angotti won the pool with a 5 lb 6 oz fluke.

And of course the catch of the day

Check back tomorrow for more live updates.