Chesapeake chemlab8/13/2023 ![]() If fishing with a smaller bait like a silverside or mummichog try fishing a circle hook to decrease short fish mortality. For example, fishing a peanut bunker or snapper bluefish with the same hook that an angler would use for a clam or squid strip is only encouraging a summer flounder to become gut hooked. When fishing with a big bait, use a bigger hook. Interesting to note is that most fluke caught in this hook and line study where caught using circle hooks.įluke are aggressive predatory fish and will consume many different species of fish and crustaceans as well as artificial offerings. When hooked internally the sproat hook lead to a fish mortality of 80%, wide gap hook mortality was 60%, and circle hook mortality was 56.5%. The hooks had similar rates of fish mortality. The summer flounder that were hooked properly had an average mortality rate of 7.5% between the three hooks. The study used sproat hooks (type of J hook), wide gap hooks, and circle hooks to follow fish that were hooked properly and fish that where hooked internally. Studies from the New York and Virginia Sea Grant program sampled 461 summer flounder by hook and line. Circle hooks work well when fished with bait from a boat or from shore. This way of fishing can be frustrating to an angler new to this approach, but once mastered some anglers fish only circle hooks. The angler does not need to set the hook. A circle hook works differently than the previously mentioned hooks the fish hooks itself. Many anglers prefer to use circle hooks since once a fish is hooked it normally stays hooked. This unique hook looks like a wide gap hook with the main difference being the point bent back towards the shank. An angler fishing with these size hooks catch larger summer flounder, which increases the chances of catching a legal-size fish.Ĭircle hooks are increasing in popularity with anglers that are targeting summer flounder. A study by Fairleigh Dickinson University shows that these size hooks work well to reduce the risk of gut hooking fish, reducing fish mortality. Due to the summer flounder's, large mouth and aggressive nature, 5/0 to 7/0 sized- hooks are recommended. ![]() The negative aspect of a J hook is that an angler must pay attention, for there is an increased chance of a fish "swallowing the hook" and becoming gut hooked. J hooks work well when fishing artificial lures or drifting and allow the angler to feel the bite of the fish and excitement of setting the hook. The J hook is the most common hook that can be used for almost every species of fish and is what people think of when they picture a hook. There are dozens of hooks anglers use to target summer flounder, but three common hooks are the J hook, wide gap hook, and circle hook. A hook has five different aspects that vary depending on the style of the hook including an eye, shank, bend, gap, and point. Hook technology has greatly improved in the past few years with different styles, colors, and angles being created yearly. Summer Flounder, or Fluke ( Paralichthys dentatus During the season the short-to-keeper ratio can reach 40:1 in some New Jersey locations, but with various hooks, baits, approaches, and release methods New Jersey's favorite flatfish can be released alive and have a chance to be caught again. Not all summer flounder are keepers, in fact, most fish caught during the season are released. ![]() The New Jersey State Record was landed in 1953 and weighed 19 pounds, 12 ounces. They can grow to more than 30 inches and weigh in excess of 20 pounds, but 1 to 3-pound fish are more common with an 8-pound fish being considered large. Summer flounder ( Paralichthys dentatus), also known as fluke, are common throughout New Jersey's estuarine and coastal waters from late spring to late fall. ![]() With summer flounder regulations what they are, many more shorts are being caught and released than ever before…but are those fish surviving to be caught another day? The answer is no! Not all summer flounder caught survive being released, but there are ways to improve their chance of survival. Have you ever been on a party boat just to hear the mate say "it's a short" or on a jetty surrounded by inquisitive people just to tell them "it's a short." It something anglers say and hear all too often these days. Release That Summer Flounder Alive For the Next Angler ![]()
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