MONTAUK FLATTIES!

[Ironwoodtuna]

Well we took our maiden voyage aboard the XIAO MU JI for the 2008 season. My wife and Cody came with me to the boat last night. I pulled the extention cable for my new Hummingbird Side Imaging 997SI machine and we got it hooked up and running. Then I took some mini bunji cord material and electrical ring connectors #14 and made reel retainer cords that attach to the overhead console and holds the small reels very nicely.

6AM Sunday morning I grabbed some sand eels and squid and the three of us went out for some Montauk Flatties.

The wind had laid down this morning to 10-15knots SW but by end of the day were up to 20-25knots. Ground swells were at least 6-8' and the incoming tide was over by 10AM which sucked!

The Summer Flounders (Fluke) must be a minimum of 20.5" long. The challenge was to get some keepers. Out of ten fish we caught, I had the only two keepers, one just legal and one 24", around 4lbs. THe rest of the boats had the same slow action with a few large boys up to 13.5lbs have been taken.

I probably spent $80.00 in fuel to drive to and from Montauk, spent $40.00 on food, $30.00 in bait and Ice and I probably burned 15 to 20-gallons running all over Montauk looking for these two keepers. God knows what I spent in fuel, I didn't even look at the cost of fuel was at the fuel dock.

THe Side Imaging machine looks like it has some real potential for structure fishing for blackfish, stripers, seabass and cod. I went to a old wreck which I really cold never say I could find. With this machine the image was clear that I was on the old flattened out wreck. With a regualr machine, I would never have been able to say "I was on the wreck!"

I can't wait to night time striper fishing next weekend!

NO DAVE, I didn't break out the camera for the two fish, Sorry.

Marty

[AlloyToy]

It's gonna be one of those years where you spend a lot of $$$ for a few keeper fluke UH!!!

Bet it felt good to run boat Marty.

Post up some screen shots of that new unit when you get her dialed in. I'd love to see some rock pile footage............

[Ironwoodtuna]

Man Oh Man!

I sliced up one of the belly filets into sashimi strips ! Chilled on a deep dish of ice covered in tin foil and chilled for 5-minutes in the freezer.. Super hot washbi and soysause.

My wife just cooked 1/2 of the fluke whole in her chinese cooking wine with her herbs, and spices WOW! hree sets of hungry mouths and Chop sticks and it was gone in no time.

I will post the images of the new machine next week, along with the rod bunji holders for the small rods. Its got an interesting image, never new how many depressions there were out there.

We will probably be flukin during the day and bucktailing the GUT for big stripers at night.

[AlloyToy]

Never had fluke that way Marty. I'll have to try it. Sounds good!!!! Right otta the water with wasabi Yum!!!!

[IN2DEEP]

Thanks for the report Marty,
Do you ever find any parasitic worms in your flukes like we might find in our halibut over here?

I don't want this to come out wrong, but the proper was way to pronounce and spell raw fish is sashimi.
I believe it has a better texture and taste if you wait a day to eat it after you make the catch.

Scott

[Sculpin]

Nice fishing report Marty. Glad someone made it out this weekend. Don't worry about the money spent you can always make more :D . Up and over here there are only two fisheries that pay for themselves recreationally IMO (not including initial costs and if you had to buy it in a store) that's prawning and Halibut.

I like looking up the species that you can catch on the east coast it's quite interesting.

[Ironwoodtuna]

Thanks for the report Marty,
Do you ever find any parasitic worms in your flukes like we might find in our halibut over here?

I don't want this to come out wrong, but the proper was way to pronounce and spell raw fish is sashimi.
I believe it has a better texture and taste if you wait a day to eat it after you make the catch.

Scott

Scott,

No worms in the Fluke that I have ever caught, but cod in the summer have more with less in the winter months.

Thanks for the spelling correction, I don't ever take offense to grammar, spelling or corrective actions if I am wrong.

We use to reach into our wallets and take out singles, then fives, then it jumped to every time I reach into my wallet it's a $20.00 bill now. OUCH!!!

In reality, I have always WORKED to FISH & HUNT, not to get rich!

It's just the cost of living my life the way I want.

When I meet my maker one day...

I don't want to be their saying "GOD, I wish I would have!" instead I'll be saying "Thank GOD, I did all the things I did!"

Some look at me and say why are you so obsessed?

Me, I say,

God I have such control over myself and my actions, and I am so much better now that I am married to the right women. I take good care of my wife and kids, while still treating me to what I need:

"Mental Heath Therapy" FISHING & HUNTING, as much as possible...

Now, let me get back to my FINEST KIND catalog and get my next order placed, see ya! Mty

[AlloyToy]

Good way of looking at life Marty. Work hard, play hard doing what you enjoy while enjoying your family & friends.............that's what it's all about

Fluke worm (one) only once in a doormat I caught years back.

[IN2DEEP]

"Mental Heath Therapy" FISHING & HUNTING, as much as possible...

That's a great way to have an outlook on life!!!

Yes, it is more costly to take our hunting and fishing trips but luckily we are still able to do them.
For myself, I've just cut back on how often I go and try to find an extra person to share the cost of the trip.

Now get back to your catalog and order some more goodies

Scott

[JETTYWOLF]

:lol: :lol: :lol: You took the words right outa my mouth! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[mojomizer]

MY vote is corner outriggers for the 13th and 14th rods in your trolling pattern :lol:

Mark

[Ironwoodtuna]

MY vote is corner outriggers for the 13th and 14th rods in your trolling pattern :lol: Mark

If I want to run another seven rods I can place them on my tower rod holders. Which I do some time run an additional two from up there.

[mojomizer]

Pictures Please :D .......... have you ever had the whole school mug you.
Bendo everywhere??????

Mark

[mojomizer]

Oh ya...... geeze have your wonderful wife post some of her recipes. I just have to taste what you have desribed in the past.


Salivating

Mark

[Ironwoodtuna]

Pictures Please :D .......... have you ever had the whole school mug you.
Bendo everywhere??????

Mark

The best I have done is 9 fish for 11-rods on 50-70lb Yellowfins, and 8 for 9 on 40-60# Albacores. Then many 5-6-7 fish for 11 rods every season, like below we went three times with 6 for 11 rods and released another brace of YFT this day. I even lost my 80-Shimano Tiagra when the center rigger rod holder still had the swivel base in it and the clip didn't release till the rod was out of the holder, in the air and hit the clip...POW! By By $1,800.00 setup! Ouch, but man was the action smokin hot that day, we drove away from the fish! Marty


Load the boat up