Fluke Fishing Regulations Eased at Island Beach State Park

Anglers fishing from shore at Island Beach State Park will have a greater chance of taking home a keeper summer flounder this season.

Last week, state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin signed a notice that adjusted the size and possession limits for summer flounder, also known as fluke, specifically for anglers fishing from shore at the state park.

Legal sized fluke everywhere else in New Jersey must be a minimum of 18-inches long, but at the park, anglers can keep two, 16 inch-long fish. Elsewhere, the daily bag limit, per angler, is five fish.

Known as the Shore Based Enhanced Fishing Opportunity Program, the regulatory change is aimed at spurring interest in land-based fishing at the park as well as an ongoing effort to track the fishing habits of New Jersey anglers and test a new management measure on a small scale.

Anglers, in many recent seasons, have asked state officials to consider what is known as a "slot" limit, effectively allowing a certain number of fish below the usual minimum size to be kept.

In addition to monitoring the recreational summer flounder harvest at the park , the DEP will be collecting data on other recreational species as well by conducting a creel survey at the numerous beach access sites at the park, a statement from the DEP said. Interviewers will record number of anglers, number of hours fished, number of fish caught and take measurements of fish kept.

The information will be utilized to " determine the feasibility of the program as well as provide important data for coastwide management of the species," the agency said.

In order to participate in the program, anglers must agree not to filet their fish or remove them from the park without receiving a tag at the DEP check station, located approximately one mile south of the park entrance. The check station will operate between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Anglers must retain the DEP's tag affixed to the fish, and proof of legal entry to the park until returning home or until just prior to consumption if the fish are to be consumed prior to the angler returning home. The fish must be caught from shore – in the ocean or the bay – and the angler must not have arrived at the park by boat.

For additional information, anglers can contact the DEP's Marine Fisheries Administration at 609-748-2020.