[lagerhelps]

Do Fluke feed at night? Me and my buddy were out last year with a steady bite and as soon as the sun went down it went to nothing. Not even a nibble it was actually weird. We figured they shut down at night. I was just reading an article in On The Water about targeting Fluke at night. Was it just a "fluke" that day that they shutdown or do you find that when the sun goes down its time to pull anchor?

Thanks for the input, new to the bay and many annoying questions to come.

 

[fishhard]

Yes Fluke will eat at night. If you knew the exact day this happened and looked back at the tide reports, you might find that the change in tide may have had something to do with it. Tides will take them off the feed faster than anything.
Keep in mind the shallows are generally better at night.

 

[Bob ECT]

Caught them under bridge lights at night.

 

[phish4fun]

we catch them until sunset in the bay. seems once the sun does set they turn off though. we do a handfull of late afternoon trips like that past sunset each year to avoid the crowd and enjoy the evening on the water but like i said once the sun goes down they seem to go to sleep.
never tried lights either.

 

[lagerhelps]

That's what happened to us.

 

[Capt Harv]

Fluke are mostly daytime feeders but they will feed at night. Most reports of fluke feeding during the night are in areas of more shallow water. Folks commonly catch them around lights at docks and in other areas where they may be some nearby light source. I have had anglers tell me that they caught them in pitch blackness. Pitch blackness is really rather rare though, as the moon and stars illuminate shallow waters to some extent. Fluke have excellent eyesight with each eye able to move independently. The protrusion of their eyes gives them a near 360 degree visual field around where they lie. Fluke do use their olfactory (smell) sense when targeting baits. This may account for the reports of night time feeding with no ambient light. In general, though, flukin is a daytime activity.

 

[BigBassJim]

I always wondered if fluke fishing was good at night.

 

[Clamboni]

I've caught plenty at night, and some nice ones. Most I catch are in shallow water near the lights, usually on plastics. Have caught quite a few on small plugs.

Not usually going out to target them but if I'm out for stripers when the fluke are around, I'll usually give them a shot for a little while.

 

[U / W HUNTER]

I've had good luck at night, in the back bays with rattle traps under the lights , the only time out at night in the DB were for stripers & drum. We have caught them till dusk, but never targeted them after dark :huh:
Good luck this season

 

[roctheboat aka pigpen]

I always wondered if fluke fishing was good at night.

Its great if you are using a gig.

 

[AKscuba713]

Caught fluke at night around piers with lights last summer. Lilfisherman and SIC wit it blew my mind one night when they both pulled keeper fluke from under a dock light off the boat. One fish after another it was for them.

 

[Clamboni]

If you think about it, all the fish in our waters, and most overall, are opportunistic feeders. Fluke are also ambushers......Areas near lights at night provide the perfect feeding situation, especially for an ambush predator. The baitfish congregate there, and there's a nice dark area for them to hide in right next to the area it's easy to see all those baitfish in. They don't really even need to hide, they're in dark water and the bait just can't see them while they're in the light.

It's well known that it provides an ideal feeding situation, I think people are just targeting other species and aren't presenting their baits in a way to catch a lot of fluke.

 

[swampfox422]

thanks for all the info guys

 

[mayhem]

follow the light! i have caught more fluke than stripers some nights while striper fishing! of course this is after the season is closed and you can't keep em

 

[Lostboys]

VERY good/interesting question. I have tried approx one hour into the dark, with the bite just stopping dead. What I CAN say is that if the end of a tide coincides with twilight, the bite is deadly the last hour, and they usually tend to be the larger ones. My theory is that the angle of the sunlight on the water towards dark sends them into a sort of feeding frenzy, knowing dark is fast approaching. Of course, it's just a theory/guess, for what it's worth. Ken, Lostboys

 

[Uncle Connie]

first hour after sunset if aligned 1/2 hour after top of the tide is fantastic. Caught two of my largest fluke ever this way. Used 7 inch tinker mackeral for bait . Also use herring or whole squid around lights and night in shallow water and do very well.