Summer flounder (fluke)

Flat, left-eyed flounder (both eyes on the left side) with a big mouth full of sharp teeth; brown back with 5–14 eye-like spots that can change shade to match the bottom.

15–22 in and 1–4 lb; fish over 8 lb are called doormats.

About 37 in and over 20 lb.

Small fish such as sand eels, silversides and killifish, plus squid, shrimp, crabs and worms.

Lies buried on sandy or muddy bottom and ambushes food that drifts past.

Found from Georgia & South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia & Chesapeake Bay, Delaware & New Jersey, New York, Long Island & Connecticut and Rhode Island & Massachusetts. Sandy and muddy bottom in bays, inlets and channels in early summer, then ocean lumps, wrecks and reefs as summer goes on; most common from North Carolina to Cape Cod.

Sandy and muddy bottom in bays, inlets and channels in early summer, then ocean lumps, wrecks and reefs as summer goes on; most common from North Carolina to Cape Cod.

3–30 ft in bays and inlets, 40–100 ft offshore later in the season.

On the bottom: 5–30 ft in bays and inlets, 40–100 ft on ocean lumps and wrecks.

Spring through fall, moving from the bays to the ocean as summer goes on.

Daylight on a moving tide.

A steady drift on a moving tide is best; slack water slows the bite.

Light wind for a slow, steady drift.

Live minnows (killies), squid strips, fresh fluke-belly or sea-robin strips, and live spot or snapper blues for big fish.

White or pink bucktails tipped with a soft-plastic grub or squid strip, and a teaser hook above the bucktail.

7 ft medium spinning or conventional rod.

2/0–4/0 wide-gap or circle hooks; 1/2–3 oz bucktails.

15–30 lb braid.

20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.

Drift the edges of channels and drop-offs with the bait bouncing on the bottom. When you feel weight, count to two and lift into the fish.

Keep the bucktail touching bottom on every bounce — fluke look up to eat, and a big one usually hits the teaser first.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Fillet it like any flounder: four fillets, two from each side, then skin them.

White, mild, flaky meat: fry, broil, bake or stuff it. Fresh fluke is also great raw (sashimi or ceviche).

Sharp teeth — use pliers to unhook.

Managed by the states with NOAA Fisheries and the ASMFC: each state sets its own minimum size (usually 16–19 in), bag limit and season. Saltwater licenses and limits are set by each state (VMRC, NJ Fish & Wildlife, NYS DEC, CT DEEP, RI DEM, MA DMF, NH Fish & Game, Maine DMR) and by NOAA Fisheries and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — check the current rules for your state before you keep fish.

Keep only what you'll eat, release the rest quickly, and follow size and bag limits.