In recent years, some of the bigger fluke have been caught along the inshore waters on the lumps in 50 to 60 feet of water within a couple of miles of the beaches off both New Jersey and Delaware.

Here, too, water temperature is the key. Water temps in the mid- to high 70s will put a lot more fish, especially the bigger ones, in deeper -- 35 to 60 feet -- of water.

In Delaware Bay, some of the better fishing has also been in the deeper water of the channels. These waters are prone to strong currents, so heavier tackle and bigger baits are the preferred way to go.

Brown Shoal, the Banana Peal and the waters off Brandywine Light are some of the better spots in the lower bay, while Ship Johns Shoal and Ben Davis Shoal are a couple of good areas to fish in the upper bay.

In the Chesapeake Bay, while there is some good fluke fishing south of the Bay Bridge, the waters north of the bridge, especially those around the state Route 50 bridge, receive most of the attention from summer flounder fishermen.

Water temps in the Chesapeake are routinely warmer than water temperatures found in the bays previously mentioned, which lie farther north. This makes it even more important to fish deeper holes and channels, especially for the bigger fish.

As previously stated, the 2007 flounder season will not depend on weather and fishing conditions only, but also depend on what the Fish Tsars allow anglers to catch.

WEAKFISH
The 2006 season didn't break any records when it came to weakfish catches. Most reports I got from Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey showed some really erratic fishing.

The weakfish are another species that the ASMFC hasn't a clue on how to rebuild. While they would like the public to believe that natural causes are to blame for the decline in weakfish along the Atlantic Coast, those problems can be traced back to the commercial fishing industry.

Each spring, weakfish migrate up the Atlantic Coast. Commercial netters simply scoop up many weakies before they even get a chance to spawn. If this practice was stopped, and more weakfish were allowed to spawn, it's a good bet the population would rebound in a few years.

During last spring, some big weakfish made their way as far up the coast as Barnegat and Raritan bays. While a few fish in the 12- to 15-pound class were taken in the spring, there was no significant weakfish activity in Raritan Bay until the end of September -- and then the fishing was sporadic at best.