N.J. fluke anglers can strip one for bait

Regulations have been adjusted this year in New Jersey to permit anglers to cut strips from a legal-size fluke for bait while retaining the carcass. Fluke fishermen have long been aware that it's hard to beat a strip of fluke as bait for that species. In years past, a small fluke was sacrificed for that purpose, but that's been highly illegal ever since a minimum size was imposed. Most fluke pros would be satisfied to be able to legally use fluke ribbons (the ribbon-like portion at the top of a fillet that's often lost in skinning if not cut away to serve as a prime strip during the next trip), but Law Enforcement has resisted efforts of the Council to make that exception.