Flukes

[pts9889]

I was hoping some of you veterans could give me some advice on fishing flukes. Flukes is a presentation that I have rarely ever fished and I wish to add it to my arsenal. I have been using Senkos for a long time but I know that flukes fish a little different. So these are my questions:

1) When do most of your strikes occur?

2) What is your most successful retrieve?

3) What type of flows do you fish it in? I read that some guys fish in current. How successful is this?

4) Under what conditions is it the most successful?

5) What color has been most productive?

 

Thanks for any advice. Paul

[BrianA]

Paul, let's share:

I like to fish the fluke a number of ways for smallies. In moderate flow, Texas rigging is not necessary if there is not heavy

cover present. Rig the hook like its a jig head and leave it exposed. I took this advice from Jonn Graham and it has improved

my hookups considerably. In heavy flows - use the Texas rig w/ the hook point pushed up through the plastic but not further

than the barb. A heavy wire hook is best 2/0 - 4/0. I twitch this and let it "glide & die". I get a few more bites when its

warmer out and thru the fall.

 

Another method w/ the 3 inch finesse Slug-O is to Texas rig the bait and fish it w/ a small sliding sinker - bullet or egg shaped.

Slowly drag the bait through all kinds of current, eddies, pools, edges and what not and hang on. I picked this up from an

article in some kind of magazine I can't remember and an ISA dude fishing the worms that way.

 

Yet more, rig either size baits w/ a small crimp on bullet/nose weight and twitch it in swifter current, it keeps the bait from rolling

over. You can also insert the more expensive custom nail weights into the baits or use trim/finish nails to weight the baits. Slide

a nail or 2 into the middle of the bait and its now weighted w/out doing nose dives.

 

Most productive colors of Fluke, Slug-O, and other slug-soft jerkbaits are typical - pearl white, white, white/sparkle, shad, blue/gray,

and clear sparkle w/ black pepper. I have some from Rattlesnake baits that are more Fluke/Slug-O SS like that fish nice and

the only complaint is the plastic is not as durable.

 

I missed many fish that hit on the fall of the bait because of improper hooking/rigging of the bait. Save yourself the grief &

heart aches, rig it like a regular leadhead jig would and twitch it near current breaks, in pools, in eddies and just set the hook

like you would for fishing an exposed hook jig. I've only had 1 fish come unbuttoned since switching over.

[Jim J]

Use a Falcon baitjerker hook.

 

http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklestore/showcase.cfm?PID=3056

 

 

 

[jude]

Every time I see "fluke" I think of the twenty incher I caught a couple of years ago. My one and only. I caught it on a Chug Bug, but it was definitely a fluke.

[pts9889]

Thanks Brian for the advice.

 

When you do the bullet weight and nails in order to fish in current, are you using mainly an unpstream or downstream approach? I am thinking that in swifter water that sucker would just cruise down the river. Before you laugh too hard, remember that I am more of the largemouth guy where we don't have much current. Thanks again. Paul

[Mark K]

I was hoping some of you veterans could give me some advice on fishing flukes. Flukes is a presentation that I have rarely ever fished and I wish to add it to my arsenal. I have been using Senkos for a long time but I know that flukes fish a little different. So these are my questions:

1) When do most of your strikes occur?

2) What is your most successful retrieve?

3) What type of flows do you fish it in? I read that some guys fish in current. How successful is this?

4) Under what conditions is it the most successful?

5) What color has been most productive?

 

Thanks for any advice. Paul

 

I fish a Fluke on a 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG. Superline, 10-20lb. A flouro leader drastically improves action and is totally worth the trouble. I used 30 lb in Florida. 10-20 here.

rigging it PERFECTLY straight is critical.

 

1) On the fall.

2) Fish it like an underwater topwater. Like you would a Pop'R or Zara Spook. Exactly the same. Rod tip down index finger pointed straight forward. Blip, blip...blip....kill it.....

or a steady walk the dog.

3) It works great in current. Especially clear water, deep with large boulders. It's major succesful and extremely fun.

4) Clear water, the clearer the better. Anytime bass are chasing baitfish it is a killer. Totally weedless a freaking killer. Missed topwater strike? It's the ultimate second weapon. When all else fails, throw a fluke.

5) There are times that color does not matter all and Zoom makes lots and lots of cool colors. I like Rainbow Shad and Albino Shad. Arkansas shad looks cool too.

 

Heavily weighting a Fluke to me is like putting ketchup on a hot dog, some people like it...but it's just wrong. In those cases most any piece of plastic will work. If you must weight a Fluke try to distribute it evenly. Nose eighting destroyes the action unless it's a very small amount of weight.

 

There are times that a Baby Bass Assasin will fish circles around a Fluke and everything else for that matter. You should certainly have it in your arsenal too.

Fish it on a 2/0 Owner screw lock. Albino Shad. You can thank me later. Bigger is not always better.

In all honesty, I might say that the Baby Assasin has been more productive for me in the Kank for smallies.

[Bterrill]

EWG hook 4/0 with some finishing nails to get it to sink a bit or Wallyworld 5 for 2$ weighted EWG (just like the ones JIMJ uses) in 1/32 or 1/16.

 

Rig perfect or twirling occurs cast perpendicular in swift current sweep over logs and past cover, reel in slack and twitch. Fish hammer it.

 

White is the best color so you can see if it is getting down in the zone and what action draws strikes.

 

Good luck, fluke bite has been really good lately.

 

The heads tear far too easily rendering the bait nearly useless and make it one of the riggiest, an expensive long term bait to throw. Upi can try to melt them back in place, but it's a losing battle.

[Guest]

If you don't have a fluke with you or you don't want to carry a lot of stuff try nose hooking a big tube and just fish it weightless.

Phil

[Norm M]

Nose hook with a circle hook

 

Add suspend strips to the hook shank

 

If you go to Sluggos the hooks designed by the outfit that makes sluggos seems to give me a better hook up than EWG gammies.

 

Pinching a water gremiln bull shot a foot to 15 inches ahead of the lure gives it a slightly different look.

 

Wacky rig flukes

[Steve S.]

Wacky rig flukes

 

Never would have thought of that.

 

[BrianA]

PAUL-

 

I mainly fish those upstream - especially in current. There are some scenarios for downstream especially when

you're fishing pools & eddies.

 

I like the other replies on hooks and styles - I've used a Keeper Hook (non-weighted) 2/0 & 3/0, the EWG hook is good.

I also have the Gamakatsu's also, Eagle Claw Laser Hooks - Mustads - I'm not loyal to one particular hook but I would

certainly use a heavier wire so I can cross that fish's eyes when I set the hook.

 

No worries on the L-M fishing, that's where I fished them first also. That is when the Texas rig is more prevalent too.

[pts9889]

Brian,

Gotcha- makes sense.

 

Mark,

You confirmed what I was already thinking about the retrieve. Like Senkos, I thought that a lot of the strikes would hit on the fall. I was thinking that the retrieve was that mid-level, walk-the-dog action. That is the main reason why I want to add it to the aresenal. A finesse, mid-water column bait.

 

Thanks all. Gonna pack some the next time I head out. Good fishing

[BrianA]

Paul-

 

The bite for me at least, has felt more like a plastic worm hit too. That should help out the we from the L-M Green Bass

upbringing.

 

The Mr Twister -Exude R/T Slug is a good one too. It smells like baby barf or something that vile - the fish hold it pretty well.

I use the Pearl/Sparkle and the green/gray 5 inchers. Push that hook point through the baits or rig it as previously told.

I like Norm's nose rig, reminds me of that stinkin' Banjo Minnow thing too.

 

Now through Fall and these baits will catch fish. Try that 3 inch finesse rig if the bronzebacks seem fickle. Smaller fish too

but you'll get them to pull your string.

[Mark K]

Brian,

Gotcha- makes sense.

 

Mark,

You confirmed what I was already thinking about the retrieve. Like Senkos, I thought that a lot of the strikes would hit on the fall. I was thinking that the retrieve was that mid-level, walk-the-dog action. That is the main reason why I want to add it to the aresenal. A finesse, mid-water column bait.

 

Thanks all. Gonna pack some the next time I head out. Good fishing

 

 

Rapala has an interesting looking hard bait taht does that. I have not tried it. Looks like an X Rap though and I've been doing good with those on LM.

[Norm M]

Rapala has an interesting looking hard bait taht does that. I have not tried it. Looks like an X Rap though and I've been doing good with those on LM.

 

Mark,

 

If that's the Subwalk you are talking about do your self a favor and try it.

 

Like the tag line in an old commercial, Try it, you'll like it.

[Jonn Graham]

I just bought four of the Sub Walks from Rapala. I took them down to my local creek and made one cast with them and said..............."WOW"! That bait is going to be deadly on river bronzebacks. I am glad I bought four of them.

[Mark K]

I just bought four of the Sub Walks from Rapala. I took them down to my local creek and made one cast with them and said..............."WOW"! That bait is going to be deadly on river bronzebacks. I am glad I bought four of them.

 

 

Saw them on al Lindner's show. The reason I did not get one is because of the floating moss in the Kank. Otherwise yeah, they would probably kill.

[Paul Trybul]

I just bought four of the Sub Walks from Rapala. I took them down to my local creek and made one cast with them and said..............."WOW"! That bait is going to be deadly on river bronzebacks. I am glad I bought four of them.

What makes the Sub Walk any different than a husky jerk or any other suspended hardbait like a LC pointer?

[Bterrill]

What makes the Sub Walk any different than a husky jerk or any other suspended hardbait like a LC pointer?

 

 

Paul, It doesn't have a bill to force it to dive. Basically, it's like a big fluke with trebles- but it suspends rather than sinks. It doesn't have any action other than what you give it by jerking on it on slack or tight line.