Fluke fishing

[NoCAL]

I have never fished with flukes but with fish busting shad on the surface all over here I decided I'd like to have one rigged up. What type of rod and techniques are effective for flukes? I have some Falcon weighted hooks do guys use those? I appreciate any help.

NoCAL

[Ouachita]

I prefer using a 5/0 or 6/0 straight worm hook instead of a EWG that has to slip out of the bait to bury up in a mouth. The way bass hit those when schooling there's been no need to hide the hook. I don't find many bass over about 3# doing that, mostly in the 2-3# range, so just about any rod combo type will do as long as the fluke can be cast far enough to get into the action. I use a ML 6'6" graphite rod with a very limber tip that will sling a fluke with a big bass hook plenty far out on 6# Yo-Zuri Hybrid line. Since it's in open water I can use that light line without problems.

If I suspect larger bass are below the main school I'll use a 1/4 oz leaded hook to get it down deeper faster on the far side of a breaking school. I retrieve it with a 3-5' up-jerk then pause 5 seconds, up-jerk, pause, imitating a struggling shad.

Jim

[Finz Up]

I used to fish them a lot back in Arkansas and always used a 3/0 to 5/0 offset and fish it weightless. I agree with Ouachita about not catching too many large ones that way, but it sure is fun when they start boiling that water up. We call it combat fishing. As soon as one would bust the top we would throw right in the middle of the boil and walk it across the water. When there are more than one hitting the top sometimes you can just let if float down and they will hit it. We also had success in getting the larger ones by throwing a CC spoon down and pretty much fishing it like Ouachita said, jerking it up and then letting it fall. Most of the larger ones seem to stay down and wait for the injured shad to fall to them. I always used a spinning reel and a 6'6" MH rod. I only used the spinning because I am not the worlds greatest at baitcast and you might have a fish boil up 5ft away or 50ft. That usually equals backlash for me. I always had good luck with the Zoom Smoking Shad Super Fluke.

[dirtmonkey]

see senko post.... I actually like the Fluke better...

[TnSabre]

I have caught some of my biggest fish on flukes in the spring and fall when the big ones are up in the shallower waters. In the summer I catch plenty of fish on them still, but they are smaller. It is a fun bait to fish in the summer if you are just wanting to catch some fish but I don't use it when I'm tournament fishing in the summer. If you are on a lake with smallmouth go to the super fluke jr. and you will do better.