Fluke style Baits for smallies

[Smbass19]

I was wondering what everyone's favorite fluke style bait is and how they rig them, specifically for smallmouth. 

 

Mine is a white pearl super fluke weightless with a 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. 

[TnRiver46]

For winter it's a 2.5 inch gulp minnow. For summer I usually throw a hand pour that's a tad longer than a zoom super fluke 

[MickD]

SmBass19, good choice.  Not sure where you're from, but in clear water in MI, one of the best is the white 4-4.5 inch swim bait (with the "boot tail," I think it's called) on a 3/16 darter head jig twitched off the bottom.  Good for searching since you can make long casts, fish it fast.  Walleyes, northerns, and LM will hit it too.

[Smbass19]

54 minutes ago, MickD said:

SmBass19, good choice.  Not sure where you're from, but in clear water in MI, one of the best is the white 4-4.5 inch swim bait (with the "boot tail," I think it's called) on a 3/16 darter head jig twitched off the bottom.  Good for searching since you can make long casts, fish it fast.  Walleyes, northerns, and LM will hit it too.

From northern Illinois, but I fish mostly in Michigan, UP, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Which brand swim bait do you like? The Swimming fluke? I've done pretty well with the strike King swim n shiner. I typically use it with a classic 1/8 oz ball jig head. 

[FryDog62]

#1 for me is the SK Caffeine Shad on 3/32 oz Owner Twistlock Light Hook.  I’ve never seen any other fluke style bait fall like this one on slack line.  Irresistible falling/swimming action...

[Scott F]

I use the Case Sinkin Salty Shad. Sinks like a Senko, no weights needed.

 

[padon]

37 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I use the Case Sinkin Salty Shad. Sinks like a Senko, no weights needed.

 

I like those and yamamoto d shads in current the extra weight gets them down a little with no weight needed. 

[MickD]

2 hours ago, Smbass19 said:

Which brand swim bait do you like?

Strike King KVD swimmin caffeine shad, 5", I guess it is.  They offer 4 and 5 in, and the one I use has to be bigger than 4.  Pearl white.  I've found that for a good percentage of hook sets I need to make sure when I put it on the hook that I don't close up the gap too much.  I went through a streak last year of fish that aggressively took the lure, and were on for 10-15 seconds, then came off.  I paid attention to the above and increased my percentage significantly.  I use the Gamakatsu darter head jig in 3/16 and 1/4, but also am going to try another with a 3/0 hook (to get a larger gap).  They can be put on the jig with the hook coming out the side, too.  Gives a bigger gap, not sure about how effective it is that way yet, but since it's coming off the bottom so aggressively, I can't see how it would hurt.

[fishnkamp]

This is easy for me I fish from MD to VA, PA, TN, KY, Mo etc and my absolute favorite for smallies, largies and KY spotted bass as well as stripers is a Reaction Innovation Skinny Dipper. Actually all 3 sizes. In water 10 foot or less it is rigged with a belly weighted hook.  For deeper water, it is rigged on a swimbait jighead like the Big Hammer jigheads or

Picasso Smart Mouth swimbait jigheads.  Either way I swim it, then kill it. The insane motion it has on the fall is terrific. That is when most of my strikss occur on that fall.

[WI_Angler1989]

3 hours ago, Scott F said:

I use the Case Sinkin Salty Shad. Sinks like a Senko, no weights needed.

 

Those look awesome! Do you typically fish the 5" variety? I googled them and saw they also have a 3 3/4" size as well.

Fewer colors though.

[Scott F]

10 minutes ago, WI_Angler1989 said:

Those look awesome! Do you typically fish the 5" variety? I googled them and saw they also have a 3 3/4" size as well.

Fewer colors though.

I've been using both sizes for years. I have owned a variety of colors and I have NEVER had a time when one color caught more than any other color. Actually, I use them in the same way and the same places I use senkos. Weightless and T-rigged. 

[WI_Angler1989]

24 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I've been using both sizes for years. I have owned a variety of colors and I have NEVER had a time when one color caught more than any other color. Actually, I use them in the same way and the same places I use senkos. Weightless and T-rigged. 

 

Haha so it's pointless to ask what colors you prefer. That sounds great though, I think the smaller may work best for me but I don't have a ton of experience with fluke style baits. Senkos on the other hand..

[Scott F]

I USED to favor smaller baits for smallmouth and sometimes they do prefer a smaller bait, but do not be afraid to use the 5 inch. Trust me, you'll get 8 inch smallies to hit bigger baits. But fish with whatever you have confidence in. You'll enjoy your day on the water more if you aren't second guessing your choices.

[WI_Angler1989]

11 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I USED to favor smaller baits for smallmouth and sometimes they do prefer a smaller bait, but do not be afraid to use the 5 inch. Trust me, you'll get 8 inch smallies to hit bigger baits. But fish with whatever you have confidence in. You'll enjoy your day on the water more if you aren't second guessing your choices.

 

Guess I'll just have to try a variety! I wish they had a green pumpkin blue.... That's a killer for me in other plastics.

[Burtonxj]

Nose hooked White Ice Super Flukes

[padon]

6 hours ago, WI_Angler1989 said:

 

Haha so it's pointless to ask what colors you prefer. That sounds great though, I think the smaller may work best for me but I don't have a ton of experience with fluke style baits. Senkos on the other hand..

I fish the Susquehanna for smallmouth a lot. don't be afraid to try the 5inch size. the only time I use the small size is in early spring, all summer and fall they eat the bigger one and it casts better

[Smbass19]

Follow up, similarly related, size issue.  I just watched Facts of fishing with Dave Mercer. He was using a Jackall Cross Tail Shad, which was designed specifically for drop shotting, but he found another use. He was rigging it on an 1/8 oz  swimbait jighead and just slow reeling it along the bottom. It looked amazing in he water and he crushed the smallmouth. Couldn't really tell if he was using the 3" or 4". But I can't imagine the 4" could possibly be "too big" for good size smallmouth. Any thoughts?

[FryDog62]

Another TV guy, Karl Kalonka, pretty much only uses the 5 inch Caffeine Shads for Smallies...

 

Smallmouth pretty much have short-man inferiority complex and have no problem hitting larger baits at all.  I’ve caught them on muskie lures several times...

[J Francho]

Super Flukes, in whatever color you like.  I go for some natural color.  Main difference in rigging is to use a 2/0 Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap, and nose hook it.

[WI_Angler1989]

2 hours ago, padon said:

I fish the Susquehanna for smallmouth a lot. don't be afraid to try the 5inch size. the only time I use the small size is in early spring, all summer and fall they eat the bigger one and it casts better

 

Thanks for the input. I'm thinking I'll just go ahead and get the 5". I tend to gravitate towards tubes and hard jerkbait early in the year any way, so I may not end up using the smaller Case minnow anyway. 

I've also never really used a white color for flukes, or any plastics honestly, but that white pearl really seems tp be the goto for people. Their site has some vids by a sponsored guide as well and he loves that color.

[Crestliner2008]

I like to just nose hook a Zoom Fluke (any size) with a 1/0 inline circle hook. Has worked for me for many years. I believe nose hooking it is more effective than texposing an off-set worm hook. But that's just me.

[WI_Angler1989]

2 hours ago, Crestliner2008 said:

I like to just nose hook a Zoom Fluke (any size) with a 1/0 inline circle hook. Has worked for me for many years. I believe nose hooking it is more effective than texposing an off-set worm hook. But that's just me.

 

Interesting. I've seen that rigging mentioned before but have never used it. Do you have any issues with losing more baits that way, seeing as the hook is so much further to one end?

I can get a little bit trigger happy and may have issues not letting them take it all the way in.

[J Francho]

12 minutes ago, WI_Angler1989 said:

Do you have any issues with losing more baits that way, seeing as the hook is so much further to one end?

Yes with the softer baits, like the Keitech version, but not the original Zoom Super Fluke.

[smalljaw67]

I use a River Rock Custom Baits 5" Jointed jerkbait in pearl and custom flash shad. The smallmouth crush it and I found the Owner Twist lock light hooks in a 3/0 or 4/0 works great for soft jerkbaits. BTW, I know a lot of guys get hung up on heavy hooks, the Twist Lock light isn't a light wire hook, it is a regular medium or standard wire hook and while I normally fish them on 8# line on a spinning rod I do occasionally throw them into cover on a MH casting set up with 15lb line and never had a hook bend out.

[padon]

4 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

I use a River Rock Custom Baits 5" Jointed jerkbait in pearl and custom flash shad. The smallmouth crush it and I found the Owner Twist lock light hooks in a 3/0 or 4/0 works great for soft jerkbaits. BTW, I know a lot of guys get hung up on heavy hooks, the Twist Lock light isn't a light wire hook, it is a regular medium or standard wire hook and while I normally fish them on 8# line on a spinning rod I do occasionally throw them into cover on a MH casting set up with 15lb line and never had a hook bend out.

I use the same hook for my flukes . The screw lock helps keep the bait from getting torn up as much. I also throw mine on spinning tackle for smallmouth in the river.