Is there anything like a Fluke that is tall enough to hide a weighted hook inside?

[fin]

If you fish a Fluke with a weighted EWG hook, it swims great, but the hook and weight are highly visible hanging out the bottom. The only thing close that I’ve seen is a Big Bite Bait product that looks like their 4” Shad, but the pictures I see online don’t look like it has a split belly. I'd also prefer to have something without the paddle tail. Why doesn’t anyone make something like that? Would it not swim right being that tall? It seems like it would look more like a real shad than a fluke does.

 

 

Big Bite Bait 4” Shad

[Choporoz]

I got a bunch of Megabass Dark Sleepers for Christmas. They might look the way you want

Edit: Sorry....I didn't read close enough....DS has an active tail.

 

As to flukes, I only ever use them unweighted.   The erratic nature of weightless flukes seems to be what they are best at.  If I want weight or straight swimming,  I'll use something else

[BigDriverrat]

A little hard to find and pricey, but Black Dog Baits Fake Fish might be perfect for you. 

 

http://store.blackdogbaits.com/product/fake-fish

[Crestliner2008]

Please do not take this the wrong way! Why is it necessary to totally hide the weight inside the plastic? The fish don't care. A regular fluke with exposed belly weight will work just as well as one with it hidden inside.

 

Bass are reaction/opportunistic feeders. They do not reason that because they see a belly weight, that it's phony and not edible. (Of course, if it gives YOU the confidence to fish it properly, by having the weight hidden, more power to you. Myself, I wouldn't loose sleep over it.  

 

If it moves the right way, appearing to be easy prey, they will strike it. Providing of course, that you are using the right depth & speed control to effect that response. JMO!

[fin]

On 1/28/2019 at 8:28 AM, Crestliner2008 said:

Please do not take this the wrong way! Why is it necessary to totally hide the weight inside the plastic? The fish don't care. A regular fluke with exposed belly weight will work just as well as one with it hidden inside.

 

Bass are reaction/opportunistic feeders. They do not reason that because they see a belly weight, that it's phony and not edible. (Of course, if it gives YOU the confidence to fish it properly, by having the weight hidden, more power to you. Myself, I wouldn't loose sleep over it.  

 

If it moves the right way, appearing to be easy prey, they will strike it. Providing of course, that you are using the right depth & speed control to effect that response. JMO!

I totally agree about a fish's reasoning ability, but I also think the more natural looking the better. I've caught lots with an exposed weighted hook, but it's just something I've always wondered about. And like the way a lipless crankbait has a flutter motion, it seems like a taller fluke would have even more action. And a taller fluke would look more realistic, like a gizzard shad. So it's those things combined, not just hiding the hook. I'm guessing the problem has got to either be a molding problem or swim problem, or somebody would have done it by now.

On 1/28/2019 at 8:13 AM, BigDriverrat said:

A little hard to find and pricey, but Black Dog Baits Fake Fish might be perfect for you. 

 

http://store.blackdogbaits.com/product/fake-fish

That's pretty much exactly what I'm talking about, minus the price!

 

 

[Mike L]

Useing a nail weight inserted in different areas will solve your seen weight concern and give you the ability to alter its action, fall rate and angle. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[FCPhil]

Here is something to check out. A weighted hook may not hide but it might at least be flush on the bottom:

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lunker_City_Fin-S_Shad/descpage-LCFSH.html

[fin]

On 1/28/2019 at 11:38 AM, Mike L said:

Useing a nail weight inserted in different areas will solve your seen weight concern and give you the ability to alter its action, fall rate and angle.

Yeah, I've tried that several times but never was really happy with the setup. It works better on the Magnum Super Fluke.

On 1/28/2019 at 11:57 AM, FCPhil said:

Here is something to check out. A weighted hook may not hide but it might at least be flush on the bottom:

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lunker_City_Fin-S_Shad/descpage-LCFSH.html

I was looking at that earlier. It looks good. Do you know if it has a split belly?

[FCPhil]

5 minutes ago, Hank. said:

Yeah, I've tried that several times but never was really happy with the setup. It works better on the Magnum Super Fluke.

I was looking at that earlier. It looks good. Do you know if it has a split belly?

Yeah the description on the website says it has a split belly. 

[fin]

I skimmed right by that, I guess.

[fin]

Those things are pretty fat in both dimensions. They look good, the color choices aren't so great though.

 

 

[craww]

Ive been down this road and its a fine line...Go too far in thickness towards the front half of the bait and it starts to interfere w/hooksets.

 

I went back and forth with a handful of swimbaits with segmented bodies like the smaller live magic shads and  yammamoto Zako. The few Factory keel weighted hooks that were short enough to be rigged before the segmented body (2/0 or less from what I recall) didnt have enough gap or the one hook that did just “didnt look right”...

 

My advice is to take Crestliner’s advice...Once I got over the optics of it and just fished em I found my most effective technique the last few years...The way most of us fish em, always moving- it doesnt seem to have any negative effect...

 

That said, a couple tips that may be useful

 

- I often paint the lead bellies with fingernail polish...More of a tinkering on the couch thing- but as I fish mostly white bellied flukes it doesnt hurt to borrow the wifes pearl finger nail polish.

 

- If you find a plastic you like, look at your regular hooks...Maybe theres something like a tube or flipping hook that has the right gap...Dont be afraid to make your own keel weighted hook by flattening some split shot and forming it around it. Lock it in place w/super glue gel. 

 

 

[fin]

11 minutes ago, craww said:

Ive been down this road and its a fine line...Go too far in thickness towards the front half of the bait and it starts to interfere w/hooksets.

Good point. That makes sense. I hadn't considered that, but in my experience, when they bite a fluke they aren't messing around - they really chomp down on it or they just don't touch it at all. That Lunker City lure has a lot to bite through though, I can see how it might be a problem.

 

I'm ahead of you on the tips, I've been using fingernail polish and sharpies for a long time, and also making my own weighted hooks.