Fishing with Flukes

[Shane J]

Okay, I've never fished successfully with flukes, so I was wondering how to do it. I just bought a bunch, including Strike King's Zulu and Zoom's Salty Super Fluke. Are these primarily top water baits to be fished weightless? What conditions do they work in? Just trying to expand my arsenal. Thanks

[mudkart]

I've had the most success c-rigging them, but that is by no means a limitation.  These are very versatile baits.  Try'em t-rigged or weightless; use them as a trailer on a chatterbait; use your imagination.  Perform a search on this site and you'll get ALOT of hits regarding how to rig and fish these.

[South FLA]

They work really well, I went through a fluke stage a couple of years back and that I fished them exclusively in a variety of ways.  

I like fishing them with "superline hooks" to give them more weight or a weighted hook

(http://www.***.com/descpageDHOOKDVT-DBSL.html)

Have also had success fishing t-rig pegged in thick cover.  

I like them cause they are weedless and can be worked super slow to fast. They look like a dying baitfish.  My favorite colors are green red flake, white, or shad colored.  

Good luck and tight lines!

[skillet]

 Like the fellas above me said, lots of different ways. I like them t-rigged weightless. Probably the top 2' of water. I use a 4/0 Gammi hook. I've caught some really nice fish this way...

skillet

[fivesixone]

Flukes can be fished pretty much any way you could imagine. One of my favorites is just using the smallest split shot you can get away with about 6-12" above the fluke. Any way you fish this rig, it has great action... Slow rolling it kinda walks the dog a little, twitching it slowly makes a great dying baitfish, fishing it like a jerkbait, etc etc...

[Tyde one]

Such a good dam bait. I love em. Me and my fishing partner were in a tourney on bull shoals last spring and weighed in a 5 fish 15 lb sack of brownies fishing them. White is a great color. Also weightless most of the time but if they are hitting it on the first little jerk or two use a weighted swimbait hook. With the lead on the belly.

[Tuckman]

I have yet to find a bait that I enjoy throwing more than a zoom superfluke for the smallies here in NY, I cant see NH being all that different 8-)...I usually burn a white fluke across the top in clear water, Ill slow down a bit if they are missing it...If your not fishing around cover use a big straight shank hook right up the middle of the bait and leave it exposed, the hookup rate is so much better than when texas rigged.

[CWB]

T-rig a Strike King Z-Too weightless and throw it around dense cover or to rising fish. Can't beat this type bait for all around effectiveness.

[skillet]

 Wanted to add to my reply. Skin hook 'em and you don't have to go thru so much plastic...

skillet

[JiggaMan512]

It goes back to the ol' saying "it's what the fish want THAT day at THAT time on THAT body of water."

You just gotta mess around with the fluke.

C-rig

T-rig

Weightless

Jig it

Swim it

Let it drop and sit (like a Senko)

try all of these.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

Personally, I can't buy a bite on a fluke or a fluke type bait...I'll stay with my smoke shad tiki stick as a shad imitator

[Hammer 4]

I just started fluke fishin, I've tried all the methods mentioned above and so far.Zilch!!...but I'ma gonna keep at it, just cuz I like fishin with em.

[farmpond1]

Personally, I like to fish them in shallow"ish" grass and weeds. They can be fished deeper but IMHO, there are usually other baits that work better for that. If you do take them deep, keep the weight to a minimum (carolina rig or drop-shot rig) as it's the light, random "flitting" action which makes them so deadly.

[Rich Tehan]

I like them in shallow-ish grass as well.  Sparse cover is always good and docks are great, especially for skipping. Strike Kings Z2 is good for skipping, but I mostly use Zooms Superfluke.  I almost always fish it weightless on a light wire hook.  I throw it out, twitch it a couple times and let it fall slowly right in their faces.  Be patient.  The slow fall tantalizes them into biting. It's an awesome bait so don't give up on it.  You can definatley catch some good fish on it, especially when they're being finicky.  I put Kick'n'Bass attractant into my fluke bags to "marinate" them.  I believe it helps a lot.  I've put the junior flukes on swimin jigs as a trailer and jerking it gave it an awesome eratic action.  Fish slammed it.  Try that out too.

[kms399]

I went 2 summers with not one fish on a fluke i didn't fish them that hard either but then last year I tried them and I caught so many fish that first day I was hooked. I went out and bought 5 packs of them and they are now my go to bait. I like fishing them more than senkos actually.

[Steven Ladner]

I am still waiting for my first bass on a zoom fluke. I might try it this weekend in a local pond since the weather has warmed up. 8-)

[Tyde one]

Also when your fishing topwater baits such as a spook if the bass hits and misses you can throw the fluke right back in there and tear his head off. They think they have stunned a baitfish and cant resist eatin it up.

[SirSnookalot]

Hate them for freshwater, love them for saltwater.

[drmnbig]

I'm a huge Fluke fisherman.  I was fishing a tournament on Lake Anna a couple years back and couldn't buy a bite on anything including the fluke.  I watched a couple bass chase the fluke but couldn't entice them to bite it.  I just happened to have a few fluke jr's in my bag from a recent smallie trip on a river so I put one on at about 1pm with the tourney ending at 3pm.  I finished with a limit and ended up culling several fish!  I actually made the money that day too!