HOW WOULD YOU CATCH THEM????? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

GBOUTDOORS · 07-25-2002, 09:48 PM

Jane and I took the boat out tonight and found a very large school of BIG fluke chasing bait and breacking water all over. I had no bait so I tried jigs of all kinds with rubber trailers of all kinds with out much luck. I did get two really nice fish about 5-6lbs to hit on a 11/2 oz white smiling bill jig but lost both at the boat

What would you have used other than bait as I had none. These fluke stayed up for about an hour or more and it was great to watch but it would have been even better if some had come home for dinner

I will have bait next time. These where the largest fluke I have ever seen some had to be 10-12lbs. So what else should I have thrown at them???

nor-easter · 07-25-2002, 09:56 PM

Come on GB, you know the best way to catch any fish is to use a darn HOOK!
If they were up on the surface then hit then with the smallest popper or swimmer. A musaluke wobbler works. Don't try to pick them up to get them in the boat like that cause the hook pulls out and you lose them! Oh, I guess you know that, don't you!
Use a small gaff, up in the head, if they are keeper size. Or a landing net. Frustrating isn't it!

GBOUTDOORS · 07-25-2002, 10:11 PM

Thanks Chet I will try the hook thing next time

I was off a local beach with only 4-6 feet of water and could watch the fluke swimming by, they had a large school of bait balled up and kept them that way most of the night. This was the first time I have seen fluke do this but I had heard of it before. What a great sight to see such large fish swim all around the boat

Clammer · 07-25-2002, 11:22 PM

small plastic/keep swiching til you figure which is the best

big net

bloocrab · 07-25-2002, 11:35 PM

.....pSSSSSSSSSSSSST.....

....greg, try one of these....

GBOUTDOORS · 07-26-2002, 05:58 AM

Bloo Jane asked for a net so she could scoop them up as they swam by but I had not brought one. We had gone out for dinner on the boat and a little r/r. I always bring a few rods and the tackle bag but not always the net

After trying everything in the bag Jane said to try to spear them with the rod tip it would be easyer

JohnR · 07-26-2002, 07:17 AM

Bloo - LMAO!

Hey, you were able to get out! I got a fluke last week going for bass but it was an inch shy... Oh well

Got Stripers · 07-26-2002, 12:19 PM

I would have thrown my mainstay, the 5-1/2 inch split-tail in smoke, especially after I saw a 19 inch fluke smash the 7-1/2 inch version this spring. If that didn't do the trick, I might go to the same color, but in the 6-1/2 inch Half Jerk. Those things are pretty agressive, so I'd almost just fish like they were breaking schoolies, just adjust the plastic offering until I got them dialed in.

fishweewee · 07-26-2002, 12:32 PM

Well, if you're feeling lazy as the weather gets hotter...

This works equally well on scup, sea bass, and 'tog.

Useful for fending off da choggies too.

Goose · 07-26-2002, 03:39 PM

I've got them from shore on needle eels, mega baits(3/4oz), and diamond jigs(1oz). I would go with a larger hook then what it comes with. Work that bottom Greg, bait and spinners.

Dav · 07-26-2002, 03:44 PM

I've heard squid strips or the belly skin after you catch the first fluke. Small weight a few small spinners and probably good idea to put a hook if you want to catch them.

TheSpecialist · 07-26-2002, 04:11 PM

Bucktail tipped with Mario Squid Strip. Gary Corsetti sells his hand tied fluke jigs they are killer.

Slipknot · 07-26-2002, 05:46 PM

why didn't you try that Smackit popper?

Scotch Bonnet · 07-26-2002, 07:47 PM

I would love to see that! I think of Fluke as a lazy bottom fish but appearently not!

TheSpecialist · 07-26-2002, 11:09 PM

Fluke are deffinately not lazy bottom fish. I caught quite a few this year on yozuri crystal minnows. The fluke were coming 3-5 feet off the bottom and were chasing the plugs in.

likwid · 07-26-2002, 11:55 PM

tactical nukes work well

and they come cooked!

Canalratt1 · 07-27-2002, 08:34 AM

So just where is this beach???? Try small swimming plugs

GBOUTDOORS · 07-27-2002, 09:25 AM

Slip I tried the smakit first as I thought they were bass or blues till we got close and could see them swim all around the boat! I think the hand granade would have been the best bet as I tried every thing else

If I had some small swimmers I think they would have worked the best as they were chasing small silversides or sand eels.

CR1 the beach is off Dartmouth and has a small stream that empties into the bay. The tide was low and coming in the SE wind was blowing the bait into shore and the fluke had the bait balled up at the mouth to the stream. Even though I did not get any in the boat we had a great time watching this unfold for over an hour. I now have some squide baits in the boat for the next time!!!!

Mr. Sandman · 07-27-2002, 09:57 AM

I've only seen fluke break the water chasing something once or twice. and even then it was just a single fish here a single fish there type of thing...It sounds like you got into a school of feeding fluke ...kewl! A rare event for sure. I would have tried either a white bucktail with a long belly strip, or a med. size slugo on a small jighead.

I once saw a flounder jump out of the water only to see a bass nail it a few feet later.

I have got to find time to get out flukin again...I have been eating fluke a lot recently... nice table fish.

A friend of mine went out on a party boat flukin the 2 or 3 days ago out of Point Judith...He said he the numbers were not great but he never saw so many big fish caught on a trip ever.