"The Kill Zone" - New Fluke Feeding Video - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Fish_Eye · 11-13-2006, 05:03 AM

Hi Folks,

I produced a video I call "The Kill Zone" and it shows how and where fluke hunt their prey.

It's a compilation of several dives and it shows how cunning these Ninja-like fish are. IMHO fluke are far more savage than bluefish and their ability to blend into the bottom is nothing short of amazing. If you want to see a 3 minute long video that shows fish with attitude, check out http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/sa...ew_fluke_video

BTW I just completed the much anticipated "Stripers Gone Wild" DVD and it should be available just after Thanksgiving. After six years of acquiring footage and countless re-edits, I think I've got a product that will get you through the post season. Thanks for your patience.

Let me know your thoughts on the fluke video.

Mike

Raven · 11-13-2006, 05:28 AM

amazing... to say the least.....

it would appear the suspending presentation
a few feet off the bottom for lures....

would be a good technique.

their camoflage is incredible!

Fish_Eye · 11-13-2006, 06:01 AM

Raven,

One fluke has a slight streak down the center of its back; if you look to the right of the flounder you will see a similar streak of sand amidst the weed, sand and rocks. You have to wonder how they mange to ascertain what the entire scope of their surroundings look like in order to select the right color and pattern combo.

I’ve noticed that when they are on a mud bottom, with scattered black mussel shells, they will almost always take on the color of the bottom, but they will also create a black patch around their eyes and mouth. I guess they want some hapless bait fish to come investigate the black “shell” to see if there might be a morsel for them to eat…that puts them right in the kill zone.

The best fluke fishermen I know are masters at keeping their offerings right on the bottom…that often means power drifting with the engine in reverse to stem the effect of wind on the drift. The closer you can come to matching the exact speed of the current, the easier it will be to keep your bait directly under the boat.

It would appear that fluke have an effective striking distance of about one and a half fish lengths; drift too fast and your offering goes through the kill zone too quickly; let the line get away from the boat and allow the current to create a belly in the line and it will be too far off the bottom for them to invest the energy it takes to strike. Of course there are times when they are so downright hungry or obsessed with eating your offering, they will follow the jig or bait right to the surface. You got to love em’, and they taste so darn good.

Mike

vanstaal · 11-13-2006, 06:03 AM

great work

zacs · 11-13-2006, 09:14 AM

Fantastic Video!

ProfessorM · 11-13-2006, 09:36 AM

Great video. Can't wait to see the whole thing. Fluke fishing has slowly replaced stripers as my favorite species to fish for. P.

Sluggoslinger · 11-13-2006, 03:43 PM

I WILL be buying the Striper Vid as soon as it is released...

fish4striper · 11-13-2006, 03:55 PM

Great stuff Mike. Incredible detail you catch.

riverrat2 · 11-13-2006, 04:35 PM

That is nuts! I didn't know fluke were such ferocious feeders, alot quicker than i thought they would be too. Thanks a lot for that

MakoMike · 11-13-2006, 04:47 PM

Mike,
Great video, will you be coming out with something just oin fluke? If you do even TT might be able to catch one or two, in between keeping the dogfish off my line!

BigFish · 11-13-2006, 04:49 PM

Fluke Gone Wild!!???

afterhours · 11-13-2006, 04:56 PM

blue can.

mikecc · 11-13-2006, 06:22 PM

To Bad Fluke May be closed next year.

tynan19 · 11-13-2006, 08:13 PM

Nice work Mike!

trapperpierre · 11-13-2006, 09:46 PM

The fluke's ability to rotate 360 degrees via the perimeter "finnage" is fantastic. Great footage. The advice to fish close to bottom -aided by power drifting-is right on target. You can thank the implementation of this method to two RI stiper anglers. One of the two developers of this method recently caught two stripers that weighted nearly 60 pounds each. His daughter holds the 80 pound class women IGFA striper with a 57+ pounder. The other co-developer has taken striped bass with weights of 64 & 66 pounds. We further refined this method to catch fluke. A while back, a RI charter captain discussed this method on a regional TV fishing show to catch large fluke over at the Vineyard-he learned from us. Not being a diver myself, it great to see what is going on down below. We all are contibutors to this wonderful world of saltwater angling!

PrisonFish · 11-14-2006, 08:57 AM

Great video! Will Stripers Gone Wild be available on DVD? Awesome work!

Fish_Eye · 11-14-2006, 12:40 PM

Thanks for the kind words regarding the fluke video, and yes, there will eventually be a fluke fishing video, but only after I release at least 7 new DVDs that will follow Stripers Gone Wild...and yes PrisonFish, SGW will be a DVD.

mikecc, I hear what you’re saying about us being on the verge of severely restrictive fluke fishery come next year. I wrote to all my representatives and urged moderation and a sensible balance when it comes to restoring the fluke fishery. I urge everyone that fishes for fluke to continue to keep the pressure on and let your representatives know how important this fishery is to you. Support the RFA and its efforts to lobby on behalf of us as anglers, as well as the charter industry and retailers whose businesses will suffer significantly if inflexible limits are set.

Trapperpierre, I know the guys you’re referring to and they, like a number of other savvy anglers, have focused on traditional methods of catching fish and have refined those procedures to the point where it’s skill and not luck that produces fish consistently. There’s an old military maxim: "amateurs discuss strategy; experts discuss logistics”

It’s my goal to produce videos that (in DVD format these days) reveal the somewhat secret lives of fish to give anglers greater insight into what makes them tick. After all, the more you know about your quarry AND the more you know about your quarry’s quarry, the more fish you’ll catch. I also toss in some hot fishing action to get you stoked to the max. I want to produce work that you’ll want to watch over and over again…to that end I’m giving the viewer the option to watch the video with and without narration; that way, after you’ve heard what I have to say you can enjoy the gorgeous scenery (above and below water) and watch stripers going wild to the sounds of screaming reels, screeching gulls and crashing waves, with music that complements the mood. Hopefully your entire family will enjoy the show and perhaps it will motivate a few kids to put down the video game joy stick and pick up a rod.

Mr. Sandman · 11-16-2006, 12:17 PM

I can't imagine seeing that while holding your breath. I was startled just watching the video, when the fluke bursts out I inhaled myself...to see it live must be really something. No wonder it feels like a savage hit when they strike. Thanks for bringing that to us. I know it will tweek my presentation a bit. I will be showing it to the kids before dinner tonight... (I think I will serve fluke

) They always asking questions about how they find/eat our offering while fishing.

I have a friend who catches some nice fluke from the surf with a fly rod at night! He says they are amazinglg agressive and will actually jump. I think he has gotten them up to the 4-5# range too.

I stepped on either a fluke or a flounder while scalloping yesterday and it BOLTED out of the sand and freeked me out.

they can move when they want to.