Flukes Strike Again

11-1-20

As I struggled to find what the fish were biting on that night, I knew one thing.  If I tied on a Rat L Trap lure, I had a good chance of a strike.  As I continued to cast, I began to doubt that any fish would want the lure until, “Bam, fish on!”  “Stop doubting yourself!”  I yelled out loud.  The bite on this night at the Silverwood Marina was far from good action, or should I say the beginning of the fishing session was rather slow, but picked up by the night’s end with some tackle adjustments.

“Just maybe,” I thought as I tied on a jig-headed Fluke to see if the fish wanted that lure instead.  Cast after cast, the only action I had was from holding my fishing rod in a vertical position.  I realized the fish didn’t want any lures on the direct bottom.  I began to think that I could catch a few more fish, maybe if I tried a new presentation. Something where my lure was not directly on the bottom, and maybe just below the surface of the water.

I didn’t come up with the concept on my own, but with the direction of a fellow fisherman.  We met up to do some fishing that night, and he showed me how to set up a weightless fluke when I questioned him about it.  Basically, he inspired me to try a weightless fluke for at least the hour and a half of fishing we had left in us.  At the end of the fishing session, I landed 3 more Stripers to end with a total of 4 Stripers.  I was happy that I tried something new for once, usually I get stuck on one lure and do not change.

Most of the fish I caught last week were landed on this strategy/technique (7/13 Stripers).  The tackle needed:  1 water bobber, small swivel, one off-set hook with a 4-inch Fluke.  Honestly, I was so hooked on this fishing method, I tried it out in all of my fishing sessions for the week (3 total).  In every outing it worked, and that says a lot about what lures are working best.

I met some of my friends in the Cleghorn area to do some fishing, and believe it or not I was able to land one small Striper there on a jerkbait.  One of guys was not feeling well within the hour, so we all packed up and hiked back out to let our friend go.  One friend was not feeling the idea of catching nothing and stated, “I want to fish some more.”  Upon hearing that, I jumped at the thought of fishing just a few more hours.

We decided to switch locations to the Marina, I was instantly surprised to catch a few more.  I caught a Striper instantly on a weightless Fluke, but not only did I tie the weightless Fluke I tied a jerkbait as well.   The Stripers showed more interest in the jerkbait, as I was able to land 4 more Stripers off the dock.  It was nice to see that my buddy caught one on a Rapala jerkbait as well.  It was an awesome night out there gazing at a pretty cool looking full moon, but filled with sounds of various creatures of the night which had me on the edge.

I spent one night fishing session at the Marina for a a few hours on my own. I landed 3 Stripers on the weightless Fluke technique. All of these fishing sessions this week helped me to realize that I can at least fish a fluke two different ways and have some success.

If you’re looking to land some Stripers soon, go get this tackle:  jerkbait lures (any kind), 1/8-ounce jig heads and some 4-inch Flukes, or the weightless Fluke option (water bobbers, swivels, and off set hooks with 4-inch Flukes).  Best of luck to you out there, I hope you land your personal best.

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