Experienced bass anglers know that giving the fish something they don’t see every weekend improves the odds of a strike. And while everyone else throws every variety of crankbait, jerkbait, Senko, and spinner, they reach for something else.
What’s that magic alternative, you ask?
The fluke!
Shaped like a fish and sporting a wriggling, vibrating tail, the fluke is a versatile soft plastic that can be rigged and fished like a Senko or worm, ripped like a jerkbait, or equipped with a spinner or scrounger head to offer something entirely new.
The results are amazing, and you need to give the fluke a try the next time you hit the water.
But if you’re not sure how to fish a fluke, keep reading!
We’ll cover the basics and get you up to speed in no time.
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What is a Fluke?
My secret weapon? “Watermelon Red Pearl!”
Flukes are simple soft plastic jerk baits with a streamlined shape and long, thin, forked tail.
That basic shape and size mimics prey items like shad and bluegill, and from any angle, that’s the silhouette that gets bass thinking dinner time.
But that long tail is magic, offering subtle vibrations that take almost nothing to get thumping.
Fluke size and color: your best options
No company makes a better fluke than Zoom, and whether you prefer the standard, the super salty, or the Magnum, they’ve got you covered with colors that work.
My preference is to run a 5-inch fluke for largemouth, skipping the big boys and leaving the tiny flukes for crappie.
I find that this length is big enough to get attention and I like how it works in the water.
My favorite colors include “Watermelon Red Pearl”, “Albino”, “Smokin Shad”, and “Chartreuse Pearl”.
Vary your color choice to reflect the water conditions you encounter.
I choose “Watermelon Red Pearl” and “Smokin Shad” in clear water, where their natural hues and eye-catching flakes are just what I need. “Albino” and “Chartreuse Pearl” are my stained and muddy water arsenal, offering plenty of color against a muted background.
Fluke Tackle: Rod, Reel, and Line
If I’m fishing a power technique like Texas or Carolina rigging, you’ll find me working a medium-heavy rod with a fast tip.
One of my favorites is the Dobyns Fury Series FR 703C. It’s affordably priced, light, strong, and sensitive. It’ll turn heads on and under the water, and it’s what you’re looking for when you’re working the bottom with a slow-moving technique that relies more on a hard hookset than true finesse.
Here at USAngler, we’re also big fans of St. Croix, and the St. Croix Mojo Bass is simply a great rod for the money. It loads and casts well, fights like Mike Tyson in his prime, and delivers premium performance without breaking the bank.
Pair these rods with a quality casting reel like the high-speed version of the Daiwa Tatula CT, and don’t look back.
For finesse techniques, spinning tackle is definitely the way to go as it offers superior casting with light rigs and much greater sensitivity.
For my flukes, I prefer a 6 ½- to 7-foot rod in medium light to medium power, like the St. Croix Premier. I’m looking for a fast action to provide extra sensitivity, and of course, that rod will be wearing a high-quality spinning reel like a Shimano Vanford or Pflueger President.
In clear water, I reach for high-quality fluorocarbon leaders, backed by strong braid.
20-pound Power Pro or Sufix 832 is never amiss for either technique, and I typically use a leader made from 15- to 20-pound Seaguar InvizX to provide some shock absorption. That fluoro is also really tough stuff, and it’ll cut down on break-offs due to abrasion.
It’s also great for line-shy fish when the water looks like liquid glass.
Hot Fluke Techniques
Flukes work best when they’re nice and straight, but they’ll often come cramped and curved in a package.
Don’t worry. Just heat up some water in a pot, get it just boiling, and drop your flukes in for 10 to 15 seconds. Scoop them out and they’ll be ready to go!
Jerk it weightless
Flukes are essentially soft plastic jerkbaits, so treat them like one.
Rig your fluke of choice on a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG worm hook, keeping the pint just sliding along the outside of your bait.
Unless I’m working heavy cover, I rig my weightless flukes with the hook point exposed.
Flukes are at their best when that tail is free to wriggle, and erratically jerking a fluke just under the surface imitates panicked shad or minnows.
Vary your cadence with quick pops and pauses.
That’ll call bass up for a look, no question about it!
You can also let your weightless fluke slowly sink to the bottom, and give it a pop before pausing for 2 to 3 seconds. This will create a chaotic darting action that loops and swirls just feet off the bottom, and I promise you the bass won’t ignore that action!
Just take a look at 1:50:
Final Thoughts
Flukes don’t get the attention they deserve, especially as a fantastic finesse trailer.
Put this to the test; go ahead and swap your 5-inch Senko for a Zoom fluke and see if you don’t get hit more often, rigged just the same way!
Chances are, you’ll be a believer in no time.
Source: usangler.com