Introduction to Fluke Fishing

You will find very few east coast fishermen who do not take pleasure in fishing for fluke.  Flounder, a breed of flat fish also known as “fluke” with a personality never to be forgotten, are a first-class catch for fishermen. Proficient at hiding, they are so speedy and crafty that they are quite often mistaken for shadows.  These delicious white fish are not tasty but also incredible fighters, giving rise to an extraordinary fishing experience.

In the northeast you can find flounder near the shorelines as early as May. The warmer the water the more likely you are to find them hiding out seeking their favorite foods – sand eels, squid and other baitfish – and they can generally be found in shallow beach waters, bays and tidal river mouths.  In the dead of summer, you can find flounder lurking as close as 30 feet from shore – or as far away as 120 feet.  They like to stay in water temperatures that they are comfortable in but where food isn’t too far away. The cooler the temperatures, the closer to the shore they’ll be found.  In the late fall, you’re going to find them making their annual trek down the coast towards the warmer waters on the Atlantic coast.  Fluke are not fond of northeast winters.

Like fishing for any other type of fish, you probably have your own distinctive approach to fluke fishing, mostly dependent on the water’s depth. When fishing throughout the earliest and latest months of the season, you will probably do best in the shallows, typically at a deepness of roughly 20 feet (or less).  It’s best to opt for regular tackle or a spinning rod.  You should rig the jigs with squid, generally in the 1-4 oz range, then cast the rig directly down from the boat, which should be drifting at this time.  You have to be sure that the jig is weighted sufficiently to sink toward the waterbed where the fluke feed.

How you work the jig is vital, and this should be done by using the boat’s drifting motion to signal when to raise and lower the jig.  Typically, it should be raised and lowered a foot or two from the waterbed by simply adjusting the tip of your rod.  Then, you can drop the jig gradually to draw the most attention.

If this method fails, you may decide to utilize the snap method, which is most useful when managing a school of lazy fish, seeing as it grabs their attention. The snap method is very easy for you to use: just let the line reach the bottom of the waterbed then snap it back.  Let the line go limp, and this motion will catch the attention of even the laziest fluke.

Once you have caught your first fluke you’ll want to see if you can pinpoint your location. Depending on what equipment you have you will find great success in this.  You can do this by triangulating and of course the best method is a GPS system.  The GPS systems are literally indispensable when you’re trying to lock in on a school of fluke.

Once the season starts to heat up, fluke will start wandering away from the shore line.  In this instance, you’ll want to switch over to target fishing.  This will require spinner rigs which are fun to design or you can but them in any good bait and tackle shop.  Most people find that they would rather experiment with a number of different pre-made spinners until they find their preference. Once they find what they prefer, most fishermen want to make their own spinner rigs.

Spinner rigs are not complicated.  They are primarily three eyes.  The main eye connects to the main line, then a sinker is attached to the second eye, and the final eye holds a leader.  For those who are trying to get the most of out of their spinners, beads and a spinner blade are placed above the hook.  Favorite bait and sinkers help ensure that the line will stay in proximity to the waterbed and create not only a visual queue and a vibration that will get the attention of the laziest fluke.  When your boat drifts, the spinner blade rotates ahead of your hook and creates this queue. 

On trips that you are trying to catch a larger number of fluke, it’s smart to utilize a mixture of techniques.  Deeper water rigs can be helpful as the fluke migrate to the cooler waters later in the season.  These rigs can allow you to catch fluke easily and quickly.  Following these brief and easy tips can assure that you will at least know how to catch those tasty fluke.

When Fluke fishing it is important the use proper equipment, some supplies to consider are Penn Fishing Reels and Shimano Fishing Reels.