Pictured below on the left is the new Super Swimmin-Fluke, and on the right, the Super Fluke. Both are excellent choices for striped bass, fluke, as well as freshwater species too. That's the nice thing about plastic baits, you can use them in both fresh and satlwater equally as effective!
One of the more effective split-tail soft plastic baits that are being manufactured today are the Zoom Fluke series, from Zoom Bait Company. Zoom Baits has been making this lure for many years now, and with very good reason- they work!
5-Inch Zoom Fluke
This Fluke is quite possibly the most used bait of the entire series because it is equally effective in saltwater as it is in freshwater. The Zoom Fluke series has a square-type shape to it when compared to other similar types of lures. It’s flat on the top, has relatively square sides to it and then tapers to a long, flat tail, which then flattens out and becomes a “fork” in the tail end. The belly has a slight indentation to it for a hook to fit into, although it’s not what I’d call hollow like many other types of flukes have built into them. It can be rigged with a 4/0 or 5/0 worm hook which seems to work the best on this size bait for most general fishing situations. The worm hook is rigged Texas-,Style, which make the bait almost snag-free and relatively weedless. It can also be fished on a jig head to get it deeper when the fish aren’t near the surface and holding on deeper structure sites.
When selecting a jig head to fish with make sure you choose one that doesn’t overpower or impede the action of the lure itself. This is likely the most common error anglers make when picking out a jig head to fish this bait on. The jig head should fit snugly with little or no space in between the head of the jig and the body of the bait. When that happens the lure will tend to twist and turn over when fishing it. Jigs that have a round or rounder-head shape work the best. If the jig head is flat, then a small piece of the head of the Fluke should be trimmed off so it fits correctly.
One of the newer techniques that has proven to be very effective on largemouth and smallmouth bass in freshwater Pro tournaments is fishing two (2) Zoom Flukes in tandem, or one above the other. A sort of dropper technique that I’d like to think freshwater anglers stole from us. It is also very effective on striped bass, especially school size stripers.
The 5-inch model can also be used as a dropper or trailer above a jig head when fishing for summer flounder. Simply cut a small, thin, strip of squid to place on the hook for scent. As it darts and dives and twists from side to side while jigging, fluke, (the fish type) just can’t seem to resist them. It’s proven to be a very effective technique.
7-Inch Super Fluke
This one is known as the big daddy of fluke baits. It has good size as well as weight for casting and can be cast on spinning or bait casting gear with little to no problem. Most of the time; the larger size bait will draw strikes from bigger fish looking for a mouthful of a meal. Even though this bait is excellent on striped bass, it can also be used in freshwater for large and smallmouth bass as well as northern pike and tiger muskie. Yes, before you say it, those fish with teeth will chew up a soft plastic bait, but as long as you are catching fish, what does it matter?
The bigger Super Fluke can be rigged and fished in the same manner as the smaller version. The hook size will jump to 6/0 or 7/0 size the bigger body, and jig heads will be increased in size as well. Don’t forget to glue on a couple of doll-eyes for an added lifelike appearance to the bait. You’d be surprised how much difference it makes doing this.
Swimming Fluke
New this year, Zoom will be introducing a Zoom Fluke with a swimming or shad tail on the end instead of the traditional Split- Tail. This new bait is more like a long version of a shad body and will have a unique swimming action to it. It should also be just as effective on saltwater fish as well as freshwater species.
For colors I like to stick with the basic colors for saltwater. White, Pearl, Bubble Gum, and black will cover most situations. In freshwater try going to the bland-colors like watermelon, red shads, green pumpkin and such. Remember, light colors on bright days and dull or dark colors on cloudy days or in off-colored
water. For more information on rigging and fishing soft plastic lures, go to (www.shallowwaterstripers.com). Our new E-Books on
rigging these baits and lures is now available on line. “Rigging Tips & Techniques for Soft Plastic’s” is loaded with useful
information on fishing with soft plastics
Capt. Jim White
43 York Drive, Coventry, RI 02816
Pro Staff for Evinrude/Lowrance/Quantum/Wood Boat and Motor
Following are a few hints and tricks I've learned over the years. I hope that you can use some if not all of them to make you a better angler and be more successful.
1. View each day as a new set of problems. You will catch more fish if you do.
2. Pay close attention to the small details. They do make a difference in catching more fish. Watch those knots, hook points, chaffed leaders, etc.
3.Moderate on-shore winds will concentrate the bait along that shoreline. Look there first for gamefish.
4. When it's windy, the will will speed up or slow down the flow of the water. Wind with the tide (faster), wind against the tide (slower).
5.Pilings are best fished the first hour before sunrise or in the evening as the sun goes down. I can't tell you how many fish have been caught inside my harbor doing this each and every year.
6.Learn to tie Loop Knots for poppers, swimmers, flies, jigs, and soft plastics, Your lures and flies will work much better than by adding any type of hardware to the front of it. More life-like, more hits.
7. Use plastic battery boxes to store your gear in. They are great for tools and other supplies. The vented top prohibits moisture build-up which in turn prevents rusting. They are good for lure storage as well as the hooks will last a lot longer.
8.When you see birds flying high overhead it usually indicates that the bait is far too deep and below the surface of the water making it hard for them to get to.
9. When the birds are diving and hitting the water it indicates that the fish are feeding.
10. Birds hovering just above the surface indicates feeding fish below.
11. Come across a bunch of birds just sitting on the water in the middle of nowhere usually means that some sort of activity has just ended and they are waiting for it to resume. When the feeding is complete, the birds will usually leave the area and go to rest on land. Stick around while those birds on sitting on the water.
12. Narrow spool bait casting reels will cast smaller jigs, poppers and swimmers better and farther than the wide spool models. Narrow spool bait casters are also less prone to backlashes since your thumb covers moe of the spools surface during casting. Bass Pro's have known this for decades.
13. Back off your reels drag system after each trip. Your drag will last longer and work better if you do. Keeping the drag tight will compress the drags washers or cork and can cause it to stick or slip when fighting a good fish.
14. Red is the most visible color in water of 10-feet or less in depth.
15. Yellow lures are good in turbid or dirty water and on those cloudy, rainy and overcast days.
16. To keep your line on your spinning reel or bait casting reel soft and limp try a product from Blakemore Lures called, "Line Magic" It lubricates the line and also helps to preserve it was well. You can find it as Bass Pro Shops and other big outlets.
17. Game fish will become concentrated in holes and in channels during periods of low tide. Focus your efforts on these areas to catch more fish. Some of the biggest fish in any given season are taken when the tide is at its lowest.
18. Low tide is also a good time to drift baits at the mouths of rivers or inlets.
19. After making a drift through an area where you have found feeding fish, don't go back through it. Make a wide swing or circle out and around the area so you keep noise and disturbance to a minimum.
20. Fish are cold blooded creatures and therefore they are comfortable at any temperture range. What temperature does and how it effects them is it will either speed up or slow down their feeding activity, but they do still eat no matter how hot or how cold it gets. Its just depends on how much and how often.
When fishing light tackle the use of a "shock leader" can make the difference between landing a good fish or loosing the fish of a lifetime, not to mention an awful lot of fishing tackle. Shock leaders prevent lures from snapping off and it gives the angler something to grab hold of when attempting to land or boat a fish.
A shock leader is nothing more than a length of stronger line tied to the main casting line to assure against breakage and to prevent wear and tear where your line is usually stressed and worn the most-inside the guides as well as the first three feet or so where your line is tied to your lure.
Each time you reel in to make another cast your line usually winds up in the same position inside the guides of the rod. Most fishermen pay little or no attention to this, but each cast you make causes friction from the guides and wears on the line. This constant casting will eventually cause a weak spot in the line unless you take the time to cut back on that portion which is always being worn. When the fish are hitting really well and the bite is hot, this is one thing no one wants to take the time to do or to check while the bite is hot.
When you switch from a light lure to a heavier one it becomes easy to snap it off o nthe first or second cast. We can all, no doubt, recall this event happening more often than we'd like to admit. At today's lure prices, you're looking at 10 to 15 bucks flying freely into the ocean, bay or river system you're fishing.
You can eliminate a lot of these problems by simply attaching a shock leader to your line. Use a leader that is at least two or three times the strength of the main line on the spool. For example, 30-pound test to 15-pound test or 30-pound test to 10-pound test. When you attach your shock leader and your lure is ready to be cast, the line should be long enough so that is wraps on the spool at least twice. This will allow for a smoother cast.
Attach the two lines (line and leader) together by using a blood know, a nail knot or a surgeon's knot. All three knots are good and have a very low failure rate when tied correctly. I like the Surgeon's knot as it is easy and quick to tie and has never failed me on any line attachement that I've ever made. You simply put the two lines side by side and make two or three over hand knots. Then SLOWLY pull the knot tight. It should form a Figure-8 configuration as it tightens. Do this slowly so the two lines seat properly, then snip the tag ends for a clean finish. You can also place a Bimini Twist between the two lines so your line has some extra cushion when a good fish is hooked. The Bimini acts as an elastic band and will stretch as pressure is applied to it. When it's time to land the fish, it is a lot easier and safer to grab a leader of 20,30 or 40-pound test mono than is it to grab 8, 12 or 12-pound test mono
Having a longer leader also guards against loosing a big fish it it should turn sideways to your line or rolls on it like many big fish do. This is a common problem in shallow water situations especially when a big fish is hooked. I've seen 20 to 30-pound stripers roll on the main line or even the 20-pound leader and break it like store string. The gill plates and spines of stripers are very sharp and so are their scales which is line sandpaper.
Using a shock leader is one technique that can help you put more fish in the boat or on the beach, especially when using or fishing with light tackle or fly gear. There is one drawback to going to a heavier leader that is long though. The knot can get caught up in the guides when casting. An awful lot of the rods being manufactureed today for light tackle fishing have very small guides on them, especially the last three or four near the top of the rod. Thirty or forty pound test mono, tied to 15-pound or so makes for a pretty good size knot. This knot will likely get caught-up in one of those smaller guides. Many of the anglers that I know who've fished for years if not decades, have their rods custom built so this isn't a problem. It is something to consider.
The use of a shock leader is also a good idea when using fly fishing tackle. If you intend on landing a good size striper on fly tackle and you are using 10,12 or 15-pound test tippets, with nothing else in-between, you are gonna loose an awful lot of good size fish on a fairly regular basis.
