Big fluke mean big fish

[Asbury Park Press]

It's no secret: Big live baits catch monster "mats" out in the frequently fished waters of New Jersey, especially as the summer wears on. Given the new regulations, an 18-inch keeper is going to be a challenge, but by thinking big and utilizing some different strategies, more will end up on the dinner table. We all want to catch more big fluke and these tactics are proven tournament-winning methods that entice bigger summer flounder. Squid and spearing, and squid and killies will catch a lot fish, but to score a keeper you must do a little bit of extra leg work. Most store-bought squid are the small 6-inch variety and when trimmed produce a strip 3- to 4-inches long. For bigger baits, spend the extra money and purchase a few of the larger rigging squid packaged for offshore trolling. A bait up to 7 to 8 inches in length can be hewn from these bigger baits. If you can't find rigging squid, try fishing a whole squid on a tandem hook rig, securing the mantle or tail with the lead hook and pinning the trailer hook near the head. Squid swim backward and should be drifted through the water in this manner. Shorts will tug on the squid, but a big fluke will open that huge, toothy maw and inhale the works. Peruvian smelt are another alternative to the standard small spearing. These baits, sold at area tackle shops, are just as long as the big squid strips and make a killer big-fluke offering when paired. Hook the strip and the big smelt up through both lips so that the mouth doesn't open. Other large strip baits can be sliced from mackerel and sea robins. Large sand eels are important forage. Pick the biggest or double up on them. I have had great luck pairing a real sand eel with a Gulp! sand eel. During the summer, we arrive at the dock armed with trout-sized rods and sling 1/12 oz. Kastmasters off the jetty or dock. Many boat owners do not want you doing this on the boat, in and around dock lines. Many a mate can attest to having gotten treble-hooked when reaching for a spring line, so ask the dockmaster or captain if this is acceptable. Small snapper bluefish attack the spoons with all of the fury and tenacity of their larger brethren. Pinching down the barbs of the trebles makes unhooking much easier. After the snappers go into a 5-gallon pail, it's time to go in search of the next item on the morning menu with a cast net. Searching dockside, I look for telltale bubbles and a flash of peanut bunker. With one or two casts of the net, the bucket is promptly filled. Once on board we assemble the live well, which consists of a large cooler or round tub rigged with an aerator and a good-sized deep-cycle battery. People arriving for the morning's fishing wonder why we lug such heavy equipment on board and go through all this trouble, but after a few drifts our catch speaks for itself. Bunker and snapper blues require a lot of oxygen and there is nothing worse than putting in the effort to procure choice baits only to have them die when the battery goes dead halfway through a trip. Do not make the mistake of putting too many baits in one live well as they deplete the oxygen and knock the scales off of each other, causing them to lose their vigor. Now armed with a few dozen snappers and twice as many bunker, it's time to ready the tackle for the morning's drifts. Conventional tackle in the 12- to 20-pound range is the norm, as it gives us better control when dropping big baits down and feeding the bigger bait to a fish when a strike is felt. Longer rods in the 7- to 8-foot range with a soft action are the go-to weapons. The captains I talked to all recommended braided line over mono, as it allows the angler to fish a lighter sinker and detect more bites. The braid can cut 1- to 2-ounces off the weight required to maintain constant contact with the bottom, which is a must while fluking. Taking a page out of the troller's handbook, I use an Albright knot to tie on a 10-yard top shot of 20-pound fluorocarbon before threading on a sliding fish-finder rig. The fish finder allows the sinker to slide up the line. You want that big flattie to suck down a big bait and if it feels any resistance it will often just mouth the bait, turning it into a scaled mess or chopping it clean in half. Next, thread on a small glass or plastic bead, which prevents the fish finder and sinker from banging directly on the clinch knot used to tie on a small barrel swivel. I have experimented with various leader materials and have found that 20- to 30-pound triple-fish camouflage leader seems to work best in the bay's turbid waters. Out in the ocean and on the offshore lumps, fluorocarbon gets the nod. Snell a size 2/0 octopus-style, live-bait hook to the leader and it's time to catch fluke. When the drift is fast shorten the leader to a foot or so and lengthen the leader to 2-1/2 feet or so when the drift is slow. Once at the fishing grounds, in the deepest part of the channel, we drop the lip-hooked snappers with 4-ounce sinkers to the bottom. We feel the bait fish kicking on the end of our lines, lifting the rod tip every so often to keep in contact with the bottom. Many describe a biting summer flounder as a "hanger", when it feels as if there is extra weight on the upstroke of the rod, but a fluke that attacks a 6-inch bait is anything but a "hanger." With thumbs on the free spool lever, we wait for a solid thump, which signals that a larger specimen has taken the bait. Once that is felt, let the line out for a few seconds in free spool and lock the reel up. This is known as your standard drop back. The larger the bait, the longer the drop back. Slowly lift the rod tip to see if the fish is still there. Not only is there dead weight, but a solid tugging on the end of the line. Wind tight and set the hook with a firm and powerful upswing of the rod or, if using effective circle hooks, apply a steady retrieve. This is where the longer rod really gives you leverage in hooking a fluke. The rod bows down to the water line in an arc as the weight of the fish is felt. The first few seconds of a fluke fight are critical as a big fluke creates suction on the bottom with its thick flat body. Instead of pumping the rod and winding wildly on the reel, exert steady pressure while winding slowly, keeping the rod bent. After a few drag-pulling runs and a spirited battle, a nice 5 pounder is led headfirst into the net. Of late, Raritan Bay, Absecon Inlet and The Old Grounds off Delaware Bay have produced some of New Jersey's largest summer flounder. These areas are also known for producing up to 10 shorts, or sub-legal-sized fluke for every 18-inch keeper, and scaling up your baits gives you a better chance at filling your fridge with fillets. Tides can rip in and out of the bay often necessitating the use of heavier sinkers. As a general rule, if over 8 ounces in needed, stash the live baits for later in the tide and fish more conventional strip baits that have less drag underwater. The fluke just don't have time to eat these big live baits baits as they zing past. The window of opportunity for big-bait live lining can be small, so be prepared. Captain Rob Semkewyc of the Atlantic Highlands party boat Sea Hunter, consistently finds big fluke. Semkewyc learned the business from his father and religiously catches really big flat fish. "I once had a crew come down here with a 50 gallon drum, and I told them no!" said Semkewyc, in reference to their over-sized bait tank. "You can keep at least 10 snappers alive with a 5-gallon pail and a Mr. Bubbles aerator," said Semkewyc. He prefers to keep it simple when drifting for the big ones. When I first started sailing with him he told me that, "you have to have your bait down there at the right time and the right tide with the right rig." On opening day last year fluke came over the rail in spurts. Even though big baits weren't in season, a big jumbo killie and big spearing got all the bites, when fished in tandem with a belly strip taken from a legal fluke. Down south, Captain Rob Jeminey is a fluke specialist with his Cape May charter boat First Cast. He likes to use the longer, thicker Pro-Cut squid strips and will split the tail section to provide more flutter. He is also an opportunist when it comes to bigger baits while plying Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds. "At times the fluke will have a tail sticking of its mouth and I will pull a long needlefish from its jaws with the pliers and put it back down on a hook," he said. He also likes to use the tentacles of squid that others seem to avoid using for bait. It provides a larger profile and attracts larger fluke. He said that patience is the key in allowing the fish to inhale the bait, often pausing for three or four seconds longer than the usual drop-back. As for areas he finds a lot of summer flounder right on the edges of the wreck where the sand piles up. "They will sit on these edges and when the tide slacks up will often take big buck tails fished on sensitive braided line over other traditional baits like minnows," he added. Tide is key when fluking and if the drift gets too fast, throw out a drift sock to slow the boat down. Fluke will chase a bait and hunt it down, but not if it's hurtling by at a few knots. Ambrose Channel in Raritan Bay is noted for producing large fluke, but at the same time there is often a notoriously fast drift. Small boaters can control drift speed by raising or lowering Bimini tops, which act as a sail, or by setting out a few makeshift drift socks in the form of a tandem of 5-gallon pails tied at stem and one at stern on a few feet of dock line. When the drift is slow or you have wind against the tide (the fluke's enemy), use the engine to power-drift productive areas like shell beds, humps and channel edges. Big fluke hang out near craggy structure on the down-tide side and even if you lose a few rigs, be persistent because chances are the big fish will strike if you don't get hung up. Fluke do not seem to be disturbed by engine noise and by bumping the boat in and out of gear, you can cover more water. The bigger fluke seem to prefer isolation or hang out in small groups and it is not uncommon to have multiple hookups in one small area after covering a good deal of unproductive water. If all that is hitting your baits are those nasty spider crabs and skates, it's time to bump the boat around.

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