Fluking is great-big fish, and offshore is lit up.
Yeh, I know, I have not made a post in a while but that is simply because I have been fishing every day. The offshore scene has bee spotty but we have had some good days trolling and last Monday evening we had our first chunking trip. We fished an hour, hooked 6 to 100 lbs, and kept 4. Then 3 guys got sea sick and we came in.
Anyway, that is not what this post is about. In case you haven't heard, the fluking is fantastic and you don't have to go top the Old Grounds. I have been fishing the reefs off our coast, AC, GE, and OC.
The fish are generally big and each trip we have several over 20". They are in the deep water from 50-70 feet and almost every one has been caught right on the structure on the reef.
The trick is to be able to feel the structure and lift the baits over the structure and then allow it to settle down again. The fish are hitting as you lift or drop on the other side. I have found that a graphite baitcasting outfit with 50 lb braid is the ticket. You can feel the structure and drop back so easily that even folks on my charters who have never done it, catch on easily. My rigs are a single hook on a 2 1/2 foot leader with a Kahle 3/0 SS hook and a Tsunami 4" glow squid. The combo is deadly!. I tie the rigs on 60 lb. leaders so I can either pull the rig out of the snag or straighten the hook and have it come free. I fish as light a weight as possible since I want it to just tick over the structure and not get buried. Even today in 65 feet we used 3 oz. That is a real advantage of the braided line.
As far as bait goes, Bigger is better. An 8" piece of squid with a minnow is OK but a piece of meat like bluefish, false albacore, bonito, shark, or any other bait it is legal to use has been UNBELIEVABLE! When you feel the take, you have to drop back a couple of feet to allow the fish to eat that huge bait but it is worth it!
Heck I even have had a chance to catch a couple while showing the folks how to do it!
This fish was my largest ever, He was 31 1/2 inches long but only weighed 10 lb. 3 oz. I did have a 30" fish 26 years ago that weighed 12 lbs but this was a bit skinny. Hey, Who cares, he was a biggun!
I hope that you can see the rig in this pic because it is really a simple setup that works like a charm. I am sure that everyone has their own rigs and methods but all I wanted to do was share the info and I hope that it helps you all catch a few more of these beautiful fish.
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