5x Fluke Limit from Shore

[reason162]

Just a little teaser before the season opens
Video - https://youtu.be/sHwLIg0yQb4

[Gerry Zagorski]

Hey now!!

[reason162]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

Hey now!!

[Capt. Debbie]

Impressive

[Broad Bill]

Definitely a very amazing video and more impressive technique. I would never have thought to use jerk baits for fluke. I know they're a more aggressive fish than most people realize but I would never have even considered a jerk bait. I assume a drop off of some kind near shore is important, water depth is important, time of year, bait and water temps factor into this. Is this more of a spring time technique when migrating fluke push into the back bays with warmer water temps and bait supply is abundant or do you use it all summer long?

Fluke are an amazing fish in terms of range. They're found in or around the canyons in the winter and in a few feet of water in the spring. Pretty incredible range and resilience. Cool stuff and great job coming up with the idea, like I said I would have never thought of it in a million years.

Just curious, did you plan on trying it out for fluke, read about it or just happen upon it by luck? Either way, great stuff and very cool vid!

Fyi, years ago on the Long Branch pier there would be days where fluke would follow your strip all the way to the surface in 25 - 30 foot depths so when they're in the mood they will definitely chase a presentation, strip or artificial.

[reason162]

Originally Posted by Capt. Debbie

Impressive

Thanks!

[reason162]

Originally Posted by Broad Bill

Definitely a very amazing video and more impressive technique. I would never have thought to use jerk baits for fluke. I know they're a more aggressive fish than most people realize but I would never have even considered a jerk bait. I assume a drop off of some kind near shore is important, water depth is important, time of year, bait and water temps factor into this. Is this more of a spring time technique when migrating fluke push into the back bays with warmer water temps and bait supply is abundant or do you use it all summer long?

Fluke are an amazing fish in terms of range. They're found in or around the canyons in the winter and in a few feet of water in the spring. Pretty incredible range and resilience. Cool stuff and great job coming up with the idea, like I said I would have never thought of it in a million years.

Just curious, did you plan on trying it out for fluke, read about it or just happen upon it by luck? Either way, great stuff and very cool vid!

Fyi, years ago on the Long Branch pier there would be days where fluke would follow your strip all the way to the surface in 25 - 30 foot depths so when they're in the mood they will definitely chase a presentation, strip or artificial.

Thanks!

I sort of look at fluke as a flat LMB/SMB - at least when targeting them shallow from land or kayak/boat. They live on the bottom but they feed up, and anything that stays in that 1-4ft zone off the bottom is fair game.

The jerkbait is definitely situational - early season when the water is cold it's more of a crapshoot, but if you cover enough water you'll find a fluke or 2 that wants to chase. Presence of baitfish, clean water, and preferably a high sun/wind chop on the surface all increase your odds of a good day. Very similar to JB fishing in freshwater, or any reaction bait...calm slick conditions are usually bad for that kind of thing, though fluke are a lot less discerning than heavily pressured bass

[Broad Bill]

Cool! As they say, there's a time and place for everything and you certainly figured this technique out. Great job!

[Billfish715]

Interesting technique. Catching fluke from the beach on AVA’s or other metals dragged across the bottom is not unusual, so using a jerk bait fished in the zone is worth a shot for a change of pace. Catching them in the back bays or estuaries on plugs might be fun if the plug gets deep enough. I have caught fluke in the Manasquan along the shallows next to the channels on rattle traps while fishing for weakfish at dusk into dark. It wasn’t a targeted species and only happened a few times, but it was fun……..and the fluke were rather large.

[reason162]

Originally Posted by Billfish715

Interesting technique. Catching fluke from the beach on AVA’s or other metals dragged across the bottom is not unusual, so using a jerk bait fished in the zone is worth a shot for a change of pace. Catching them in the back bays or estuaries on plugs might be fun if the plug gets deep enough. I have caught fluke in the Manasquan along the shallows next to the channels on rattle traps while fishing for weakfish at dusk into dark. It wasn’t a targeted species and only happened a few times, but it was fun……..and the fluke were rather large.

For w/e reason the hardbaits do catch big fish. I started messing around with jerkbaits in 2020, narrowing down the selection from my freshwater JB box and refining the retrieves/cadences for flatfish. Since then I've had 8 fish over 6lbs and a pair of high 7s on the jerkbaits, all from shore - https://youtu.be/bI2OUF6T_io

Lipless crankbaits also get bit, but it's more situational in my experience - https://youtu.be/vHeoVWIzm8U

Day in day out nothing beats the 1/4oz single jig tipped with a 6" gulp jerk shad (https://youtu.be/5Lt96zIO1gg)...but when they're set up the right way and you have the right conditions, I have the most fun catching fluke on reaction baits.