Best Fluke Bait Ever

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by Joey Dah Fish

You can conserve more and have less casualties when to buck tail. But that's none of my business

Bucktailing is not for everyone. My dad was one of the best fluke fisherman i ever saw and he would never bucktail. He said he came fishing to relax not work. Drifting and dreaming is relaxing. I will do both but not bucktail all day.I have been fishing Raritan Bay for well over 55 years and killies are my choice.Killie and a swimming mullet gulp is a killer in Raritan Bay.A plain killie with a gold hook works well also. I do catch my own killies and that cuts down on the cost. As far as gulp baits go i have this to say. When i ran a party boat the Jack Pot out of sewaren i watched guys loose 50 bucks in gulps and bucktails and tip the mate two bucks! Go figure??

[torchee]

Ever notice the different species of killies???
The tiger striped ones get zero bites!!!

But the plain ones work fine.

[bunker dunker]

bucktails and big gulps or I aint going!!!!

[Fisherman120]

Anybody who fishes with me knows how much I love Gulp. I have a huge container full of 5 inch mullets and 6 inch grubs/mullets and some unopened packages too lying in my room. I also though have fished Raritan Bay my entire life and can definitley say killies work great out here. I would still say Gulp outfishes killies most of the time, but the killies do work and they do have their days where they outperform Gulp, especially early in the season. In the ocean I have never seen bait do better then Gulp jigged properly. On a couple of slow trips I've seen bait produce the same, but never better. Killies are great for inside, but never out in the ocean in my experience.

[Capt John]

Originally Posted by Fisherman120

Anybody who fishes with me knows how much I love Gulp. I have a huge container full of 5 inch mullets and 6 inch grubs/mullets and some unopened packages too lying in my room. I also though have fished Raritan Bay my entire life and can definitley say killies work great out here. I would still say Gulp outfishes killies most of the time, but the killies do work and they do have their days where they outperform Gulp, especially early in the season. In the ocean I have never seen bait do better then Gulp jigged properly. On a couple of slow trips I've seen bait produce the same, but never better. Killies are great for inside, but never out in the ocean in my experience.

My exact sentiments....

[Joey Dah Fish]

I wasn't saying killies don't work or dragging bait doesn't work. What my point was is that buck tailing catches very well and I have yet to catch a fish that was gut hooked. So it reduces casualty rate and usually catches bigger fish. You all seem to believe concerned about maintain the stock and killing breeders so I thought I would throw that bit of info out there. I can't even begin to tell you how many fish get gut hooked while dragging bait. I'm not sure of the mortality rate but common sense dictates its significantly less when fish are mouth hooked. So there it is let the bashing begin

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by Joey Dah Fish

I wasn't saying killies don't work or dragging bait doesn't work. What my point was is that buck tailing catches very well and I have yet to catch a fish that was gut hooked. So it reduces casualty rate and usually catches bigger fish. You all seem to believe concerned about maintain the stock and killing breeders so I thought I would throw that bit of info out there. I can't even begin to tell you how many fish get gut hooked while dragging bait. I'm not sure of the mortality rate but common sense dictates its significantly less when fish are mouth hooked. So there it is let the bashing begin

No bashing here. Use a bigger hook when dragging bait. All fish swallow small hooks.Bucktailing is alot of fun but can wear you out.You have to be less sensitive lol

[bunker dunker]

mom!!!! joeys mixing paint again.agreed 110% on the gut hooked by bait dragging.never seen a 4 oz bucktail in a flukes stomach.to each there own but bucktails save lives.

[catsmeow]

Excellent point about gut hooks with bait. Use big hooks 5/0 vMc English style
Very few gut hooks and will cut off a hook no problem.

[Gerry Zagorski]

It's really amazing how big a hook even a small fluke will take. 8/0 no problems at all...