Look to the South Shore reefs for a chance your last doormat of the season.
It was a beautiful day in early October back in the early 1980s when my buddy Dennis Murino and I were trying for some early season tog on Fire Island Reef. The best we could do was a bunch of rats with nothing going into the cooler for our efforts. Back in those days, there was no size limit or bag limit. Suddenly, we saw Charlie Kennedy, captain of the Captree open boat Capt. Joseph with a healthy crowd of anglers on board. He passed us by, and with the roar of the diesel slowing down to the purr of a kitten, Capt. Charlie blew the horn maybe 100 yards east of us and started a drift. Dennis and I thought it was odd that he didn’t set an anchor since we figured he was targeting porgies and sea bass, as the reef was loaded with big scup. It wasn’t long after he started the drift that the classic scream for the net echoed through the air, and we watched as the mate slid the net on what looked like a 5-pound fluke. The frequent call for the net that morning was too painful for Dennis and me to bear, as the only bait we had on board was green crabs. We felt helpless and in disbelief since it was coming into the second week of October, and the reef was chock full of big fluke. Strangely, we did not have a clue that the flatties were there for the taking, and we had never even thought about it.
Back then, there was no set season, as fluke needed only to be 14 inches or better, with no bag limit. Since our sick days at work were all dried up from previous fishing trips through the course of the year, there was no getting back there for the remainder of the fall. That was well over 40 years ago, and until they put that ridiculous September 30th fluke closure in place, we were slamming big fluke well into October from the Rockaway, Fire Island, and Moriches Reefs for as far as I remember. Although fluking is off limits during October, there is no need to fret as providing there are no hurricanes or low-pressure systems of approaching hurricanes to make navigating through the inlets hazardous, September is a great time to hit any of the artificial reefs from Atlantic Beach to Shinnecock where big fluke awaits providing you employ the proper methods and tactics to get them on ice.
Why The Artificial Reefs?
Artificial reefs are manmade structures that are “aquatically recycled” to provide habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms. They are made with a variety of hard, durable materials, including rock, concrete, and steel, which are selected based on their function, compatibility, stability, and availability. These characteristics ensure that once deployed, the material will provide a suitable habitat for marine life that is safe, effective, and will last a long time. Artificial reefs enhance the environment by creating a biologically diverse area that provides food and shelter to a range of marine organisms.
During the fall, the reefs come alive with fish of all sizes which provide easy meals for lazy fish like fluke over 5 pounds. As summer turns to autumn fluke begin to depart from the bays of the South Shore, slowly working their way offshore to their winter resort located around the warm waters of the Gulf Stream located at the Continental Shelf. Well, before they hit their winter destination, they make many stopovers for some tasty meals, and what better place to grab an easy bite than a reef, a wreck, or a rockpile? All these places of structure are like an oasis in the desert.
At times fluke will chase their prey right over a piece of structure or lie and wait to ambush their meals from the sandy fringes of the reefs. Quite often, fluke will camouflage themselves on the outer edges of the structure, waiting for some juvenile fish like porgies, crabs, shrimp, butterfish, or anything small enough to swallow. They will usually stick around until the water becomes too chilly, at which time they will continue to descend into deeper water until they find water temperatures comfortable enough to make a short stop, which is usually the wrecks well offshore.
Pro’s & Con’s
The most common method when fluking is to drift as you will cover tremendously more ground, which is a must. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule at times concerning anchoring, depending on the circumstances. Obviously, drifting over a reef or wreck will result in plenty of snags and lost terminal tackle, which can be quite costly and time-consuming. Let it be known that the best fishing is actually just a quarter mile off of the structures, as a myriad of species of fish will swim in schools well off the reef. As you approach most wrecks or reefs, notice how your fish finder lights up with life. That is what you are looking for, which tells you that this is the area to drift.
As for anchoring, some of you may have known my good friend James Russo, former owner and captain of the Moriches Bay open boat, the Rosie. Every season by mid-September, James would anchor his small boat along the edge of the Moriches Reef, and he would cast a bucktail dressed with Gulp into the reef just off the wreckage and retrieve the bucktail to catch an easy limit of fluke between 6 and 9 pounds. He rarely lost a rig and kept catching big fish throughout September. James kept it quiet, and since he is now commercial fishing on the Gulf Coast, I am happy to share that info with Fisherman readers; therefore, it may be something you may want to consider. As far as where to anchor, it will depend on the tide and wind direction. Just remember that you want to anchor facing and casting into the reef. Be sure to anchor on the sand and work the scope back to where you can reach the edge of the obstruction and allow enough ground to retrieve your line back along the sandy bottom.
Not The Kitchen Sink
As for tackle, you may want to expand your horizon with an arsenal of bucktails, teasers, hooks, leader material, and, of course, premade rigs. I suggest fluorocarbon for your leaders. As for rigs, the paragraphs down below will let you know the best rigs you may want to tie or buy to help put a monster or two in the box. As for rod and reels, 7-foot baitcaster or conventional rods and reels in the 15 to 25-pound class should suffice for drifting whereas a 7-foot spinning outfit in the 10 to 20-pound class if you decide to anchor.
Plain & Simple
Ocean fluking on rugged bottom particularly on the reefs are in a league all its own. Sometimes it’s better to keep it plain and simple by employing the 3 x 3 rig consisting of a long leader to a bucktail of up to 3 ounces. The length of the leader should vary according to the speed of the drift, as the faster the drift, the longer the leader, the slower the drift, and the shorter the leader, which normally ranges between 2 and 4 feet long.
As far as the bucktail is concerned, if more than 3 ounces is needed to hold the bottom, rather than upgrade the bucktail, compensate for the additional weight required by placing a bank sinker to the bottom leader, which should be no higher than a foot going to the swivel. The size of the bucktail is relevant as many of the big fluke are caught on the smaller bucktails. I personally prefer Spro Prime Bucktails from 1/4 to 3/8 ounces. However many ocean fluke are taken by my buddies using the smaller open-mouth jigs.
As for the colors of the bucktails, I swear by the Spro Spearing Blue; however, pink, white, chartreuse, and glow are all effective, but truthfully, I don’t think color is as important as what you sweeten up those bucks with. Give me fresh fluke strips from fluke ribbons or a strip of fresh sea robin any day over all else when looking for the fish with shoulders. Gulp, spearing and squid are all extremely effective, but you are going to have to contend with a lot of small fluke. Believe me, I have been doing this a long time, and stripped baits catch the big boys.
Bring On The Big Boys
If you want to get a bit more technical, another dynamite rig that I use at times consists of a bucktail with a stinger hook tied approximately 4 to 5 inches off the bucktail hook with a 12-inch piece of 50-pound fluorocarbon leader. The leader is doubled over and tied with a double overhand knot and then tied to the bucktail hook with an improved clinch knot. The end of the loop slipped through the eye of the stinger hook and, passed over the point and drawn up tight. Sweeten the hooks with short strips of fluke belly or sea robin strips. You can also attach a high hair teaser 12 to 15 inches above the bucktail with a 4-inch dropper loop. Gulp Swimming Mullets are highly effective on the teasers. This rig is particularly deadly during the fall.
If you want to slam a big fluke on this rig, it is paramount to fish it at the change of tide. Fluke are lazy predators and do not want to expend a lot of energy to catch their prey. To effectively fish this rig on the reefs, you need to fish it straight up and down, or you will get hung up in the structure. Therefore, the bucktail must be of sufficient weight to bounce on the bottom. This rig is also effective when targeting big fluke in heavy structure on the East End, such as the Frisbees, Cartwright, New Grounds and many rock piles and wrecks along the south side of Montauk, home of some monster fluke. Spro Prime Bucktails from 3 to 5 ounces with the glow color never failed for me. As for teasers, 2/0 to 4/0 hooks are best suited with Gulp Alive Swimming Mullet being extremely effective.
Pre-Made Favorites
If you don’t want to tie your own rigs, stop on over to Combs Bait and Tackle and say hello to my longtime friend Bill Witchey, creator of the famous Terminator Rig, an all-time favorite that has stood the test of time. Since the early days, the Terminator has been modified by the angler’s preference. The rig is specifically designed for fishing, where swift currents can cause most rigs to tangle up in both shallow and deep water. Instead of tangling, the Terminator does a fine job of catching double headers. It also has caught the 1st place fluke of 13-1/2 pounds in the 2015 Dream Boat Challenge. The rigs are made with fluorocarbon leaders, T-Swivels, teasers, Spro or Smiling Bill Bucktails, and chrome fluke bullets. The Terminator consists of a T-Swivel with a 36-inch leader tied to a teaser, which is the trailer of the rig, while the other eye of the swivel is tied to a 6 to 8-inch leader and onto a bucktail or silver bullet. Any longer than 8 inches and the rig will tangle. Thirty to 40-pound test fluorocarbon is best on the long leader, while 25-pound test fluorocarbon is best for the short leader. Bill favors green teasers and bucktails on dark days, pearl white and glow on light days, and pink as a go-to in September. Fresh strip baits and spearing add the finishing touches to these gems.
Lastly it is extremely vital to keep your hooks razor sharp. Fishing around heavy structure will quickly dull the point of the hook. Check the point after every drop. Give it a few swipes with a diamond hook file or with one of your wife’s emery boards. Now get out there and catch a Dream Boat contender before the season wraps up.
