The ins and outs of finding fluke inside this North Shore Bay.
Never assume that fish of any species will feed at the same places year after year, and that includes fluke. Sure, they prefer slopes, bars, flats, channels, or gravel bars most of the time, but may not use any or all of those structures every year? So, each spring I assay bait distribution and abundance at different locations, study the effects of winter storms on bottom structure, and evaluate spring weather patterns before I fish.
Year-To-Year
In 2023, our best fluking was around the mouth of the Nissequogue River in 5 to 10 feet of water. There were plenty of fluke and some monster porgies, too. In 2022, we caught most of our fluke half-way to Crab Meadow in 20-30 feet of water, and last year we did well on the flats between the West Meadow Beach bar and the eastern end of Short Beach. Of course, fluke fishing was also good elsewhere. We heard of nice catches on the east side of Eaton’s Neck, near Old Field, on the Middle Grounds, well, you get the idea. However, my philosophy has been, don’t leave fish to find fish. We found fluke early and stayed with the action on the flats.
The fluke Drew and I chased in 2024, wandered around the flats as they followed sand eel schools. That meant we spent time at the start of each trip locating bait on our recorder. We ignored small batches of sand eels in favor of thick long schools swimming a foot-or-two above the bottom. Sand eels high in the water column yielded little and we passed these up, although 1-pound bluefish seemed to delight in them. However, keep in mind, not all bait schools near bottom hold fluke.
Slopes
Of course, fluking and slopes “go together like a horse and carriage,” and seasoned fluke anglers traditionally focus on changing depth. However, in 2024 the best fishing was on level ground adjacent to, but not on, the slopes. The flats are big and extend westward from West Meadow Beach to Short Beach, and south from the green buoys to the beach. Most areas are 12 to 25-feet deep but as shallow as 7 feet. We caught few fish in water 45 to 65-feet deep and avoided them in 2024.
Ironically, for many years, the best action was on the slopes. Lately, it’s on level ground. Yet, the changing fluke scene will probably come full circle and fluke could be back on slanted ground in 2025, so don’t ignore the slopes. That’s why next year we’ll search for bait before we fish for fluke.
The Blessing And The Curse
Of course, we drift for fluke, yet drifting can be both a blessing and a curse. One blessing of drifting is it allows us to cover lots of ground. The curse of drifting derives from the effect of winds and tide. Strong currents and/or strong winds creates a fast drift that can foil our best techniques. A fast drift means anglers are moving quickly through the productive zone and then away from it. Whizzing through a school not only results in fewer hits, but when fish are sluggish, they may not chase your offering.
A fast drift also defeats our finesse hooking technique. A typical fluke attack involves a bite, drop off, then attack again, but on a fast drift fluke often give up, rending our patient technique of little use. More about this latter. However, there are ways to slow a drift. For example, we can deploy a drift sock that creates drag. Some anglers engage and disengage the motor and that works, too. A very slow drift is no winner either, because fluke may not feed aggressively on very slow-moving baits. Also, engaging the motor to create a drift distracts the angler from fishing.
That brings me to another basic concept of my fluke fishing philosophy. I don’t make long drifts as others do, because there are fewer fish away from bait schools. Yes, there are always exceptions. I’ll drift for as long as the hits continue and my drift remains with a moving bait school. In the typical case of moving in and out of a school, I make short drifts and then attempt to relocate the bait for another drift. Sometimes, the bait is still there and sometimes it isn’t. This was the case for us in 2024. Often, when we retraced the line of the drift on the recorder, we discovered that the bait was gone. Back to step one, cruise slowly and relocate the bait.
I became frustrated last year when bait moved, winds shifted, and current changed. In 2024, the bait constantly moved and relocating it was time consuming. Drew was much more accepting of the disappearing bait than I was. I tried to take a cue from him, but I became irritated when I couldn’t relocate bait no matter how carefully I cruised along the drift line on the recorder. Scattered boats across the fishing zone is a sure sign of fast moving bait, while clustered craft indicates slow moving concentrated bait in a restricted area along with the fluke that feed on them.
Light Is Right
I continue to be amazed by anglers who use heavy rods, monofilament line, and the old “drop and drag” rigs of yesteryear, considering that today there are better tackle alternatives. Heavy tackle along with sinkers that pull fluke down inhibits the fish from fighting and defeats the fun. Also, a terminal hook festooned with some kind of bulky hairy hook, with a spearing or squid strip on the hook, may turn off fluke that are chasing 4-inch sand eels. Also, the rods aren’t very flexible so a subtle hooking technique isn’t possible. Then there’s the monofilament line with lots of stretch that causes many hits to go undetected.
Let’s face it, although fluke fishing is fun, the flatties aren’t exactly the fighting equals of stripers, blues, weakfish, or tuna. Heavy tackle overwhelms even 20-inch fluke, so where’s the fun? Today’s light tackle is strong, sensitive, easy on the arms, and the cost has come down, too. An angler can put a quality and dependable light outfit together for about $100 to $150.
We fish with 6 1/2-foot medium power fast action graphite rods fitted with 30-40, 3000-4000 size reels (different number system but the same size), and filled with 15-pound test braid. Our tackle is super sensitive and actually allows fluke a chance to argue against the idea of us pulling them towards the boat. On top of that advantage, we are able to use light leadheads with Gulp that improves our feel. It is difficult to use a patient finesse technique with heavy tackle, because the gear isn’t sensitive enough or limber enough. Our light gear allows us to use quarter to 3/4-ounce leadheads and any one of many kinds of Gulp. Lately we’ve been using the 4-inch Swimming Mullet, but almost any shape will do. The same can be said about color; any color is fine.
Using The Right Technique
Patience is needed with this approach in order to overcome an angler’s natural instinct to strike when he or she feels a hit. However, although there are always some aggressive fish who hit hard and basically hook themselves, most fluke grab the bait with the hook outside the mouth. They also sometimes flop on a bait in order to prevent its escape, and then work it toward their mouth with their fins before inhaling it. Either way, a quick hard strike will usually fail to produce a hook set, because either the hook will slide out of the mouth, slip along the white side when it flops, or occasionally stick a fluke on the white underside.
Have you had one or both of these experiences happen to you? On the other hand, a finesse approach demands that the angler not respond to the hit with a sharp strike, rather use a flexible rod and subtle movements to coax the fluke to take the bait into its mouth.
As promised above, here’s more on my technique: It involves a very slow lifting and dropping approach. When I say slow, I mean slower than a snail. It is a finesse approach because the tackle is sensitive, none of the movements of the rod are dramatic or fast and only traverse a few inches. Patience is crucial too, and gives a fisherman a number of chances to hook the same fish. Slowly lift the bait a few inches after a pick up. If the fluke drops off, immediately lower the rod tip slowly. Slow movements will not spook a fluke, but a heavy strike and fast drop will. Since the fluke has not been spooked, it usually picks the bait up again. Once again, raise the tip a few inches very, very slowly. Keep lifting until either the fish drops off or continues to hold on during the lift. If it holds on, strike. The angler may repeat the lift and drop sequence four or five times before the fish either loses interest or is hooked. I know it’s difficult, but patience is a great asset, so take a very slow and careful approach.
An angler using drop and drag gear will never be able to mimic this finesse technique, because the heavy gear thwarts the process. It’s difficult to feel hits, and a slow lift will not detect a fish because the rod tip is too stiff. Lift with heavy gear and there is almost never a second chance, and the fish will be gone.
Confusion
In addition to my disdain for the continued use of drop and drag, the fixation on “keepers” messes with my head, too. It’s natural at the dock to talk to other fluke anglers about the day’s catch, and I shake my head when I hear something like this. “Yeah, not a great today. We caught about 40 fish but no keepers.” I would like to ask this question but never do since I don’t want to get into an argument. I would like to ask, “Would you rather catch 40 fish with no keepers or five fish with one keeper?” Perhaps if they switched to light tackle and a finesse approach, they’d have a lot more fun and stop worrying about “keepers.” In my view, fish hard and smart and you’ll catch your share of legal fish. Ironically, it appears to us as we look around, that we catch more fish with our gear and technique than they do, and we also catch more big fish.
No Prediction
My crystal ball has been broken for many decades, but I can improve my odds of success and minimize frustration and failure with a plan that includes a definite sequence. One, find the bait. Two, figure out if the bait is moving quickly or moseying around. Three, line up the best drift and repeat successful drifts as best you can. Four, use a light tackle-finesse technique for best results and the most fun. Fifth, understand that within the huge confines of Smithtown Bay the fish may be anywhere: on the flats, the slopes, the mouth of the river, the gravel beds to the west, or in deep water. Don’t allow yourself to fixate on where you caught fish last time. Rather, seek bait, use finesse, and ye shall find.
