An A to Z rundown for catching fluke from the beach.
Growing up working in a tackle shop, many days during the summer season would consist of me coaching customers on how to catch fluke from the surf. The rundown was always repetitive, and if I had a nickel for every time I led customers through the aisles stacking everything they needed into their hands, I’d be rich. But don’t get it twisted, I love putting people on fish!
Surf fluking is an excellent summertime option for catching a quick lunch before the beaches get crowded with sunbathers. It takes a lot of patience and often many steps, but the fluke-bite payoff is certainly worth it. Now, picture yourself walking into a tackle shop, yearning to get a keeper fluke off the surf; you just need guidance, and I’m your girl for that!
The first thing with fluking off the beach is patience. It’s not like pulling up on the boat and doing a drift where you know they’ve been biting. You have to walk the beach and find the bite, and for me, the best time is at sunrise. Once the sun comes up, the water warms and those fish will chew as long as you find them. Being able to identify cuts and troughs is always key to surf fishing. Those troughs act as a roadway to bring in baitfish and predators into the shallower waters. There are times when I’m fluking and nothing more than an underhand pitch is required to reach plenty of prime real estate to work a successful bite.
My surf fluke rig is a light one, and light tackle is superior when you’re fishing on the beach, you don’t want to tire out. A half-ounce pink or white bucktail paired with a Gulp 5-inch grub in pink shine and a naked teaser hook with a 4 inch white Gulp Swimming Mullet is my rig of choice. I fish a light rod too, a 7-foot rod with a 3000 series reel is all that’s really needed for fluking off the beach.
Once you’re all set, cast your rig out there and put it to work. Let the bucktail teaser rig hit the bottom and begin jigging. I jig gently three times and reel in about half a crank before jigging again and work it all the way to my feet; you would not believe how often the fluke hit within mere feet of the beach.
Fluke are ambush predators, so they lay on the bottom and use their eyes on the top of their head to see the incoming bait and strike. That jigging action on the bucktail imitates that flutter of a baitfish directly over a fluke’s head. That strike can be what I call the triple header, usually the fluke takes a couple of bites before they make it to the hook, if you set the hook too early, you’ll reel your rig back with teeth marks in your bait. Wait for that third “tap” before setting the hook. Usually after that third bite, I gently raise my rod tip to feel the weight of the fluke on my hook and that’s when I set it.
Fluke are notorious head-shakers, and when you set the hook on them it’s very similar to a headbanger listening to their favorite metal song. Bring that metalhead in without pumping the rod as this may cause the fish to pop off or spit the hook and, like every case when surfcasting, use a wave to help land the fish without breaking your rod. Time an incoming wave and slide the fluke up the beach for a proper landing. Fish handling can be tricky with these flatfish, but gently grabbing it by the tail and under the front of its body protects the fluke’s organs from being crushed and can then be safely released if it isn’t sandwich-sized.
If that fluke meets your local regulations, you’ve got smooth sailing to enjoy a nice meal; talk about putting your work in and getting a reward! That is the usual rundown I would give to my tackle shop customers and I hope it brings you the same success!
