May fluke fishing isn’t about brute force – it’s about finesse.
For serious fluke anglers, May is the proving ground. It’s when the waters of the Northeast begin to come alive again, and the earliest waves of summer flounder slide into the back bays, harbors, and inlets. These cold-water flatties are hungry – but they’re not reckless. Their strikes are often subtle, their movements conservative, and their preferences precise. That’s where the deadly combination of a bucktail-and-teaser rig becomes an essential part of your early-season fluke toolkit.
May fluke fishing isn’t about brute force – it’s about finesse, if you ask me. You’re not dropping 6-ounce sinkers in 80 feet of water off Montauk Point; you’re quietly drifting the shallow flats behind major inlets like Shinnecock, or the edges of marshes. In these waters, depth ranges from 3 to 15 feet, and current can be minimal. That gives you an opportunity to use light gear and small-profile baits to mimic what the fluke are actually feeding on; spearing, killies, grass shrimp, and squid strips.
The bucktail is the heart of the rig, and May is the perfect time to go light. Jigs in the 3/8- to 1-ounce range are ideal, depending on drift speed and depth. Color matters too: in clear water, natural tones like white, spearing, and glow work well, while in stained or cloudy water, chartreuse, pink, and two-tone options like nuclear chicken stand out. The key is keeping the jig in contact with the bottom, where fluke naturally lie in ambush.
The action of the bucktail – especially when tipped with a 4- or 5-inch Gulp Grub or Swimming Mullet – is what gets their attention. That low, hopping motion imitates a fleeing baitfish or disoriented sand eel. But, what seals the deal more often than not, is what’s riding just above the jig: the teaser.
Teasers are the secret weapon in shallow water. Rigged 12 to 18 inches above your jig, the teaser provides a second offering – often a smaller, more vulnerable-looking one. Many anglers report that their teaser gets hit twice as often as the bucktail, especially early in the season when fish aren’t aggressively striking bigger baits. Teasers work because they play into the fluke’s opportunistic instincts; if the jig doesn’t convince them, the smaller bait hovering above looks like easy pickings.
There are countless ways to rig a teaser. The simplest is a dropper loop tied directly into your leader, with a small baitholder hook or light bucktail jig attached. Others prefer snelled teaser hooks connected to a three-way swivel or sliding rig. Either way, the teaser should complement your main bait – not compete with it. Use 3-inch Gulp baits like the Swimming Minnow, Baby Grub, or Ghost Shrimp, or go natural with a sliver of squid or a spearing if you’re fishing more traditionally.
Don’t overlook the importance of leader and line. May fluke are notoriously light biters. A 15- to 20-pound fluorocarbon leader helps maintain stealth, while a braided mainline lets you feel even the most subtle pickup. A light spinning outfit or conventional setup spooled with 15-pound braid and matched with a sensitive rod gives you the control needed for this kind of technical fluke work.
Presentation is key. You want the jig to stay on the bottom or just tick along it while the teaser dances above. Use a slow lift-drop cadence – just enough to get both baits moving. Don’t overwork it. Let the drift do the heavy lifting while you keep the line tight and movements natural. If you’re missing strikes or pulling baits without hookups, scale down your offerings or slow your retrieve.
Drift speed will also dictate your jig weight. A slower drift lets you fish lighter, which enhances the subtlety of your presentation. When the wind or tide picks up and you’re moving at over a knot, step up to a 1-1/2-ounce jig or use a sliding rig with an inline sinker and trailing bucktail to maintain bottom contact.
This setup isn’t just productive – it’s fun. The bites are exciting and often visual. Many fluke will follow the rig, nipping at the teaser or mouthing the Gulp before committing. The moment of tension before the rod doubles over is what May fluke fishing is all about.
Whether you’re working the flats, drifting the channels, or probing the mud-bottom stretches, a bucktail-and-teaser rig will give you the confidence to match the early-season bite. It’s a time-tested combination that plays perfectly to the conditions of May: cool water, shallow depths, and fluke still shaking off their winter sluggishness.
So this spring, before you break out the big gear for offshore wrecks or deep summer holes, tie up a teaser rig and go light. In the early days of the season, subtlety reigns – and the bucktail matchup might just be the best-kept secret in your tackle bag.
