One of the hottest bays to focus on for fluke in the coming months.
Throughout the course of my fishing career I have fished the South Shore waters from Jamaica to Shinnecock Bay for both fluke and flounder. Although it’s been some time since I put any flounder in the bucket, I’ve done quite well with fluke from all the bays west to east. But to be quite frank, year after year no bay has produced as well as the shallow waters of Shinnecock Bay. After all, how many locations do you know of that can produce a 10 or even 12-pound flattie in 4 to 8-feet of water. True, it doesn’t happen every day, but fish of that caliber in such skinny water is a common occurrence for the sharpies being at the right place at the right time. As for this article, I can’t guarantee any double digit flattie, but I can lead you to your best chances of some big fish inside the calm clean waters of Shinnecock Bay.
Small & Entirely Productive
Actually Shinnecock Bay is the smallest bay of the south shore, covering 9,000 acres. What makes this bay spectacular is it is fed water via the Quogue Canal along the west end of the bay, the Shinnecock Canal located along the northeastern side and Shinnecock Inlet to the south While Shinnecock Inlet dictates the water that enters and leaves the bay, every 12 hours the locks of the Shinnecock Canal opens up at the start of the outgoing tide flushing the waters of the Peconic Bay through the canal along with it a myriad of baitfish making it feeding time for the fluke along the east side of Shinnecock Bay. At the same time the eastern side of the Quogue Canal sees the current pushing west to east pushing baitfish and water from the east side of Quogue Canal and into the western side of Shinnecock Bay. Such activities around the clock allows this bay to be clear as gin and bottom contours filled with nutrients and vegetation to keep most forage baitfish healthy and happy which in turn keep the fluke happy and on the prowl. For the most part this oasis sits in 2 to 8 feet of water with some deeper water via dredging by the inlet mainly to allow the draggers and large yachts to pass through the inlet. Blend these elements together and you have one heck of a buffet.
The Smaller The Better
If you have seen photos of trophy fluke being held for the camera by the proud fisherman with the rig still intact, odds are that fish was taken on a small teaser while that large baited bucktail looks on. It is relevant to know that most baitfish that situates themselves in the bay are small. In fact, cut open the stomach of a keeper fluke caught inside Shinnecock Bay during June and July and most of the content consists of sand shrimp, nickel size sand crab and baby spearing. These are the baitfish along with several others of similar sizes that are what fluke that enter Shinnecock are accustomed to, especially big fluke which can’t be duped as easy as their smaller siblings which would usually toy with any size offering presented to them. On the other hand big fluke are wise and will not touch any uncharacteristic offering. Sure many large fluke may be taken on large baits – this holds especially true for ocean fluke. It is paramount to match the hatch as close as possible and that is where small teasers and small bucktails come to play, especially Spro Prime Bucktails which are designed to catch the attention of big bay fluke.
Spro Not Only For The Pro
For over 30 years Spro Prime Bucktails has been hanging from the store shelves of just about every respected tackle distributer on the East and West Coast and for good reason: they catch fish not fishermen. The bucktail jig has a unique head shape eyelet and placement which gives it a natural gliding action. When jigged, its body stays parallel for great jigging action. The Bucktail Jigs are made with durable, super sharp Gamakatsu hooks and come in an array of fish-catching colors. In Shinnecock Bay the quarter to 3/8 ounce are ideal for jigging in the shallow water. If the current is moving abnormally strong you may want to bump up the weighted jig to half ounce. It is vital to keep the jig as small as you can get away with to match the forage that is in the bay. As for color of the jig, pink, white, glow, chartreuse and sand eel all produce well, however hands down nothing and I mean nothing beats Spearing Blue in Shinnecock Bay especially when the sun is shining. On cloudy rainy days, you’ll find glow or crazy chartreuse may have a slight edge.
As for sweetening the bucktail, nothing beats a half inch wide by 3-inch long pennant shape of fresh sea robin belly. You can employ spearing, squid strips, Gulp or Fishbites, but trust me, big fluke love the taste of freshly stripped down sea robin belly which shouldn’t be too difficult to catch in Shinnecock Bay.
As for teasers, Spro has caught on to the craze with their own line of fluke producing colors that should also be tipped with a strip of sea robin belly. You can also find a slew of venders at all the local fishermen flea markets selling their self-made teasers that are tailor made to imitate most forage baitfish that will catch the eye of an outsize fluke. Of course there are several manufacturers that try to duplicate the Prime Bucktail. It is often imitated but never duplicated. If it were, it wouldn’t be on tackle shops and department store shelves for over 30 years.
Tackle & Rigging
As for rod and reel combos, the lighter the better, especially the fishing line you employ. Spinning or baitcasting outfits in the 10-pound class are ideal for the task at hand. The key to the reels are to be certain the drag is smooth and will not jam up while reeling in a big fish. You also want to be sure that the drag is set for the fluke to take line until it tires itself out. Most times a fluke will really put on a show when it is brought to the surface as it sees the net and then makes some of the strongest lunges for the bottom. Should the drag be too tight or jamming up, you can kiss that brute goodbye as it will snap any 10-pound line like sewing thread. Speaking of line, I would spare the few extra bucks and splurge for fluorocarbon since mono and braid is highly visible in shallow water which is a cardinal sin to the line shy fluke. Spro makes the Essential Series Gouken Fluorocarbon Line for a high-performance line strength. Pound test options include 10, 12, 14, 16 and 20 pounds. The range of poundage makes it possible to target a wide variety of species with the toughest Fluorocarbon line on the market. The small diameter makes for exceptional sensitivity. Although the diameter is small, the line delivers tough-as-nails abrasion resistance for anglers fishing over just about any type of bottom.
As for rigging, I prefer the teaser as the trailer and the bucktail tied via a Dropper Loop 2 feet above the teaser. Reversing the lures are okay, however the teaser as the trailer allows both lures to stay on the bottom which is important when fishing in water as shallow as Shinnecock Bay. Very rarely will a big fluke come jump on a teaser that is nearly on the surface, therefore take note.
Location, Location, Location
Now that we know what the most effective technics for a shot at a welcome mat size fluke is, locations at the peak tide is relevant. In Shinnecock Bay, the east and west side of the bay is divide by the Ponquogue Bridge. During an incoming tide, its best to concentrate your efforts west of the bridge just outside Tiana Bay between buoys 12 and 10 and a bit further west to buoy 9. Fish the 6 to 8-foot depths however there are many mini shoals of 3 to 4 feet that you can drift across that will drop into the 8-foot depths. You will find the bigger fluke to ambush bait right along these edges and drop offs. You will also find excellent fishing just west of the bridge on both sides of the tide, however the area is overwhelmed with short fluke.
At the start of the outgoing tide you’ll want to be east of the bridge across from the Coast Guard Station by buoy 25 in 8 to 10 feet of water. About an hour into the ebb, you’ll want to head north of the Coast Guard Station between buoys 27 and 29 just off Cormorant Point. Here much of the tidal influence of the locks being open at Shinnecock Canal pushes a slew of baitfish and warm water from the Peconic’s and into Shinnecock Bay putting the fluke into a feeding frenzy for an hour or two. As the bite peters out at this location, you’ll want to fish the last couple hours of the ebb in front of the commercial docks just west of Shinnecock Inlet. The water is a bit deeper here and you should have a good steady drift in this area. Over the years I have caught many big fluke on the bottom of the tide in front of the commercial dock. I think a lot has to do with the draggers tossing over all there unwanted trash fish just before coming into their dock space.
I wish I could say Shinnecock Bay is full of 10 and 12-pound fluke, but the truth is it is not. However if you use this advice, your odds of a big fish play in your favor. Nonetheless there are plenty of 4 to 6-pound flatties stalking the flats during June and July which hopefully with this bit of tutelage you’ll slam one or two brutes. Oh yeah, don’t forget the net.
