Back bay fluke rig preferences

[pequa1]

For years my go to rigs were Combs Tackle Terminator rigs and my copies thereof, with a three foot teaser about a foot above a buck. Then a little after Pete explained his Lep rig on Nor'east, I started using that, a teaser off a long dropper loop and a one to two ounce buck at the end, albeit in much shallower water, anywhere from ten foot to holes up to 30 feet. (I also use a Lep rig surfcasting.) I drift Gulp, from bay boat or yak, sometimes with a drift sock, and hardly buying any bait at all for ten years or so. With some problems due to eel grass and "sea lettuce" if not that horrid slip gut, I wanted some opinions as to which rigs you guys would use, given my style of fishing. I think part of my problem has been less "twitching" of the rod by me of late, but I plan on rectifying that.

 

[Rodprof]

Regardless fishing shallow or deep, twitching is critical to getting the bites. Bay or ocean up to 80 feet deep I use a bucktail and teaser off a 4 inch dropper loop 12-15 inches up from the lead head. I have used custom teasers by Harvey Cooper and Tom Caruso with great success as well as a Gulp Alive in Nuclear Chicken. What is key is the color and size of both the bucktail and teaser due to the changing conditions and the bait that is present. Keep changing colors as conditions require.

 

[pequa1]

Regardless fishing shallow or deep, twitching is critical to getting the bites. Bay or ocean up to 80 feet deep I use a bucktail and teaser off a 4 inch dropper loop 12-15 inches up from the lead head. I have used custom teasers by Harvey Cooper and Tom Caruso with great success as well as a Gulp Alive in Nuclear Chicken. What is key is the color and size of both the bucktail and teaser due to the changing conditions and the bait that is present. Keep changing colors as conditions require.

Yup, arthritis or not i know i need to twitch. Think i will switch some terminator rigs to “lep” rigs. They certainly tangle a lot less. Fluoro for leader or unnecessary ? I tie my own teasers but wonder if i am leaving the hair too long past the end of the hook (?)

 

[Rodprof]

I only use fluoro in shallow water. Teaser profile should approximate the size of the bait. As far as the arthritis, join the club. I’m 75 with arthritis and carpal tunnel in both hands.

 

[pequa1]

Do you ever just utilize a sinker at the end with two dropper loops above with teasers tipped with bait instead of a bucktail at the end (bottom)?

 

[pequa1]

And last question do you snip a dropper and thus extend a bait out further?

 

[Rodprof]

No.

 

[pequa1]

Thanks !

 

[Chinacat]

Regardless fishing shallow or deep, twitching is critical to getting the bites. Bay or ocean up to 80 feet deep I use a bucktail and teaser off a 4 inch dropper loop 12-15 inches up from the lead head. I have used custom teasers by Harvey Cooper and Tom Caruso with great success as well as a Gulp Alive in Nuclear Chicken. What is key is the color and size of both the bucktail and teaser due to the changing conditions and the bait that is present. Keep changing colors as conditions require.

Any chance of a picture of that???

 

[crabby]

Do you ever just utilize a sinker at the end with two dropper loops above with teasers tipped with bait instead of a bucktail at the end (bottom)?

All the time. It's my go to rig in the ocean. I will also use it in the bay, but it's not my go to there. I like to use a leadhead in the bay and Sound with or without a teaser. I usually use Gulp tipped with spearing.
So if I'm in the ocean I start with a high low rig, with 6" Gulp grubs. Sometimes I'll use a plain hook on the dropper loops and sometimes I'll use a skirt or something like a Backwater Poison Tail. I'll stick with that unless it's not working and something else is.
In the bay or sound I'll start with a leadhead with something for a teaser about 8" above it. Some kind of gulp tipped with spearing for bait. If I'm not getting hits I'll try just the leadhead without the teaser. I've seen that work better at times. The high low rig is always another option.

Thing is you have to have a game plan for the area you'll be fishing, but be ready to change if that plan is not working.

 

[Rodprof]

I will use a rig like that when there is a strong tide and the weight of the bucktail is insufficient to hold bottom effectively.

 

[buddha162]

For years my go to rigs were Combs Tackle Terminator rigs and my copies thereof, with a three foot teaser about a foot above a buck. Then a little after Pete explained his Lep rig on Nor'east, I started using that, a teaser off a long dropper loop and a one to two ounce buck at the end, albeit in much shallower water, anywhere from ten foot to holes up to 30 feet. (I also use a Lep rig surfcasting.) I drift Gulp, from bay boat or yak, sometimes with a drift sock, and hardly buying any bait at all for ten years or so. With some problems due to eel grass and "sea lettuce" if not that horrid slip gut, I wanted some opinions as to which rigs you guys would use, given my style of fishing. I think part of my problem has been less "twitching" of the rod by me of late, but I plan on rectifying that.

Anything shallower than 20 ft is prime single-jig grounds for me. 3/16 - 1/2oz jigs, gulp mullets/jerk shads, no teaser. Just a loop knot from your leader to the jig, your favorite connection knot to your braid...and cast up current, swimming/bouncing/twitching your jig back to you. Fish the "swing" from one side of the boat to the other; a lot of hits will come when your jig switches direction.

Also, pitching your light jig up current will keep a LOT of cabbage off your line. Jig and cabbage flowing in the same direction...no teaser to catch junk...very elegant, streamlined fishing.

Lastly, a single jig worked properly will account for bigger fish in the back, I've seen it over and over again!

 

[pequa1]

Anything shallower than 20 ft is prime single-jig grounds for me. 3/16 - 1/2oz jigs, gulp mullets/jerk shads, no teaser. Just a loop knot from your leader to the jig, your favorite connection knot to your braid...and cast up current, swimming/bouncing/twitching your jig back to you. Fish the "swing" from one side of the boat to the other; a lot of hits will come when your jig switches direction.

Also, pitching your light jig up current will keep a LOT of cabbage off your line. Jig and cabbage flowing in the same direction...no teaser to catch junk...very elegant, streamlined fishing.

Lastly, a single jig worked properly will account for bigger fish in the back, I've seen it over and over again!

Do you strive to slow the drift down, maybe with a wind sock? (When i go light I can’t keep on the bottom.)

 

[buddha162]

Do you strive to slow the drift down, maybe with a wind sock? (When i go light I can’t keep on the bottom.)

I'm on a Hobie, so I'm constantly controlling my drift with pedals.

Point is, if you're dragging your jig behind the drift, it might take 3oz to "hold" bottom. Casting up drift, I might get away with 1/2oz. Jigging this way, often times wind against current is your friend. You always want your jig to travel in the direction of the current...that's how fluke set up, facing the current. Some days you get that perfect drift where you can stay straight up/down with the current...most days you gotta work the kayak + aim your casts to present that jig naturally.

Here's a video I put together on single jigging from the kayak:



Here's an older video that has less info but more action

 

[pequa1]

No pedals for me, we do our bicycling on land lol. (Its a question of weight for me.). I yak alone and at 67 and 160 lbs have to unfortunately go lighter than a Hobie. When weaks were in i always got them casting up current. Will try doing the same for fluke. Thanks!

 

[crabby]

Enjoyed the videos, thanks for sharing.

 

[Leprechaun]

Ya know, I had the day off today, and rather than wander around outside in the 12-degree cold I stayed in and spent a good part of the day watching videos on Buddha’s Youtube channel.

The two vids he linked to were two of my favs. Lots of action, and tackle and technique pointers that I had not heard before. Great stuff!

I strongly recommend subscribing to Roger’s Youtube channel. Its really an interesting combination of fishing and cooking info. In fact today I LOVED the vid on casting tiny lures for nice-sized porgies, and the one about preparing clams Taiwan-style. Great stuff!

 

[buddha162]

No pedals for me, we do our bicycling on land lol. (Its a question of weight for me.). I yak alone and at 67 and 160 lbs have to unfortunately go lighter than a Hobie. When weaks were in i always got them casting up current. Will try doing the same for fluke. Thanks!

I hear ya on the weight, I think the lightest sea-worthy hobies are still north of 65lbs w/o the seat/pedal. FWIW, mine is an inflatable...pluses and minuses, but one of the major pluses is its weight: the hull weighs 35lbs!

 

[buddha162]

Ya know, I had the day off today, and rather than wander around outside in the 12-degree cold I stayed in and spent a good part of the day watching videos on Buddha’s Youtube channel.

The two vids he linked to were two of my favs. Lots of action, and tackle and technique pointers that I had not heard before. Great stuff!

I strongly recommend subscribing to Roger’s Youtube channel. Its really an interesting combination of fishing and cooking info. In fact today I LOVED the vid on casting tiny lures for nice-sized porgies, and the one about preparing clams Taiwan-style. Great stuff!

Thanks Lep, really appreciate it!

 

[pequa1]

Thanks for those videos ! On You Tube, some guy named Elias had a very similar video as well. Elias swears by spinning reels. I just realized that a decade or more ago, when I was really killing the summer weaks, I was standing in the bow of my bay boat and casting a light jig tipped with a bass assassin in the direction the boat was moving (downcurrent) and got hits as soon as I started to retrieve or even before. Exactly the opposite of what makes sense. This went on for a couple of weeks, always reeling in until the jig was just a few feet below the surface on the side of the boat, with weaks often following it in. (Yes, I wish fluke were as easy to catch as weaks (when the weaks are there, that is.)
Regarding the kayaks, Hurricane seems to make the only lighter weight solid plastics (trylon) that are relatively inexpensive. An Ocean Kayak of the same size would sell for 30% less but weigh 30% more. My Phoenix 140 weighed 55 lbs without the seat and rodholders. My new Skimmer 128 is just 47 lbs WITH the seat, so just under 50 with the rodholders installed. Was hoping to go to the Dinghy Shop Friday to pick it up but had a skin cancer on my back removed just after selling the Phoenix, and the doc said NO stretching until the stitches come out on Feb 1.