The Nantucket Shoals are home to some of the best fluke fishing the Northeast has to offer. We steamed south on a beautiful early July morning in search of some of the “doormat” fluke that patrol the sandy shoals off of Nantucket.
The name of the game when fluke fishing is dialing in an effective drift. Concentrate on an area where you are catching the most amount of fluke and repeat that drift until the fishing slows. When fluke fishing, you’ll often go through a particular patch of bottom that holds a larger volume of fluke. We were using a combination of “twitch jigging” and “dead sticking” to target these fluke. The “dead stick” technique is particually effective when adding some sort of bait to your rig. John and I each had the same rigs, the 3/0 Crystal Jig-Biki rig paired with the 6.5oz Olive Sand Eel jig. Both rigs were tipped with a small piece of squid. The beauty of this rig is your still in the game if you lose your bait, as the teasers on the Jig-Biki rig have an extremely life-like action.
Gear List:
Rod: Hogy 5′ 6″ Hybrid Trolling Rod
Reel: Avet LX 6
Line: 60lb Powerpro
Leader: 60lb Fluoro
Lure: Hogy Lures 6.5oz Sand Eel Jig
Teaser: Hogy 3/0 Jig Biki Crystal Flash Teaser
TIPS:
1. Slow drifts and covering lots of water was the key to success in catching a limit of fluke.
2. Lightweight rod and reel outfits offer the most comfort while jigging for extended periods of time.
3. Light weight braided line will allow a much faster sink rate with your jigging presentation.
