I like to T-rig them weightless on a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook. If you are using a heavy gauge hook like Owners, that gives them plenty of weight. I think you are fine on your rod choice. I throw them on light braid with a 12-18" flouro leader tied onto the braid with a swivel. It seems to give it an even deadlier twitch action, and the swivel and flouro also will help the bait sink. The swivel will also reduce line twist if the bait bunches up and twirls on the retrieve. Meantime the braid floats and you watch your line for the fish to pick it up. Hookups can be tough on flukes. Usually you are throwing it way out there, so a mushy rod with stretchy mono will make it a lot tougher to drive that hook through the plastic.

 

I like to T-rig them weightless on a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook. If you are using a heavy gauge hook like Owners, that gives them plenty of weight. I think you are fine on your rod choice. I throw them on light braid with a 12-18" flouro leader tied onto the braid with a swivel. It seems to give it an even deadlier twitch action, and the swivel and flouro also will help the bait sink. The swivel will also reduce line twist if the bait bunches up and twirls on the retrieve. Meantime the braid floats and you watch your line for the fish to pick it up. Hookups can be tough on flukes. Usually you are throwing it way out there, so a mushy rod with stretchy mono will make it a lot tougher to drive that hook through the plastic.

Thanks streamstalker! If i am going to fish soft plastics, braid would probably be better anyway to pull fish out of weeds. I am in the market for a softplastic/flippin set up. I did notice it tore up my pline 12 lb, its all twisted and kinked up. Does the line twisting eventually affect the action of the bait in a negative way?

 

Silent mike, I too have recently been "hooked" on using flukes and I've had the EXACT same problems, fish are tearin it up, but I'm missin on the hooksets, so now as I "twitch" the fluke near the surface, I make sure to continually reel, SLOWLY, to keep the slack out of the line, it has fixed he problem and resulted in more good hooksets.
I use them on the mad river down near the Dayton area for smallmouth, they absolutely can't resist a slw moving injured baitfish! They are now one of my go to lures!

 

... The swivel idea by streams talker is right on the money, use a swivel, it definitely helps keep the twist out of the line and does help on the action of the fluke.. It's a little mor time in rigging but well worth it

 

... The swivel idea by streams talker is right on the money, use a swivel, it definitely helps keep the twist out of the line and does help on the action of the fluke.. It's a little mor time in rigging but well worth it

will try that next time i go out!

 

I have been using the super flukes for about 10 years now. We use a 2/0 or 3/0 gamakatsawasuwasu (however you spell it) worm hook. We too were missing many hooksets. But, we found using the gama round bend worm hook greatly increased hookups. It really made that big a difference.

Also, I found out several years after we started using them that we are rigging them upside down. We put the hook through the topside of the body so the hook end rests in the slit and doesn't have to go through the plastic body to hook the fish.
I tried rigging them the "proper" way many times since (this past Saturday included) but I just don't like the action as much.

I use them texas rigged with a 1/32nd oz bullet weight. The weight isn't heavy enough to adversely affect the action and it allows use in deeper water and weedbeds.

Last, do a search on flukes. Someone on here posted a picture of how they rig them with a treble hook. It was really cool and I have wanted to try it but just never have.

 

One more thing. There is only one color you will ever need. Pearl.
pearl outproduces any other super fluke color far.

They also introduced paddletail flukes this year too. We killed the big bass at Stickmarsh/Farm 13 on them this past spring. But the tail is kind of stiff and doesn't paddle too well.

 

I don't know the watermelon green has worked wonders for me. I have really never been able to get pearl to work for me?? I really have only used Flukes in ponds and rivers/creeks but the only color is the watermelon green for me. I guess I should give pearl or white another try. Is there any time the pearl fluke would be more ideal then using the green watermelon?? Just can't understand why white does not work for me. I also have white strike king Zulu's in white I might have to give another shot.

 

I don't know the watermelon green has worked wonders for me. I have really never been able to get pearl to work for me?? I really have only used Flukes in ponds and rivers/creeks but the only color is the watermelon green for me. I guess I should give pearl or white another try. Is there any time the pearl fluke would be more ideal then using the green watermelon?? Just can't understand why white does not work for me. I also have white strike king Zulu's in white I might have to give another shot.

I was using flukes in my soft plastics tackle box that i didnt realize i had (well i did, but i didnt know what they were). I only had watermelon and gold fleck. Didnt get any strikes on water melon, but gold fleck did get 1 fish landed. I will probably go and get some white/pearl before i got out again.

 

Ii also have the watermelon seed, watermellon red and green pumpkin in my box but never use them.

Here's the thread on rigging with a treble hook.

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=132253&highlight=fluke+rig

 

thats perfect! I will always keep a rig like that. Especially for yesterday, they were biting at the body/tail and not where the hook was sitting

 

more info:

http://www.fishin.com/articles/jimdicken/fluke.htm

From Zoom themselves.

http://zoombait.com/2009/08/how-to-rig-zoom-super-fluke/

I prefer not to have the hook so deep into the fluke. I only go < 1/4" deep so the eyelet of the hook is still sticking out of the tip.
Again I rig it so the shank of the hook is on the top of the fluke and the hook is in the slit and covered by the slit. It is still very weedless (and yes it runs "upside down".
Also, the hook shown is not a round bend worm hook. Us the round bend to increase hook ups.

 

Been fishing flukes for about 12 years. I love 'em!
White/pearl is my go to. Watermelon a close second. Secret weapon.....Bubblegum. There are days when they just absolutely destroy a pink/bubblegum weightless fluke.

Bunch of good advice above. I'll add something on the hook set...it can be tricky. Some days, even when they crush it, you'll go to set the hoook and it comes flying back at you.
A smart dude told me once that when smallies eat a larger bait fish, that they'll "rearrange" the fish/bait in their mouth so it goes down head first (to keep the dorsal fin spines from cutting up their throat when they swallow).
So some days, many days, you have to almost let them swim off with it and "wait for the weight" on the end of your line.

Great advice on the smaller braid, too. 10-20 # high vis braid, which floats, will solve a lot of issues.

 

Just found this. The double rig.

http://fishing.about.com/od/basicfishinginstruction/ss/aa050805a_2.htm

 

i hope to use these baits for 10+ years myself...i love them so far...cant wait to try these new rigs and methods out

 

Yeah, you've usually got to put your arms forward and gently get in any slack before you give it to them. And that doesn't always work!

I'll add to the color choice here that baby bass is deadly in places like AEP ponds where they pretty much don't have anything to eat but each other.

 

I had 2 bass pick up the fluke and swim right at me and the boat Saturday. First time it happened it confused me for a second. I let it drop next to a lily pad bed and let it sit there giving a couple little twitches.
Watch your line, you may never even feel them pick up the bait if you are slow fishing them.
I use 10 or 14lb Fireline with them.

 

at the pond i was at, i twitched the bait past a weed bed and got a big strike, i set the hook and the fluke almost hit me in the face. Reset the bait and did the same cast, set the hook and nothing. SAME cast and he finally took it for a run, set the hook (or so i thought) reeled him most of the way in and he spit it out....sigh...still fun to see these bass go after it

 

My brother in ga. turned me into a fluke fanatic and as he says any color will work as long as its white! ha ha but i have found sometime more natural can work well in very clear water

 

Flukes work great here in the Ohio River for Wipers. In the swifter water , you can even rig them with a leadhead. White Ice and Pearl work best for me.

 

Just found this. The double rig.

http://fishing.about.com/od/basicfishinginstruction/ss/aa050805a_2.htm

Seen kvd do this yrs back on a show. action looked awesome! Always wanted to try it on st.clair when the smallies are chaseing minnows!

 

Agree with that... Whit or pearl seems to be the most visible in any water clarity... The other colors do work, I've tried them, but I can actually SEE the white/pearl fluke as I'm twitching it... I love that cuz a lot of times I can actually watch the bass take the lure! Lotsa fun!!

 

Although I haven't fished flukes much this year, they are one of my confidence baits. I like to hot rod my flukes. Almost all the hot rodding has to do with allowing me to work the bait much faster than you could not hot rodding. I didn't carefully read all these posts but my thoughts on flukes are:

Any color works so long as its pearl white or maybe silver

Swivel idea is good but skip the swivel in heavier weeds

Put the hook all the way thru the bait. Slightly tuck the barb into the plastic to keep it weedless.

Use weighted offset shank hooks to be able to work it faster and deeper. I sometimes attach small steeheading weights to the shank and use heat shrink wrap to keep them attached.

Loosen the fluke on the hook. A brand new fluke placed on a hook perfectly is harder to work than a slightly used one that might have a tear near where the hook crank enters the bait.

No need to ever wait on the hook set. You'll miss more waiting than hammering them when you get bit

I far, far prefer flouro above all other lines when flukin. Flouro sinks and allows me to work it deeper and faster than mono or even braid. And braid is too stretch free and as a result dampens the action of the fluke.

I use 12-15lb flouro on a medium action, fast tip 7' rod with a bait caster.

I can almost always get bass interested in a fluke-even on tough cold front days. However, sometimes they just don't eat it right and basically just get excited by it and follow it or even half heartedly hit it. That's when I know it's time to switch to a hard jerk bait with trebles!

Hope these are helpful tips.

 

Streamstalkers advice was money. I rig exactly the same way using spinning gear. I like a 4/0 ewg hook. Are u holding the rod tip pointed at the water? It goes deeper that way. I also use a weighted hook in open water twitching along bottom. Unless Im in pads i work them quick with no slack and use a sweeping backhand hookset to pick up all the slack and keep reeling after hookset similar to using a circle hook on a wacky worm. I like white best too simply because i can see it better and usually see the hit before i feel it. When dragging thru slop i use dark green or baby bass. Bubblegum can be explosive especially up north in Canada imo they see that pink almost exactly like they see white. Lastly i like Magnum flukes on a 6/0 hook because its the only weightless soft plastic i can cast far on my baitcaster with heavy mono.

Used to be my favorite lure but now Im usually sitting in a duckboat and therefore can't point the rod tip down on retrieve so it keeps coming to surface with no weight added.

 

Streamstalkers advice was money. I rig exactly the same way using spinning gear. I like a 4/0 ewg hook. Are u holding the rod tip pointed at the water? It goes deeper that way. I also use a weighted hook in open water twitching along bottom. Unless Im in pads i work them quick with no slack and use a sweeping backhand hookset to pick up all the slack and keep reeling after hookset similar to using a circle hook on a wacky worm. I like white best too simply because i can see it better and usually see the hit before i feel it. When dragging thru slop i use dark green or baby bass. Bubblegum can be explosive especially up north in Canada imo they see that pink almost exactly like they see white. Lastly i like Magnum flukes on a 6/0 hook because its the only weightless soft plastic i can cast far on my baitcaster with heavy mono.

Used to be my favorite lure but now Im usually sitting in a duckboat and therefore can't point the rod tip down on retrieve so it keeps coming to surface with no weight added.

yeah i had the rod pointed toward the water. I would stand higher on the bank or on a rock so i could get the action i wanted. They seem much easier to fish from a boat, so if i master them bank fishing i will probably be good anywhere. I like the double rig idea, might try that to see which color they want...thanks guys for all your advice, this may be one of my confidence lures as well, just need to master it