Thank you Fluke "wonder rig"

[briansnat]

Recently someone here posted a video of the so-called "fluke wonder rig". I have thank him. Hit Sandy Hook Bay today with a friend. My fluke fishing experience is limited to maybe 4 outings over the last 30 years. He's been fluking much of his life. I rigged a rod with the "wonder rig" with a killie on the end and he was using his standard rig with a killie and a strip of squid.

30 minutes into our first drift I had boated 3 keepers (biggest 25 inches) to nothing on his line. The next drift he got a short, a dogfish and a sea robin and I boated 3 more shorts.

By the end of the day I had about 15 in total and he had about 8, but most of his were after he switched to the "wonder rig". Alas, after me going 3 for 3 for keepers we got nothing but shorts.

Going forward this will be my go to rig for fluking. My only change was leaving the hook on the jig. No way am I cutting the hook off a $6 Spro bucktail to make it a fancy sinker. Besides I thought maybe there is that monster fluke out that that might prefer the jig.

[nutleysigns]

let's see this "Wonder Rig" congrats on your catch

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by nutleysigns

let's see this "Wonder Rig" congrats on your catch

Basically, its a 1 oz or so bucktail jig with the hook clipped off, tied on a 1 foot leader off one eye of a 3 way swivel with another longer leader maybe 18 inches that has a small , REALLY small hook tied on, and is baited with a killie.. The rig looks fine for loading up on 15 inch fluke, but that #4 hook is better suited to fishing for crappies. or maybe small sand porgies.. a 5 or 6 pounder on this rig??.. maybe , but you'd have to be all ass to pull it off.
It looks ok for rivers with a lot of cabbage, but IMHO, the plain old jig and teaser looks WAYYY better for ocean fish... Go on youtube and type in "Fluke Wonder Rig", and there are videos... IMHO, that guy must miss a LOT of hits when fluke grab that bucktail sans hook.. In my opinion, in the rivers you would catch just as many fluke on a plain old live killie rig with a small egg sinker painted white .. I wasn't impressed personally.. The Shrewsbury and Navasink systems are stiff with smaller fluke in June some years, and using live killies or plain spearing can get any good fisherman several dozen hookups in a few hours on the right day... I would not use the rig as shown for fishing structure, or even the big deep channels around the Hook... bob

[briansnat]

I used 1/0 octopus hook

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by briansnat

I used 1/0 octopus hook

Good idea.. The #4 hook is simply no good for big fluke... bob

[reason162]

Originally Posted by briansnat

I used 1/0 octopus hook

That's a porgy hook, and small porgies at that. A keeper fluke will take a 6/0 hook all day with no issues whatsoever.

[Blackfish Bobby]

It works.
Smilin Bill jigs with hook cut off work real well. Green and white.

[briansnat]

Originally Posted by reason162

That's a porgy hook, and small porgies at that. A keeper fluke will take a 6/0 hook all day with no issues whatsoever.

But will a killie? I can't imagine one providing very much movement attached to a 6/0

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by briansnat

But will a killie? I can't imagine one providing very much movement attached to a 6/0

You are correct of course, but its a trade off.. That #4 is simply too small for fluke fishing .. Yes you will catch some, and you did great your first time with the rig... However using porgy/flounder hooks for fluke is going to lose you a lot of nice fish over time.. Killies catch fluke as well as anything else, but tend to catch a lot of shorts... Thats fine as I personally consider the "wonder rig" more for rivers and shallow bay areas, maybe big tidal creeks that hold smaller fluke.
Using a #4 hook on big deep water fluke will make for a lot of problems, and a a lot of gut hooked fluke... bob

[reason162]

Originally Posted by briansnat

But will a killie? I can't imagine one providing very much movement attached to a 6/0

I'd go 3/0 with a killie. I also wouldn't wait 20 seconds or anything ridiculous like that to set the hook. Another name for the "wonder rig" is the "gut-ripper rig."