Nantucket Shoals

[Flukemeister1]

Good Morning. I just booked a 22 hour Nantucket Shoals trip for fluke. Any advice on tackle, technique, what to bring would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Ry609]

Bring a heavier conventional setup, like Jigging World Nexus 7'6" XH or similar, Accurate or Avet reel with 30-40lb braid, 40lb fluoro leader (they aren't line shy up there) and a traditional 3-way fluke rig or chicken rig with 2 poison tails/light bucktails to handle up to 24oz of lead. Also have a "lighter" spinning setup rigged and ready for bucktailing up to 6oz for when the current isn't ripping as hard/slack tide. Keep it simple, don't need anything fancy or crazy flashy, and I find every time I've been there they like the meat. Gulp grubs work too, but I've caught all the big girls on meat (fluke belly, whole squid, etc.).

Good luck, have fun!

[MohawkJD]

Bring lighter set-ups too. Currents aren't always ripping. but full moons can be tough.. 6-16 oz is common on the same trip. Party boat? fishing both sides? Keep it simple, can have many tangles.

[Flukemeister1]

Thank you gentlemen.

[TerriMc223]

I fished up there last month on a NS party boat out of Hyannis for a 2 day trip. We needed 32 ounces to hold bottom for much of the second day. Luckily I had one but the boat had 32 and 24 ounce sinkers to borrow,
The current can be crazy on Nantucket Shoals and on a party boat tangles are sometimes an issue even fishing with experienced anglers. However, there seem to be no snags to worry about. I have never lost a rig to bottom structure there.
I did pretty well getting a 8# and a number of 4-5# fluke. Pool winner the 1st day was 10# and an 11#er took it the second day. However, I have seen 14# and 15# fluke caught on past trips as well as multiple doormats on not only the same trip but on the same drift. Got two 10# myself on the same drift one year. Neither took the pool but the 14# caught right next to me did!!
Awesome fishing.
Yes, there should be times to bucktail with lighter gear especially during slack tide.
Bait works, gulp works, chicken rigs work, oh and they were doing well using Spoons in June which I didn't have, so long story short... bring everything ya never know!
Sometimes some knucklehead sea bass in the mix. none this year but we did get some porgies as the bycatch kind of a surprise.

Catch em up!!!!

[Flukemeister1]

Boat left at 11 PM 5 hour steam lines in at first light. First day out after a four day blow and there was a HUGE roll/heave still going on. There was one roll big enough to throw a cooler over the side and if it wasn’t for the Captain grabbing me I would have been in with it. Thankfully that eased as the day went on. Unfortunately there was little to no drift most of the day. The Captain worked his butt off to put us over changes in depth and when there was a little tide folks caught some real quality fish. The young man I brought on the trip fought through his first time being seasick and after a nap gets up and decks his PB eight pound fluke. Twenty minutes later he nailed a five and a half pound sea bass. Everyone went home with a nice bag of fillets despite the conditions. I can’t wait to go back.