need help in technic in fluking

[gsx99]

i have been out the past 2 DAYS FLUKING IVE BEEN FOLLOWING ADVISE FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER FROM THIS SIGHT . i have purchase numerous spros in ever color from 1/2 ounce to 6 ounce and ton of rigs with beeds and skirts. used a buffet of bait from squid to spearing to kellies to gulb and the only thing i got was 2 shorts and 1 sea robin. pretty sure im always draggin bottom and according to my gps always a drift from 1 to 2 mph have a garmin chart plotter sounder 540s any help on tips of what im doing wrong would be appreciated just looking to creat more hook ups to make the day more exciting love the sport just need to learn the right technechs. any help wood be MUCH APRECIATED mario

[tropics]

Originally Posted by gsx99

i have been out the past 2 DAYS FLUKING IVE BEEN FOLLOWING ADVISE FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER FROM THIS SIGHT . i have purchase numerous spros in ever color from 1/2 ounce to 6 ounce and ton of rigs with beeds and skirts. used a buffet of bait from squid to spearing to kellies to gulb and the only thing i got was 2 shorts and 1 sea robin. pretty sure im always draggin bottom and according to my gps always a drift from 1 to 2 mph have a garmin chart plotter sounder 540s any help on tips of what im doing wrong would be appreciated just looking to creat more hook ups to make the day more exciting love the sport just need to learn the right technechs. any help wood be MUCH APRECIATED mario

Sounds like you have all right stuff, if you are dragging bottom, try bouncing more.
Take a trip on an open boat or go on a PB talk to the guys Buck Tailing and watch how much they work the jig. You will pick it up in no time good luck.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Don't think in your case the techique is the problem, it's more likely to be location. Before I go into location here are a few things about technique with Bucktails.
- You should be jigging as close to straight down as possible... If you can't keep in contact with the bottom unless you let a lot of line out switch to a heavier jig.
- You don't work the Bucktails like you would a Diamond jig... The jigging action is much more subtle. You use your wrist and rather then twitching or bouncing it's more like a slight pump to keep the jig moving slightly.
- Use a teaser tied in 12 inches above the bucktail... Most of the fish come in for the bucktail but will take the teaser.
- Unlike bait fishing, when a fish hits you don't drop back and give the fish line so he will take the bait. As soon as you feel a hit, lift the rod to set the hook. Cant tell you how many Fluke failed to take the hook and you end up foul hooking them.

As far as location, Bucktails work best in the sticky stuff... Reefs, Rocks etc.

You also want to be fishing in an area where the wind and tide are in the same direction... If you have wind against tide you might as well put you pole down and have a sandwich....

Here is an article on wind and tide that may help you:


The Effects of Wind and Tide.



When the winds from the West fishing is best
When the winds form the East the fish bite the least
When the winds from the South it blows the bait in their mouth's
When the winds from the North do not go forth


These are some good general rules but wind direction is only a piece of the puzzle. You need to understand the combined effects of wind and tidal directionin order to improve your odds of catching fish…

Fish are lazy and opportunistic. This is especially true of larger fish. As Richard Pryor once said, “You don’t get to be old being no fool”. Unless they are chasing a pod of bait, fish tend to lay in wait pointed into the current or tide and have Mother Nature bring bait to them. If you believe this then it only stands to reason that you want to present your bait in a way the fish are expecting to see it. That means that your drifting bait and boat should be moving in the same direction as the tide.

Let’s use the Raritan Bay area as an example… When the tide is ebbing (outgoing) the water in the bay for the most part is moving east, towards the ocean. If you have an east wind, which means the wind is coming out of the east,it will want to push your boat and baits west. So in this case the boat and your bait are being pushed west against the east flowing water…This is not anatural presentation of your bait since the fish are expecting the bait to be flowing with the tide. In wind against tide situations your bait comes up from behind them. So, the first and perhaps the most important principle is to try and drift where and when the wind and the tide are running in the same direction.

Now that we got the wind and tide thing figured out let’s talk about how to pick a spot to drift…..

Once again you need to find a spot where the water is moving in the same general direction as the wind. Best way I have found to do this is with a tide chart and a paper chart of the area you will be fishing. By looking at the tide chart you should be able to tell if the water is incoming or out going. One important thing to remember here is that the tide direction (e,w,n,s) varies based upon the tide stage and location. An example I will use here is in theSandy Hook area. If you’re out in the middle or Raritan bay and you have an outgoing tide it generally runs east toward the ocean. Inside the Hook howeverthe tide is coming out of the Shrewsbury River which makes it run north since that’s the outgoing path it takes to get to the ocean. If you envision or mark the chart with arrows in the direction of the tide then determine which way the wind is blowing you’d want to select and area where the arrows are inthe same direction. Make sense?

Like most things in life there are exceptions. If the wind is light don’t worry about its direction. Wind against tide situations only occur when the wind is blowing in the opposite direction and is stronger then the flow of the tide. As a general rule this only happens when the wind us above 10MPH. So,if you’re fishing in 5-7 MPH wind don’t worry about its direction. You can fish just about anywhere you want because the tide will have more influence on thedirection of your boat.

Now for some tips….. A great way to reduce the effects of the wind is to use land as a natural barrier. Here’s an example… You’re fishing out in the ocean and you have an incoming tide (towards the beach) and some pretty swift winds out of the west coming off the beach. Your best bet here would be to fish tight into the beach since the land will be blocking some of the wind. The further out from the beach you are the more the wind will effect your drift direction. Or,let’s say you have a strong east wind. You may just want to run around theinside of Sandy Hook and use the land there to break the wind and fish close toshore.

Another tip is to power drift. Let’s say you have slack tide and no watermovement. What you might want to do is bump the boat in gear every so often tocreate movement. Or let’s say there is a spot where you know there are fish butthe boat won’t drift in the right direction. What you can do here is leave theboat in gear to make it run along with the direction of the tide. One other wayto make the boat drift more with the tide or current is to use a drift sock.Once you get the sock in the water and see which way it pulls the boat tie itoff to a cleat where it won’t get in your way. Since the sock will be drifting with the current it will pull your boat along with it. I have also seen people in small boats use a 5-gallon bucket in the same manner.

It took me years to understand the effects of wind and tides. When I applied them to choosing locations and different methods to get a proper drift, it increased my results dramatically and can do the same for you.



Copyright2007 Gerry Zagorski NJFishing.com

[gsx99]

I would like too thank everone for thier help I will do some more reading and try to better my fishing techniqe.allthough ive been a boater and a lover of the ocean fishing is harder then just putting a pole in the water. i also will be going on some party boats its just right know i need to put some hours on my boat and try to educate myself so i dont look like a newbe with a nice tacklebox. thanks again.

[Blackie528]

Don't worry in no time you will get the hang on it. And from there you will keep improving. Fluke fishing could become addictive. GOOD LUCK and ENJOY.

[Lwhssh]

You’re not doing anything wrong. Welcome to fluke fishing in NJ

[BillV]

what areas are you fishing? that might help us guide you

[hammer4reel]

Don’t drag the bucktail like a sinker .

Swim it above the bottom a foot . Only drop back occasionally to see that your still near the bottom .

[Dclark2]

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