As we turned the corner and headed south past the historic Montauk Lighthouse we were met with a stiff breeze and nasty 3-5ft sea.  Our 24ft Edgewater had no problem slicing through the sea and as usual the ride was completely dry.  My only concern was whether or not we brought enough lead along to hold the bottom.  The drift was definitely going to be fast and furious.  It looked like Rich was going to have to leave his favorite SPRO bucktails in the box.  Captain Joel Lizza had assured us that he could get us on the fish no matter what the conditions but I have to admit I was a bit skeptical.   

We just up sea beyond a prominent piece of higher bottom that rose up to 40ft and was surrounded by waters nearly 60ft deep.  We slipped 8 ounce sinkers on our rigs and it took only a few moments to realize we were going to need at least 12 ounces.  We changed sinkers, motored back over the piece and dropped our spearing baited rigs to the bottom.  It didn’t take long before Joel was into the first fish.  A few moments later we had a nice 4lb Fluke in the boat.  The drift was quick and the currents were strong, but the fish were very cooperative.  We caught plenty of legal fish, with several in the 3-5lb range and the largest over 8lbs before weather forced us to call it quits. 

The bite is on 

The arrival of good numbers of Fluke in Montauk typically coincides with the arrival of large schools of bait including squid, sand eels, and spearing in mid to late May.  The fish will hang around for the remainder of spring and all summer.  Many of the private, charter, and party boats target these fish almost exclusively.  Some of the largest fluke ever caught come from these waters. 

Leave your light tackle home

A 6-7ft medium heavy conventional boat rod capable of handling sinkers of up to 16 ounces is a must.  Do not be confused by the suggested lure weights specified on the rod blanks.  These weights pertain to the size of lures that can be cast effectively using that rod.  Much heavier weight can be used when simply dropping to the bottom or flipping the rig away from the boat.  Conventional reels are best.  Since braided lines have a thinner diameter and less water resistance, they provide an added advantage and allow the angler to hold bottom with lighter sinkers.  The lack of stretch transmits even the softest of hits back to the angler.  The rig itself consists of a 4-6ft length of 50lb Fluorocarbon leader tipped with a 4/0 Mustad bait holder hook preceded by a Mylar dressed rivet (adding flash and a bit of color).  The leader is tied to the midpoint of a 2ft leader attached to the main line via a swivel on one end and completed by a bank sinker on a perfection loop at the other end.   The loop allows the angler to easily change to the appropriate sinker.

Stay in touch

It is critical that the bait is presented just off the bottom.  Once the rig get up in the water column, the bait will quickly become ineffective.  Be sure to use a large enough sinker to hold the bottom.  Larger sinkers are needed as drift speeds and depths increase.  The speed of the drift is determined by both the wind and the current generated by the tide.  Larger diameter lines also require heavier sinkers.  Drop the rig to the bottom and keep the amount of scope in the line to as little as possible.  The more line that is in the water, the greater the water resistance and the tougher it is to hold bottom.  Those fishing smaller boats can use their motors to stem the tide by placing the stern into the tide and bumping the motor in and out of gear.  This will also allow the anglers to spend more time over a productive piece of bottom.  This is known as stemming.  This should be done only when conditions permit.  No boat should never be held into a significant sea stern first for any length of time.  When there is little or no drift, the motor can be used to create a drift.  Once again, bump the motor in and out of gear to cover the bottom as thoroughly as possible.  This is known as power drifting. 

Work that bottom

Once you arrive in an area, it is important get a feel for the exact direction and speed of the drift.  Position the boat just above the area to provide enough time to get the rigs baited and to the bottom.  Use a fishfinder (sonar) to watch the depth and the quantity of bait on the bottom.  Watch for eddies and rips on the surface as they indicate changes in the bottom where the fish feed and hold.  Pay careful attention to exactly where in the drift the boat is when a fish is caught.  Use either a shore range or a GPS chart plotter to mark the spot.  A body of fish will typically bunch up on a specific piece of bottom or on a particular drift line.  Use this information to plan the next drift.  Be courteous to the other fishermen.  Never run the boat and position it just down-drift of another boat so that your boat reaches the fish first.  This is known as “short drifting” and is simply unacceptable behavior. 

The hook-up

The rig should be bounced along the bottom using short lifts on the rod.  The frequency of these lifts should be varied.  There are times when the Fluke are more interested in a quick moving bait than a slow one.  The initial hit usually feels like a gentle tug or as if a slight bit of weight was momentarily added to the rig.  A slow lifting motion can be used to determine if there is additional weight on the rig.  If increased weight continues to be felt it is time to strike.  A short swift strike is all it takes to drive the hook home.  If the fish is missed, immediately drop back and start working the rod again.  Many times the Fluke will grab the bait on the drop back or as soon as it begins to move away.  Once a fish is hooked it is important to hold the rod steady and simply let the reel do its job while keeping a good bend in the rod.  Pumping the rod will result in many lost fish.  Once at the boat, the fish's head must remain in the water until it is netted.   

Bait choices

Fluke are very aggressive fish and will attack a wide variety of baits.  Strip baits can be very effective as the shape of the bait provides additional action and can entice the fish to strike even when the rod is in the holder.  Squid is usually the best choice should be cut into and long slightly tapered strips.  It is important to hook the strips only once near the wider end so that the bait will not spin.  Squid can also be used whole and once again hooked only once near the tip of the mantle.  Two hook adjustable bait rigs are also available and will certainly increase the hookup ratio when using the larger baits.  On this trip we chose to use the largest whole spearing that were available.  The spearing is hooked once through the eyes.  Other whole baits such as sand eels and snappers can also be used with great effectiveness.  The angler has tough choices to make when selecting the size of the bait.  Very large baits will discourage the smaller keeper size fluke (or make them very difficult to hook) but the larger presentation will attract bigger fish.  If you are willing to sacrifice some action in pursuit of a trophy fish, use larger bait.

So much to do and so little time