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Vineyard Sound Fluke
By Captain Andy LoCascio
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Capt Andy |
Capt Gary |
Capt Rich |
Vineyard |
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Maptech Charts |
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I put my faith in Captain
Gary Corsetti and his pledge to get us into some monster Vineyard Sound
fluke after he spun the stern of our boat into the tide and our rigs
dropped for what seemed like an eternity. Our light conventional gear
seemed unsuited to fishing the 70-90ft depths. We were accustomed to
using our Calcutta
400S reels and 3oz bucktails for fish in much shallower water. But Gary
is the expert and his accomplishments as both a fluke and tournament
striper fisherman are well known. Despite the significant drift created
by both the stiff breeze and the ebbing tide our bucktails were dropping
nearly vertically as he nudged the boat in and out of reverse against the
drift. Once our rigs made it to the bottom we had no problem at all
maintaining contact. It did not take long to catch our first fluke as
Rich hooked up with a solid 4lb fish near the tail end of the drift. The
bite was spotty for the first couple of hours as we waited for the right
stage of the tide. When the tide was right we moved to one of Gary’s
favorite spots and got into a red hot bite that included three fish over
10lbs and numerous fish over 5lbs. We really enjoyed battling these fish
on what is considered light tackle for the depths we were fishing.
The Vineyard
The Vineyard Sound is
located in Southeastern Massachusetts. It separates
Martha’s Vineyard from
the Elizabeth
Islands
and the Southwest tip of Cape Cod. It is 20 miles long and from 3-7 miles
wide. Every spring large concretions of bait make an appearance and the
big fluke are never far behind. The more experienced captains have dozens
of spots where they target these fish. There is always somewhere to go
expect for under the most extreme conditions. The fluke bite usually
begins the second week of May and can often last through early September.
Captain Gary
Gary Corsetti runs a slick 21ft Contender out of Warwick, RI, and travels
from Cape south to Montauk, NY. He has been at this game for 30 years and
has built a reputation as a captain who knows where to find the fish. Be
it fluke or stripers, more often than not he can find the big ones. Gary
works hard to ensure that his techniques and presentations are as
effective as possible and he continually tunes his approach to suit the
conditions. This dedication to the sport has resulted in 4 ASA tournament
wins in 5 tries. He has caught numerous fluke over 12lbs and bass over
50lbs, including 2 over 60lbs. His biggest fluke to date is over 13lbs
and his biggest striper is 63lbs. His charter season runs from April 1
(Cod) to the end of October (big stripers). Captain Gary has an enormous
wealth of information. A trip with him is like a great day at school.
There is only one problem; the bite is usually so good that there is no
time for a lunch break!
Go
with the braid
This type of fishing would not be possible without the introduction of the
modern synthetic braided, spun, and fused lines (Fireline, Spiderwire,
etc). The lack of stretch transmits even the softest bites to the angler.
The thin line diameter creates very little water resistance and reduces
the amount of line needed to reach the desired depth. The combination of
these two factors allows the angler to set the hook more effectively. The
thinner line diameter also means that lighter reels with less line
capacity can be used. The top quality reel manufacturers realize that
anglers are now loading their reels with braided lines whose strength far
exceeds the monofilament lines that the reels were originally designed
for. Many of their reels that have drag systems that still work
flawlessly despite fact that the line strength and drag settings are as
much as three times their maximum rating.
Terminal tackle
This is the perfect application for 2-3oz bucktails. Larger bucktails are
rarely needed as the speed of the drift is offset by the boat’s engines.
Use a 2-3ft leader of 30-60lb Fluorocarbon connected to the main line with
an 80-130lb test SPRO Power Swivel. The leader makes for safer handling
of fish at boat side. The swivel allows the angler to quickly change
leaders and also eliminates line twist from hooked fish or while
retrieving fouled rigs. Due to it’s small profile, the swivel is less
likely to accumulate debris. The color of the bucktail should be matched
to the bait in the area. Use green to imitate spearing and sand eels,
pink for shrimp and squid, and white is effective nearly all the time.
There is no need for a teaser. Many of these fish are large and a teaser
only adds a weak point in the rig that could cost the angler a trophy.
Bait choices
Squid strips are very popular baits because they have a very good
fluttering action and their pink/white color is still visible even at
extreme depths. Squid are also common prey for fluke in the deeper waters
of the Vineyard Sound. Other strip baits such as dogfish and bluefish
belly are also effective and will sometimes out-produce squid, especially
for the bigger fish. Strip baits as long as 9-10 inches make for a big,
bold presentation. Spearing and sand eels are also good baits, but
typically create a slightly smaller presentation than squid strips and big
strip baits. It always pays to experiment as the fish may be there and
even though they are not aggressively feeding, they may respond to
different bait.
Tides
The stage of the tide is very important. Many of the bigger fish are
caught near the end of the rising and ebbing tides and during the slack.
These fish often wait for the last of the moving water before starting to
feed. This is basically a dawn to dusk fishery, and in the waters of the
Vineyard, nighttime is striped bass time!
Stemming
The only way to get such light bucktails to hold the bottom is to use the
boat’s motor(s) to counter the effect of the drift. The boat is spun so
that the stern is into the sea. This should not be attempted in extreme
conditions when there is a chance of taking a sea over the stern of the
boat! The motor(s) is run in reverse and the operator must watch the
lines to ensure they are going straight down. More throttle is used when
the lines start lagging behind the boat, and less when they start to point
the bow. This technique takes a little practice and may involve bumping
the boat in and out of gear to get the desired effect. It can be used
anytime the drift is so fast that the rigs cannot hold the bottom. This
is the opposite of “power drifting” where the boat is used to create a
drift when there is none.
Learn it
Combine big fluke and light tackle and you have got a great fishing
experience! This technique can make the difference between just catching
fish and catching a trophy. Variations of it are effective on fluke no
matter where they are, and especially effective when dealing with fast
drifts. Though it may take a little practice to perfect the presentation,
the time will be well spent, and the angler will surely be rewarded.
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