Fishing for Fluke/Flounder is FUN & CHANLLENGING!

It is fun when you're trying to reel in your fish before it gets rid of your hook; while it's trying to get rid of your hook before you pull it out of the water! And it's pretty challenging when you're force to use up all your knowledge and resources to deceive the fish to eat your bait! Another good thing about fluke fishing is that fluke is an inshore fish, that mean it's not necessary for you to be on a boat out in the ocean to get these fish.

CHARACTERISTICS: Summer flounder also known as fluke. Fluke and flounder are basically the same species but came inshore in different season (Fluke shows up during the summer; winter flounder shows up during winter). Most of the time, fluke will lie on the bottom along the bay, waiting for their meal to swim by and swallow in whole. They are common species along many parts of the Atlantic Coast. The average size we caught range between 1 and 4 pounds, but the largest recorded exceed 10 pounds.

FISHING TACKLE: A medium action, 6'-8' spinning rod and a 3000 reel are sufficient. With fishing line of 8-20 lb. can make sure it won't break when fighting fish. Several 1-3 oz weight (sinker) and size 5-6 wide gap hook in case your leader gets stuck and need to be replace.It's somewhat troublesome to carry a 1 or 2 pieces fishing rod, why not try out these telescopic rod which allow you to store it even in your bag? They may not have the power to fight bluefish, but strong enough to handle fluke.

WHEN: Fluke can be caught year-round, day and night nearby mussel beds, oyster bars and around piers. Moving tide is usually best because it makes your bait looks alive. The best time to fishing fluke are around sunrise and sunset; that is like when they wake up to find breakfast and dinner before sleep. During the noon, when the sun hang right above your head, fluke are likely to swim near to any piers for shade area as well as to little bait fishes nearby. From my experience, bigger fluke will often feed at night near or under the pier. I guess that's because bigger fluke somehow figures out that there are less people fishing in the night. The best season to catch fluke is in the summer.

WHERE: They are caught mostly around piers and close to the beach, rather than in deep water, but will move away from inshore during winter. Fluke likes to hide in sloughs or deep holes and near sandbars. They bite more often in moderately clear water than in dirty water. Water current is another factor because fluke will always face with current, so fish with current.

HOW: Both natural baits and artificial lures works, but always go with natural bait if possible. What I found most efficient are finger size minnows (alive or dead) and squid strips. Bucktail, one line is about 3-4 feet long tight with a wide gap hook (snelled hook), the other line should be 5-8 inch long with a sinker. Color beads or spinner blade may also be use as it may attracts more attention to your bait. Note, if you're

BAIT: For casting, use minnow or squid strip. According to local pro fluke fisher, fluke likes minnows better, but the downside is other fishes (including crabs) can easily rip it off your hook. On the other hand, squid strips are much durable and will stays on your hook even after several fish bites(except crabs). Again, it's best to use live bait to fish all king of fishes. The best live bait to fish fluke is baby bluefish (3" to 4" long), which can be caught with small sabiki hook from the pier. If you can't catch any baby blue, then get a small porgy with shrimp or clam meat, but baby blue is first on the list. Simply put the hook through the back of the little fish and drop it from the side of the pier. Since the bait is still alive and still be able to swim, it's a bit hard for crabs get their hand on it, but fluke (and other bigger fishes) will have no problem and will not miss this easy meal. This is one of my favorite, as well as the laziest way of catching fluke and it definitely works!

I use these Fluke Jigs once a while and it works just fine! Comes with rubber squid, wide gap hook, color beads and a spinner blade. Just attach it to a clip and add a 1 1/2 oz sinker. Don't forget to sweetened with strips of squid or fish.

TIPS: As I mentioned before, flounder stay on the bottom waiting for their meal pass by most of the time. So cast your bucktail as far as you can in order to cover more area and increase your chance. Drag it back slowly just to let your lure stays on the bottom. Flounder will strikes when they see an easy meal within their sight. It's hard to explain whether fish is hooked because fluke rarely hit-and-run. Therefore, light tackle works great as it will provides sensitive feeling. Often, fluke will just hold onto a bait in their mouth and sit for a while before they actually eat it. When you feel a bite but not sure, free out few feet of line so that it doesn't feel any pressure from your line and be more comfortable to eat the whole bait including your hook. As soon as your line is tighten again, it's time to set the hook and reel in your fish swiftly. Remember, never let your line go slack when you reel in your fish, because fluke will do anything to get rid of the hook before you got them. For example, shaking their head back and forth trying to shakes off your hook.

These are some of the flukes I caught in this summer on the pier at Coney Island, New York. All my fishing knowledge cames from those pros who have been fishing for over 30 years. My advice for fishing is to look at what and how the pro do their fishing, it's the quickest way to learn fishing =)

*By the way, please rate this guide so that I know whether it is helpful. Thank you!