Making a Topwater Fluke

[Mac10]

Clip the tail from a zoom super fluke and set aside. Now clip the tail off of a zoom speed worm just as the flat hooktail meets the ribbed body of the speed worm. Using a candle or pencil soldering iron, weld the speed worm onto the back end of the fluke....make sure you weld it in a flat out position, not up and down vertically. The hook will face either right or left.

Texpose the fluke on a weightless hook and fish with rod tip up on the retrieve. On a steady retrieve the tail augers nicely throwing water to both sides and the body tips over a little and emulates a wounded fish trying to gain equilibrium. Also works well on the sweep, pause, sweep retrieve.

On the deadfall, the falling weightless fluke still wafts back and forth well, even with the added horazontal tail added. On the underwater pull, the tail pulses...sending out signals to the fish in the area.

[Soupysayso]

very interesting concept. I was playing around with something similar but making my fluke jump out of the water regularly like a baitfish jumping. I've found the fish will mouth the tail but not take the whole lure as if taste-testing it. Problem has been, if I make the bait jump out of the water like they seem to want....it covers too much distance and comes back to the boat too fast spooking them; if I just kill the bait, they lose interest. Have any suggestions besides dynamite?

[Mac10]

I don't know about jumping them and keeping them in the zone, but I have sent a couple of modified flukes to friends and they have reported back. The one fellow shore fishes a great deal and went out the other day on one of the finger lakes in NY state.....caught one bass on the super fluker and couldn't get any to hit his other favorite lures. The second fellow, also happened to be in NY caught two bass using it on top, but the second tore the tail completely off.

I don't know if the following would work or not, but try skipping the lure with a fast sidearm cast on the entry. Then pause a little so it sinks a foot or less and use two pulls moving the fluke underwater about a foot each time. Using the fluke with the hooktail in this manner (just underwater) sends out a throb from the hooktail emulating a wounded fish. After the second pull wait for a 10 to 15 second pause, if nothing, then work it to the top, use a medium fast pull of three feet which will buzz the tail on top and then let it slowly sink with a couple short fast pulls on the way down......If that doesn't work, let it sink to bottom, wait 20 seconds and then lift slowly to feel for fish.

To answer your question directly, I really don't know how to hop it a lot without moving it too much.

[Soupysayso]

Mac, there's a company out there making these baits now. Might want to give them a try http://productolure.com/store/index.htm

[Mac10]

Cabin Creek lure Co. just came out with the 4.5 inch Buzzin Shad with a hooktail. The only difference is that my tail is horazontal and will tip the body on the pull like a wounded fish trying to regain its equilibrium.

www.cabincreekco.com

[crkoester]

Haven't you guys ever heard of Gambler Flapp'n Shads? Exactly what you described above, minus the soldering iron and all that mess.

Cut a slit in the paddle tail to create a sharp-angled hook-tail - voila - you have it.

Chris

[Silo1688]

I've used a floating z-man fluke nose hooked with a shiner hook 1/0 (lightwire). In front of that is a Paycheck baits Nosejob that is held in the front with a rubber bobber stop. you can pop it, skip it. twich it and let it die. The cool thing about this is you can quickly change out the color or size of the bait depending what the bass are eating.