Fluke Fishing Tips by Andrew Saad

Keep It Fresh

Heading out into New England waters for fluke is always a great time but if things get off to a slow start and you find yourself wondering if there are even fluke in the area, remember this, "Keep It Fresh". During my latest fishing trip I wondered why the fishing was so slow so I moved closer to some structure and started the drift again with the same awful results as the hours before.  I was jigging an ounce and half pro style bucktail with strip of squid as a trailer on the hook.

​After some more time of not catching anything in a spot well-known for holding fluke, I pulled up my line and took the strip of squid off that had been on my jig for little while. I cut myself a fresh strip of squid and began fishing again. Bam! As soon my jig hit the bottom I had a keeper size fluke on!  

​​This gave some hope to the two other fishing buddies on board that the fish were here.  I cut myself another fresh piece of squid, hooked it up and dropped my line down.  Again, as soon as my jig hit the bottom I had another fluke on!  Fresh squid seemed to be the key. My two buddies on board quickly reeled up their rigs and put a fresh slice of squid on.  They had the same results as me.  The fresh squid trailer was exactly what these fish wanted.  The moral of the boat quickly changed! What started as a quiet day on the water all of the sudden turned to a great day. We figured these finicky fish out and were able to return to the docks with some beautiful fluke for the table.  

​This day on the water retaught me a valuable lesson.  Fish can be very finicky when they want to be! Even if you have everything right, it can be one minor detail that determines if you are hooking up or not.  The fresh squid happen to be this day’s key ingredient. If the squid had been on the hook in the water more than a few minutes without a bite, reel it up and put a fresh strip on and the next drop you’d have a bite almost immediately.  

-Andrew Saad

​Want to see some great fishing pictures? Check out @saadmandoo on instagram