few questions for the pros

[Al Agnew]

Here it is...pretty simple, just insert the hook point in the top of the nose instead of the center.  Rig it as any texposed rig after that.  By starting in the top of the nose and with a little care in where it goes back through the body, you end up with the front end of the fluke bent downwards a bit.  This seems to keep it down when twitched.  Mitch, the weight of the hook does matter a bit, though...the fluke doesn't seem to sink as fast with the 2/0 hook.  A bit of superglue on the nose helps make it last longer, because there isn't much of the plastic impaled in the front end and it tears out easily.  Yesterday I didn't use glue, and just bit off a little of the nose once it tore out and re-hooked it the same way, hook inserted at the top edge of the bit-off nose.  Still worked. I don't like using glue, it can be messy and if you get too much on it the whole nose becomes stiff and brittle.  Still searching for a way to rig these things where the first two or three fish don't tear them up almost beyond usability.

[MOsmallies]

I've always had issues hooking fish consistently with a fluke... So this year I started using a weightless screwlock swimbait hook with a treble stinger hook just slid onto the shank of the swimbait hook before texposing it. Seemed to work well although it's not as weedless as before.

[Pat Magee]

I get a lot of weird looks with the way I rig my flukes but I have never had a problem eye hooking or losing any fish (although if you are distracted or not watching your line it can be easier to gut hook a fish this way).  I still enter the hook in the center and come out before the "flaps," I then pull the hook until the eye of the hook is inside the tip of fluke I then guesstimate where I want the hook and then bring it though the top and recess the hook tip barely in the top of the fluke.  I do tear up flukes but they are do darn cheap I don't really care.  If I am running out of them and they get a little torn up I will just wacky rig them. 

[Guest]

 

TDeleted.

[joeD]

But that's just it. Flukes are throw away. Put 'em on a 4/0 off set worm hook and throw. Once they get beat up, put a new one on. It's overthinking and overkill once you introduce weights or glue or tubing. 

Also, I do not like extra wide gap hooks, as I believe they hinder movement and reduce hook set percentages.

Further, I think braided line improves hook setting and catching.

I do hook my flukes as Al describes. 

[Al Agnew]

I know they are kinda throwaway, as any soft plastic is, but if the fish are on them, you can go through several bags a day. One year when I was regularly fishing them, I decided to keep all the torn up ones with the idea of eventually melting and pouring them into curlytail grubs (which I also go through a lot of them). By the end of the summer, I had a 2 gallon bucket completely full of them. I never tried melting them down, even though I acquired a grub mold. That's a lot of wasted plastic. I don't even know if you COULD melt them down and re-pour them, since they are so salt-saturated. I don't mind paying for them, just don't like the waste.

[Mitch f]

 

I know they are kinda throwaway, as any soft plastic is, but if the fish are on them, you can go through several bags a day. One year when I was regularly fishing them, I decided to keep all the torn up ones with the idea of eventually melting and pouring them into curlytail grubs (which I also go through a lot of them). By the end of the summer, I had a 2 gallon bucket completely full of them. I never tried melting them down, even though I acquired a grub mold. That's a lot of wasted plastic. I don't even know if you COULD melt them down and re-pour them, since they are so salt-saturated. I don't mind paying for them, just don't like the waste.

They can definitely be remelted Al, have done it before.

[fishinwrench]

Anytime you "re-melt" a bait I think you need to add some kind of hardener as the end result will be noticeably softer.  

Using plastics ain't cheap at all when you are going through 2 bags a day.  I bought a "Worm Welder" years ago figuring that was a good way to save money.  WRONG!   The thing eats battery's like crazy and battery's are more expensive than a handful of baits,  plus the welded areas are always so soft that 90% of the time the bait won't even stay on the hook during a hard cast.

[Hog Wally]

I have caught many many giant smallies on this setup.  I don't trim my knot on it so it provides more drag inside the body to avoid pants down. I skip it along on top like a minnow swimming for its life.  Nearly 100% hook up rate. I could care less about weedless compared to catching fish.  It's a buzzbait to me. Try it. You'll like it.  

[Hog Wally]

 

I have caught many many giant smallies on this setup.  I don't trim my knot on it so it provides more drag inside the body to avoid pants down. I skip it along on top like a minnow swimming for its life.  Nearly 100% hook up rate. I could care less about weedless compared to catching fish.  It's a buzzbait to me. Try it. You'll like it.  

I have caught many many giant smallies on this setup.  I don't trim my knot on it so it provides more drag inside the body to avoid pants down. I skip it along on top like a minnow swimming for its life.  Nearly 100% hook up rate. I could care less about weedless compared to catching fish.  It's a buzzbait to me. Try it. You'll like it.  I forgot to add that the farther back u get the hook the more of a walk the dog pattern you get.  This has been one of my favorite long cast on the flats and riffles lures.   It'll live through many many bites also.   Especially the new style Mitch will be hopefully perfecting soon.