The 1991 summer flounder season saw the bucktail jig gain unprecedented popularity among south shore anglers. The bucktail is certainly one of the oldest, most primitive, most reliable artificials known. There is hardly a fish that can’t be duped by a jig and many expert anglers will concede that if they were limited to but a single lure for their box, it would be the good old bucktail jig. Despite this, relatively few anglers bother to employ jigs for fluke. Until this year, that is.
The center of this jigging renaissance was Moriches Bay. Upon reflection, it seems only natural that this shallow bay would be the site of a bucktail boom. The relatively skinny water allows even the unskilled angler to keep a jig down in the feeding zone. Early in the season, I was aboard the Center Moriches-based “Alma” for a flounder trip. It was an unseasonably warm day that I saw little cooperation from the winter flatties. Capt. Ron Schueter, calling upon his forty years of experience on Moriches Bay, played a hunch and headed for the Pattersquash Island area of the Narrows. There, in the clear six to nine feet deep water, we hunted fluke. I had a green, 3/8 ounce Chuck’s special, manufactured by Cuck’s Buck’s, a local lure maker. At Ron’s suggestion I tied it on to a little baitcasting rig that was spooled with 4 pound test line. “Tip it with a tiny strip of squid,” he advised. Thusly rigged, I proceeded to catch over twenty summer flounder during the latter half of the tide. I was impressed, especially because only the few anglers aboard that were jigging were experiencing much success. “Don’t be surprised, “said Ron,”I’ve been telling people to try jigging for years. They just don’t want to listen. Instead they keep coming with their twenty pound test outfits and fishing baits. When the bite is on, it doesn’t matter. It’s when the going gets tough that the jigs pay off. Problem is, most guys just won’t fish the light line you need to use with a bucktail.”the crystalline water afforded me the opportunity to observe fluke attacking the jig, which they did with great gusto. Occasionally two fish would stalk the jig at the same time, the result being a mad rush at the bait and always, a hook-up.
I’ve always found the same to be true. Folks just seem hell-bent on fishing heavy line when it’s a light touch that’ll work the magic.Especially with artificials. Bucktail jigs from 1/8 to ¾ of an ounce are the ticket for summer flounder. You simply can’t fish a jig that light, even in shallow water, on a 20 pound test outfit. The new, narrow diameter lines are good, but not that good. I guess many fishermen are afraid of snapping off a big doormat if they use light line. If that is how you feel, I respectfully submit that you’ll miss many, many more hookups by using the heavy stuff than you’ll even bust off because your line is too light. I’d also point out that damn few fluke better than ten pounds have been caught around Long Island lately. In any event, with today’s drags, an angler with even modest skills ought to be able to subdue doormat fluke on single digit test line under most conditions.
Despite resistence to the jig, its popularity grew as the ’91 season progressed. Success can be ignored for just so long. Long-time “Alma” regular and master sinker bouncer Pete DeVita, of North Babylon confessed to me one day that it took much convincing to get him to try a jig. After all, he’d caught thousands of fluke on killies or spearing or squid over the years, hadn’t he.Now , a peek in his box will reveal a good supply of Fin-Strikes, Moriches Bay Hoppers, Chuck’s Specials and South Bay Persuaders in a variety of sizes and colors. I was aboard one day when Pete used a chartreuse Moriches Bay Hopper to take the pool fish, a fluke just shy of 3 pounds and garner hi-hook honors as well. Another day, aboard “DelMar IV”,my eight-year-old daughter, Brianne, was tutored by Ralph Giodano, Sr. in the use of a bucktail. She mastered it sufficiently to nab her first summer flounder ever, a nifty 2 ¾ pounder. She had four fluke that day. There were only eleven other fish on the boat that day.
By Mid-season, Ron Schlueter was reporting that nearly three-quarters of his fares were jigging their flounder, in stark contrast to just a couple of seasons ago. Meanwhile bucktailing had it’s devotees in Shinnecock Bay. Rich Parisien, of Altenkirk Precision Tackle, wreaked havoc on the local summer flounder population with a small, chartreuse Fin-Strike. Mark Weiss, a dandy bay fishermen favored a yellow Andrus Rib Splitter. He used it to take as many as 33 fluke in a single day and fish up to 9 pounds 11 ounces during the season.
Chuck’s Bucks, taking some ideas from saltwater flies and streamers, took bucktails beyond the usual colors of white, yellow and green. Mylar, feathers, fish hair and other exotic components, along with a rainbow of colors not previously common to saltwater jigs were carefully crafted to imitate natural baitfish and captured the imagination of many anglers. No one had seen anything like them commercially produced before. One of those enchanted by the fanciful designs was Bill Witchey, influential proprietor of Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville. Bill’s a friend and one day, over a cup of coffee, I told him about a recent fluke trip that had netted a pail full of fish. I showed him a few of the jigs I’d used and the next day, he was ordering a mess of them for his shop.
At first, Bill found the same resistance that Schlueter had seen, but when a few anglers started ringing up impressive scores with fluke and weakfish, the only problem he had was keeping the jigs in stock. Summer flounder in the west Island/Squaw island area found bucktails nearly irresistible and weakies in the SBC felt likewise. It soon became obvious bucktail jigs were simply outcatching any other bait or method. I don’t think Billy minded the by-product of the bucktail’s acceptance, either. He sold more than a few light baitcasting and spinning outfits. The deeper water found inside Fire Island and Jones inlets didn’t hamper bucktailers a bit, it turned out. Soon other shops saw an increase in jig sales as well.
A few weeks after our first bucktail discussion, I was back at combs for another mid-morning coffee break. Bill told me about a few customers who had never caught anything but scored with jigs. It made no sense. After all, working a jig takes a modicum of skill, whereas fish will sooner or later impale themselves on baited hook by pure, dumb luck (won’t they. Maybe jigging forces them to pay more attention to what they’re doing, we opined. Perhaps it keeps them a bit more “into” the game, so to speak. Maybe that is the little edge that made the difference. Who knows?
I’ll be the last to tell you that bucktail jigs are the final word in fluke fishing. There are certainly situations that don’t favor their use. The deep, fast moving water in the rips off of Montauk, for instance, would be less than ideal for the deployment of a 3/8 ounce bucktail. Bucktails, though, are often hard to beat. A sensitive, graphite rod in 51/2-7 feet, fitted with a smooth dragged baitcaster that is spooled with 4-8 pound test, narrow diameter line and teamed with a freshly sharpened bucktail jig will surely take more than its share of summer flounder. Many anglers, myself included, like to tip their jigs with a little piece of squid. I used a piece about ¼ inches wide by 11/2-2 inches long and make sure to skin it so that it is all white. I’ve also seen pork rind used to good end. Some anglers take to soaking their bucktails in bunker oil, though I’ve never tried it. I did test some of those scented artificial baits a few times but was never impressed. Others swear by them.
The jigging action used for fluke may be quite different from what you’re jigged for other species. While pointing the rod toward the jig, the tip is wiggled to impart a twitching action. The drift of the boat suffices to move the bait across the bottom sufficiently. Keep the bait down in the strike zone, there is no need to snap it off the bottom. The object is to have it imitate a small baitfish nosing along the bottom.
Color seems important. I’ve been out on days when only chartreuse catches, or green, or black. Keep a variety of colors on hand. You may also wish to experiment with different head shapes. The open-mouthed smilin’ Bill shape imparts a wild, erratic motion. Others, such as the South Bay Persuader offer a gentler, more rhythmic action. Round heads, stand-up jigs and flat heads all have a place in your arsenal. Try them all.
Besides summer flounder, these small jigs are deadly on weakfish, Spanish mackerel, schoolie bass and cocktail blues. If you haven’t yet learned the joys of bucktailing, perhaps it’s time you did.
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