Bucktails have become a standard alternative to traditional fluke rigs for Nor’east Saltwater anglers, but that wasn’t always the case. Though commonly used for striped bass and bluefish, both from boats and off the beach, bucktails weren’t all that popular for other gamefish until 1991 when the summer flounder season saw the bucktail jig gain unprecedented popularity among South Shore anglers.
The bucktail is one of the oldest, most primitive, most reliable artificials known. There is hardly a fish that can’t be duped by it, 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.
The center of the jigging renaissance was Moriches Bay. It was 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 of that year, I was aboard the Center Moriches-based Alma on a winter flounder trip. It was an unseasonably warm day that saw little cooperation from the winter flatties. Capt. Ron Schueter played a hunch and headed for the Pattersquash Island area of The Narrows. There, in the clear 6- to 9-feet deep water, we hunted fluke back before regulations altered the season dates.
I had a green, three-eighths ounce Chuck’s Special. At Ron’s suggestion, I tied it on to a little baitcasting outfit that was spooled with light line.
"Tip it with a tiny strip of squid," Ron advised.
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," Ron said. "I’ve been telling people to try jigging for years. They just don’t want to listen. Instead, they keep coming with their 20-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 clear 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, resulting in a mad rush at the bait and a hook-up.
Bucktail jigs from one-eighth to three-quarters of an ounce are the ticket for summer flounder in shallow bays. You simply can’t fish a jig that light on a 20-pound-test outfit.
I guess many are afraid of snapping off a 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. In any event, with today’s drags, an angler with even modest skills ought to be able to subdue a doormat fluke on single digit test line under most conditions.
Despite resistence to the bucktail, its popularity grew as the season progressed. Success can be ignored for just so long.
By mid-season, Ron Schlueter was reporting that nearly three-quarters of his fares were jigging fluke. Meanwhile, bucktailing had its devotees in Shinnecock Bay, as well, where it wreaked havoc on the fluke population.
One of those enchanted by bucktail designs was Bill Witchey of Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville. I told him about a fluke trip that netted a pail of fish, showed him a few of the jigs I’d used, and, the next day, he was ordering them for his shop.
At first, Bill found the same resistance that Schlueter did, 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 State Boat Channel felt likewise. It soon became obvious that bucktail jigs were simply out-catching any other bait or method.
I don’t think Bill 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.
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 would be less than ideal for the light bucktail. Bucktails, though, are often hard to beat. A sensitive, graphite rod, fitted with a smooth-dragged baitcaster that is spooled with 4- to 10-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 like to tip jigs with a little piece of squid. I’ve also seen pork rind used to good end. Though I’ve never tried it, some anglers take to soaking their bucktails in bunker oil.
The jigging action used for fluke may be quite different from what you’re used to 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. 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 is 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.
Joseph Tyson is a former editor of Nor’east Saltwater and can be found these days at White Water Marine in Oakdale, NY.
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