Can anyone please share some advice on bucktails or Fluke bullets. Weight, do you just tie onto your leader etc? I was out at Montauk last week for a few days on the Marlin VI and these 2 guys in the back of the boat caught ALOT of keepers. The boat limited out and even though I caught 4 keepers these guys were catching keepers all the time. One guy had a double header with a Fluke and a Bluefish. I never seen anything like it. They had real light setups with fireline and bucktails or bullets. I always fish with the standard spearing/squid setup but I would like to know about buckatils or bullets. I fish mostly Captree partyboats and Montauk. By the way the Marlin VI was awesome. Captain Ed and the mates were top notch. Thanks. Mike
Advice on Fluke bucktails or Fluke bullets
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Fluke Bullets
My crew and I are big fans of the Fluke bullets.With the deep waters and strong currents in Montauk along with the fireline we use anywhere from 6-10 oz. bullets.What we do is cut off the hook from the bullet and add a 18" leader with a 3/0 mustad hook and a large Green rubber squid with green beads (works well for us).Then 12" up we add our white or green bucktail.We have had 6 double headers this season with two of them having keepers on it.
As for bait use your spearing with the fluke back (the dark side) cut it 8-10" long and about 3/4" wide. Obviously you can use squid and fluke belly, but personally I catch more fish with the fluke back.
Hope this helps you!
Capt.JAY
My crew and I are big fans of the Fluke bullets.With the deep waters and strong currents in Montauk along with the fireline we use anywhere from 6-10 oz. bullets.What we do is cut off the hook from the bullet and add a 18" leader with a 3/0 mustad hook and a large Green rubber squid with green beads (works well for us).Then 12" up we add our white or green bucktail.We have had 6 double headers this season with two of them having keepers on it.
As for bait use your spearing with the fluke back (the dark side) cut it 8-10" long and about 3/4" wide. Obviously you can use squid and fluke belly, but personally I catch more fish with the fluke back.
Hope this helps you!
Capt.JAY
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bullets
Out of FI Inlet, in the ocean, I had a lot of luck, including double headers with a silver bullet used as the "sinker". I tied up a 3-way rig, with about a foot of leader to the bullet. Off the other end of the 3-way, an approximately 3 foot leader with a bucktailed hook. I kept the colors the same for bullet and bucktailed hook - either white or green. Bait was long ( 6-8inch) squid strips with large sand eels or spearing; OR whole squid.
Recently switched to plain double-hooked whole squid. All keepers and no misses. That extra hook is well worth it for using who;e squid.
I also kept my drift fast at all times. Picked up a lot less garbage drifting faster.
...Mocean
Out of FI Inlet, in the ocean, I had a lot of luck, including double headers with a silver bullet used as the "sinker". I tied up a 3-way rig, with about a foot of leader to the bullet. Off the other end of the 3-way, an approximately 3 foot leader with a bucktailed hook. I kept the colors the same for bullet and bucktailed hook - either white or green. Bait was long ( 6-8inch) squid strips with large sand eels or spearing; OR whole squid.
Recently switched to plain double-hooked whole squid. All keepers and no misses. That extra hook is well worth it for using who;e squid.
I also kept my drift fast at all times. Picked up a lot less garbage drifting faster.
...Mocean
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1,277 Posts
if you're fishing in an area with a slow current, try usuing a 2oz terminator rig which is simply a bucktail tied to a 3way swivel and a 3foot leader with a teaser. bait both with squid and spearing----works great. oh------use the braided line, it will help you hold the bottom.
how do you rig the fluke bullets using them as a sinker?
hey... i have heard fishermen having succes with using a fluke bullet as a sinker. i would like to try this using a 5 oz fluke bullet as a sinker and a fluke hook (36" leader) in the bay. How would i rig this. 3 way swivel?
hey... i have heard fishermen having succes with using a fluke bullet as a sinker. i would like to try this using a 5 oz fluke bullet as a sinker and a fluke hook (36" leader) in the bay. How would i rig this. 3 way swivel?
Fluke Kid,
As triple play stated. Remove the hook that comes attached to the bullet. Then just tie your main line to one loop of the bullet and on the other loop, which is where the hook was attached, add a leader (18" thru 24") with a bucktailed hook.
Phish On!
As triple play stated. Remove the hook that comes attached to the bullet. Then just tie your main line to one loop of the bullet and on the other loop, which is where the hook was attached, add a leader (18" thru 24") with a bucktailed hook.
Phish On!
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10,097 Posts
Try it this way
This is how we do it on my boat and it is a devastating method - almost unfair to the flukies (This was copied from one of my posts on the "Reports" page):
What we do is use 30lb mono and make a 1.5" dropper loop in it. Then tie a small Spro 130lb barrel swivel about 5" above it. This will get connected to the main line with a ball- bearing snap swivel. Now put a small black duo-lock snap on the dropper. This is where the tiny 1/4oz bucktail goes. Now EXACTLY 14" below the dropper tie on a second black duo-lock snap. (Remember - exactly 14", not 13" and not 15" - took a LOOONG time testing results to get that height right). This is where the silver bullet goes on. So what you have now is a rig that allows quick changes of lures at the top and bottom positions plus and this is the biggie - when you get a decent fluke in the net and he completely weaves the lures thru the netting all you need do is unsnap the lures and drop them out of the netting, then close the snaps and pull the empty rig right out of the net. Works like a charm and took a few seasons to get it right. We never ever use "Standard" fluke bait rigs anymore - haven't for at least 4 season now. The rig is THAT effective.
Works fine with a 12" gentle jigging motion or even better when just left in the rodholder, dead-stick style.
Good for silver bullets to 10oz. In truth, 95% of the fish hit the upper bucktail, but occasionally, the bullet gets one too.
Got a nice 7lb2oz fish on this rig two weeks ago. It hit a home-tied bucktail - Bright Blue Krystalflash on a 1/4 oz bullet-head body painted white. Blue and to a lesser extent light green/turquoise have been the smokin' hot colors this year. Last year it was pearl white and the year before brown.
Go figure.
rgds, Leprechaun
This is how we do it on my boat and it is a devastating method - almost unfair to the flukies (This was copied from one of my posts on the "Reports" page):
What we do is use 30lb mono and make a 1.5" dropper loop in it. Then tie a small Spro 130lb barrel swivel about 5" above it. This will get connected to the main line with a ball- bearing snap swivel. Now put a small black duo-lock snap on the dropper. This is where the tiny 1/4oz bucktail goes. Now EXACTLY 14" below the dropper tie on a second black duo-lock snap. (Remember - exactly 14", not 13" and not 15" - took a LOOONG time testing results to get that height right). This is where the silver bullet goes on. So what you have now is a rig that allows quick changes of lures at the top and bottom positions plus and this is the biggie - when you get a decent fluke in the net and he completely weaves the lures thru the netting all you need do is unsnap the lures and drop them out of the netting, then close the snaps and pull the empty rig right out of the net. Works like a charm and took a few seasons to get it right. We never ever use "Standard" fluke bait rigs anymore - haven't for at least 4 season now. The rig is THAT effective.
Works fine with a 12" gentle jigging motion or even better when just left in the rodholder, dead-stick style.
Good for silver bullets to 10oz. In truth, 95% of the fish hit the upper bucktail, but occasionally, the bullet gets one too.
Got a nice 7lb2oz fish on this rig two weeks ago. It hit a home-tied bucktail - Bright Blue Krystalflash on a 1/4 oz bullet-head body painted white. Blue and to a lesser extent light green/turquoise have been the smokin' hot colors this year. Last year it was pearl white and the year before brown.
Go figure.
rgds, Leprechaun
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Another Way...
Use a 3 ft. piece of leader material.To the top tie on a barrel swivel,on the bottom tie on the right size bullet.Leave the hook on,even add a stinger hook onto the bullet.About 3 inches above the bullet add a dropper loop,then another dropper 15 inches above that.
To the bottom dropper attach a snelled 2\0 gama. hook on a 36 in leader.On the top dropper add your teaser of choice.This rig presents you bait 3 diff. ways.Depending on tide and the fluke they will hit one or all the baits.This rig has worked wonders....enjoy
Use a 3 ft. piece of leader material.To the top tie on a barrel swivel,on the bottom tie on the right size bullet.Leave the hook on,even add a stinger hook onto the bullet.About 3 inches above the bullet add a dropper loop,then another dropper 15 inches above that.
To the bottom dropper attach a snelled 2\0 gama. hook on a 36 in leader.On the top dropper add your teaser of choice.This rig presents you bait 3 diff. ways.Depending on tide and the fluke they will hit one or all the baits.This rig has worked wonders....enjoy
"What we do is cut off the hook from the bullet"
Why cut the hook off? You can buy the "bullets" with the swivel and without the hooks or just the bullets itself. Fishing flea markets and the tackle catalog suppliers that are regularly mentioned on this site are a good economical source for them.
HEY!!!! I just realized it! There are formatting buttons added to the bottom of the "Post Message" box! Just another example of the heads up attitude of the crack Nor'east team doing all they can to make this a great place for us to be.
Thanks Nerd!
Why cut the hook off? You can buy the "bullets" with the swivel and without the hooks or just the bullets itself. Fishing flea markets and the tackle catalog suppliers that are regularly mentioned on this site are a good economical source for them.
HEY!!!! I just realized it! There are formatting buttons added to the bottom of the "Post Message" box! Just another example of the heads up attitude of the crack Nor'east team doing all they can to make this a great place for us to be.
Thanks Nerd!
i dont understad!
how do you cut the hook off from the bullet? if you cut the hook off from it how are you going to catch a fish? and is a fluke bullet supposed to be woeked like a bucktail? how does it flutter in the water if it weighs 8 ounces? and what type of rig would you use to attach a 5 or 6 ounce bullet to the line and add a fluke hook under it? (i buy fluke hooks that come with a 36" leader) Does anyone do it this way??? PLEASE HELP IM VERY CONFUSED lol
how do you cut the hook off from the bullet? if you cut the hook off from it how are you going to catch a fish? and is a fluke bullet supposed to be woeked like a bucktail? how does it flutter in the water if it weighs 8 ounces? and what type of rig would you use to attach a 5 or 6 ounce bullet to the line and add a fluke hook under it? (i buy fluke hooks that come with a 36" leader) Does anyone do it this way??? PLEASE HELP IM VERY CONFUSED lol
gimme back my bullets....
I don't get cutting the hook off a bullet either. Why not just use a sinker then? I'm sure the guys who do this catch fish, but I like my way. I catch a lot right on the bullet's hook, and a lot on the add-ons.
I use an approximately 12' leader from bullet to 3-way. (bait this bullet hook). Then I tie a 36" leader to another end of the 3-way. This leader gets a bucktailed hook, or a small bucktail. (bait this too, preferably the same presentation.) I keep the colors of the bullet and this hook the same. (white was best for me). The third connection to the 3-way swivel is your fishing line.
As mentioned by someone above, a good embellishment would be to add a teaser above the bullet in addition to the 36" leader ala Flukerr's description above. I tried bullets with teasers, but had better luck with the 3-way set-up and 36"leader, so I never added the teaser to the 3-way. Sounds good though. Also sounds complicated when fishing two poles in freespool, and the bite is on.
Also found that on slower drifting days, occasionally twitch the rod about 6 inches, quickly, about 10 times in a row helps alot. (Thats w/ powerpro).
If you cant envision this, let me know and I'll try to sketch and scan it.
...Mocean
I don't get cutting the hook off a bullet either. Why not just use a sinker then? I'm sure the guys who do this catch fish, but I like my way. I catch a lot right on the bullet's hook, and a lot on the add-ons.
I use an approximately 12' leader from bullet to 3-way. (bait this bullet hook). Then I tie a 36" leader to another end of the 3-way. This leader gets a bucktailed hook, or a small bucktail. (bait this too, preferably the same presentation.) I keep the colors of the bullet and this hook the same. (white was best for me). The third connection to the 3-way swivel is your fishing line.
As mentioned by someone above, a good embellishment would be to add a teaser above the bullet in addition to the 36" leader ala Flukerr's description above. I tried bullets with teasers, but had better luck with the 3-way set-up and 36"leader, so I never added the teaser to the 3-way. Sounds good though. Also sounds complicated when fishing two poles in freespool, and the bite is on.
Also found that on slower drifting days, occasionally twitch the rod about 6 inches, quickly, about 10 times in a row helps alot. (Thats w/ powerpro).
If you cant envision this, let me know and I'll try to sketch and scan it.
...Mocean
MOCEAN: THANKS NOW I UNDERSTAND THE FLUKE BULLET STORY. IF I TRY THE FLUKE BULLET I WILL TRY YOUR WAY FIRST.
BUT FOR NOW, IM STICKIN WITH MY 15 POUND MONO LINE, SLIDER RIG, BARRELL SWIVEL AND ONE FLUKE HOOK, WITH A PLAIN BANK SINKER. ALWAYS WORKED FOR ME. WHY CHANGE? ANYONE ELSE SEE IT THIS WAY??
BUT FOR NOW, IM STICKIN WITH MY 15 POUND MONO LINE, SLIDER RIG, BARRELL SWIVEL AND ONE FLUKE HOOK, WITH A PLAIN BANK SINKER. ALWAYS WORKED FOR ME. WHY CHANGE? ANYONE ELSE SEE IT THIS WAY??
Could it be that the flash/reflection of the chromed bullet has something to do with its success? Even if you remove the hook and attach a 14" or so leader with a hook attached to it, it will still attract to the general area and the baited/tipped hook can finish the job.
But then again, as you both said OceanMW and FLUKEKID, if you've got something that's working for you why mess with it? Mike71 indicated that he wanted to know about the bullets because even though he caught 4 keepers, the two guys that were using Bullets and Bucktails (I'm willing to bet that that was actually a "Terminator" Jig) limited out. Four keepers in this day and age is nothing to scoff at. But if you see someone doing better it couldn't hurt to look into it and try to do what they're doing. As the old saying goes "Match the hatch" to that I add, "Match the catchers"
But then again, as you both said OceanMW and FLUKEKID, if you've got something that's working for you why mess with it? Mike71 indicated that he wanted to know about the bullets because even though he caught 4 keepers, the two guys that were using Bullets and Bucktails (I'm willing to bet that that was actually a "Terminator" Jig) limited out. Four keepers in this day and age is nothing to scoff at. But if you see someone doing better it couldn't hurt to look into it and try to do what they're doing. As the old saying goes "Match the hatch" to that I add, "Match the catchers"
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2 rigs! pictures
Well I did not have the big bulletsat home on the boat but here is 2 rigs I have been using below 1 is the bullet on the bottom and 12" above is a hand tied fly. The second is the old time white on white with a storm 2" paddle which has been working well!
Well I did not have the big bulletsat home on the boat but here is 2 rigs I have been using below 1 is the bullet on the bottom and 12" above is a hand tied fly. The second is the old time white on white with a storm 2" paddle which has been working well!
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1,754 Posts
There is a couple of reasons people remove the hook from the bullet.
First,like decribed above to tie 12 to 15 in of mono and attach a hook.The reason some guys do this is because you do drop alot of fish on the bullet hook.Mostly when you use heavy bullets (5 oz or better)because the weight of the bullet so close to the flukes mouth,does give him leverage to spit the hook.Thats the reason i add a trailer hook to the bullet.It hooks and holds alot of fish alot better.
Another reason is that a bullet cuts through the water and holds alot better then a standard weight(bank sinker).5 oz is 5 oz but the bullet does hold better.
The bullet bounces on the bottom with flash,kicking up sand.This does attract more fish.
I like my hooks.......Hope this helps......enjoy...
First,like decribed above to tie 12 to 15 in of mono and attach a hook.The reason some guys do this is because you do drop alot of fish on the bullet hook.Mostly when you use heavy bullets (5 oz or better)because the weight of the bullet so close to the flukes mouth,does give him leverage to spit the hook.Thats the reason i add a trailer hook to the bullet.It hooks and holds alot of fish alot better.
Another reason is that a bullet cuts through the water and holds alot better then a standard weight(bank sinker).5 oz is 5 oz but the bullet does hold better.
The bullet bounces on the bottom with flash,kicking up sand.This does attract more fish.
I like my hooks.......Hope this helps......enjoy...
Fluke Bullet
Nightcaster Thanks for the heads up but modells has a sale several times a year.$1.99 -$2.99 (yes 10oz is sometimes hard to find)But if the supplier that you speak of is cheaper Please post.
Flukekid As I post earlier I cut off the hook and then add my 18" leader with a hook etc.Then I add 12" up my bucktail.As for flutter with the 8oz bullet, I fish in 70' of water and with the strong current there is plenty of flutter!
As for Mike71 post He stated I never seen anything like it, That's because those guys he's talking about, all cut off the hook from the bullet and the reason I know this is because I'm docked right next to the Marlin VI.
Those guys limit out 7 out of 10 times and win the pool more often than not.
With the hook attached to the bullet you have a good chance of your trophy fish spitting the hook.
You Don't have to understand it, but it works and it works great!
Regards
| Capt.Jay
Nightcaster Thanks for the heads up but modells has a sale several times a year.$1.99 -$2.99 (yes 10oz is sometimes hard to find)But if the supplier that you speak of is cheaper Please post.
Flukekid As I post earlier I cut off the hook and then add my 18" leader with a hook etc.Then I add 12" up my bucktail.As for flutter with the 8oz bullet, I fish in 70' of water and with the strong current there is plenty of flutter!
As for Mike71 post He stated I never seen anything like it, That's because those guys he's talking about, all cut off the hook from the bullet and the reason I know this is because I'm docked right next to the Marlin VI.
Those guys limit out 7 out of 10 times and win the pool more often than not.
With the hook attached to the bullet you have a good chance of your trophy fish spitting the hook.
You Don't have to understand it, but it works and it works great!
Regards
| Capt.Jay
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3,953 Posts
Shorter leader
When we used to fish for fluke commercially we would use the bullets like you guys said but the leader was 6" then we would put a barrel swivel on then another piece of leader to the hook. The reason for this was if you need to change a hook or rig all you had to do was cut the end of the leader to the barrel swivel. Also the hooks never tangled up on them self?s like it can happen in tide or current. We would also put a Mylar skirt over the swivel for color and help as a teaser. I have been using a 3 to 4? leader off the bullet and finding great success with it. Gives a quicker set and the fluke which tend to hit a bullet much more aggressively then a bait hook them self?s on the short piece of leader. I have been using the 3 and 4oz. spros on the bottom instead of bullets and doing real well on them also the chartreuse green with white is my preference.
When we used to fish for fluke commercially we would use the bullets like you guys said but the leader was 6" then we would put a barrel swivel on then another piece of leader to the hook. The reason for this was if you need to change a hook or rig all you had to do was cut the end of the leader to the barrel swivel. Also the hooks never tangled up on them self?s like it can happen in tide or current. We would also put a Mylar skirt over the swivel for color and help as a teaser. I have been using a 3 to 4? leader off the bullet and finding great success with it. Gives a quicker set and the fluke which tend to hit a bullet much more aggressively then a bait hook them self?s on the short piece of leader. I have been using the 3 and 4oz. spros on the bottom instead of bullets and doing real well on them also the chartreuse green with white is my preference.
hookless bullets
Thanks for those explainations guys. Some of that makes good sense. I think I'll modify my approach by adding a 2nd hook 3 - 4 inches down from the bullet (when its mostly keepers.)
I did this with whole squid on a plain rig - big difference in hook-ups, but I did start getting my 1st gut hooks. (so I won't do it when a lot of shorts are around). I don't know why this is...
...Mocean
Thanks for those explainations guys. Some of that makes good sense. I think I'll modify my approach by adding a 2nd hook 3 - 4 inches down from the bullet (when its mostly keepers.)
I did this with whole squid on a plain rig - big difference in hook-ups, but I did start getting my 1st gut hooks. (so I won't do it when a lot of shorts are around). I don't know why this is...
...Mocean
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