Stopped to Fish a river on the way home. I had small travel tackle box with me this evening so my choices were limited and then I discovered I had no hooks that I normally use for my Flukes. I tried a keel weighted 3/32 oz. 4/0 Owner with the screw lock. I was fishing a river so I figured the keel weight would be ok. I wasn't real happy with the action of the bait.

Does anyone use this type of hook with a Fluke? If so, how do you fish it?

I have used them in faster current and i did well with them but they weren't screw locks.  I feel that kills the action more than the weight.  The ones i had were just weighted gammys i believe without the screw lock.

I have used them in faster current and i did well with them but they weren't screw locks.  I feel that kills the action more than the weight.  The ones i had were just weighted gammys i believe without the screw lock.

Interesting, I was in some pretty good current. I felt the same about it killing the action.

We fish for wippers in fast current with a jig head and fluke. wippers didn't mind the action but not sure about bass

Wippers?

We fish for wippers in fast current with a jig head and fluke. wippers didn't mind the action but not sure about bass

The current in my inlet is normally about 8+ knots, that's moving along pretty good.  Flukes or jerk shads on 1/4 oz jig head is a popular set up.  Even using something heavier like 1 oz bucktail, the lure is still mostly on top of the water given the current speed.  The fish aren't shy, they want it they come get it.

If you want the lure to go deeper fish it against the current, watch out for snags.

Wippers?

white bass mixed with a stripper

white bass mixed with a stripper

 

If you held a gun to my head I'd say the smallmouth is my favorite fish to catch, but any fish mixed with a "stripper" would automatically be moved to the top of the list!!  MAKE IT RAIN!!!!!!!!

white bass mixed with a stripper

Ahhhh, those wippers!

I don't use a weight, even in current and I fish them hard in the river. I use the Owner Twist Lock light for flukes and what I do is make a cast upstream and let it sink and then I work the bait like a hard jerkbait except you don't want to pull the bait, you want to jerk the slack line. If the current is fast you'll have a short amount of time that isn't is in the zone before it comes up but once that happens, don't quit, hold the rod tip up and give it small pops as you're reeling in the bait, it will be scooting along the surface and I couldn't tell you how many times I'd have a good one hammer it on top like that, in fact I had a day that I caught 9 and all of them were on top by doing what I just described.

Rofl stripper, striper, striped bass.

I don't use a weight, even in current and I fish them hard in the river. I use the Owner Twist Lock light for flukes and what I do is make a cast upstream and let it sink and then I work the bait like a hard jerkbait except you don't want to pull the bait, you want to jerk the slack line. If the current is fast you'll have a short amount of time that isn't is in the zone before it comes up but once that happens, don't quit, hold the rod tip up and give it small pops as you're reeling in the bait, it will be scooting along the surface and I couldn't tell you how many times I'd have a good one hammer it on top like that, in fact I had a day that I caught 9 and all of them were on top by doing what I just described.

for small mouth? I ask because we have dirty rivers here, I've caught and snagged a lot of different fish but never smallies or large mouth.

for small mouth? I ask because we have dirty rivers here, I've caught and snagged a lot of different fish but never smallies or large mouth.

 

for small mouth? I ask because we have dirty rivers here, I've caught and snagged a lot of different fish but never smallies or large mouth.

 

 

Yep, smallmouth!! Our rivers run pretty clear but do get dirty from time to time and if the water is dirty I'm not using a super fluke, I'll be cranking or slow rolling a spinnerbait.

I recently started using that weighted light wire Owner hook and I am really liking it, including using it for flukes. I fish it the same way I do when the fluke is weightless. From what I've seen so far, the action on the fluke isn't changed a whole lot but rather its accelerated (if that makes sense). For instance the way it falls is similar, but the keel weight causes that fall to happen faster.