Hey all,

 

Been on a late summer and fall transition fluke bite for the last several years - typically just throwing a super fluke, D shad, or whiplash shad on a 4/0 or 5/0 offset worm hook (don't love EWGs secondary to the lack of hook gap). Frustrated with the amount of line breaks on hookset. Just fished a derby this weekend that we woulda ran away with if not for lost opportunities. I feel like I've tried everything. Our current set ups are as follows:

 

14# suffix advanced fluro, 7'MH, mod fast, high speed casting reel. Use a 5/0 gamakatsu hydroll hook (built in swivel to line tie). We have high end lews casting gear with drag set fairly light. Trouble is that it's too light for getting bit on the end of a long cast, but inevitable that you're gonna get chewed at the boat at some point. 

 

Have also tried a similar setup with a barrel swivel about 18" up the line. Have even rigged my own VMC redline 4/0 worm hook with a ball bearing swivel and still had some issues. Have also tried 30# braid to a 3 or 4' fluro leader with similar issues (even retying about 4x in an 8 hour derby). 

 

Donkey rig: 30# suffix braid to 14# suffix advance. Had two breaks on this rig past weekend. 4/0 offset worm to super fluke and 2/0 offset worm to super fluke JR on shorter leader. 

 

I also throw a nose hook on spinning tackle without issues. I use a 18" leader to barrel swivel with 10# braid to 10# leader to 18" 10# swivel leader. Just can't get away with that around grass flats. 

 

I've watched every fluke video I can find and no one seems to have the same struggles with breaking fish off - and many of them don't even recommend a swivel. I'm pretty close to going straight 30# braid to a heavier gauge hook and sending it. Also worth noting that out waters have about 5-6' of visibility this time of year. Everyone has a different opinion on line shyness - maybe I need to bump to 17 or 20# fluro??!

 

Thanks for any input! Sack em up! 

 

I always fish flukes weightless with a 3/0 ewg and a straight line tie and have never broken off.  I will bump up to a superline hook if I need the extra fall weight.

I'm not a tournament angler, or an expert. I have had my success with a zoom super fluke, using mono and a loop knot to a 3/0 offset wormhook.

I fish weightless Flukes on 12lb fluorocarbon and a 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG (skip gap) and have never broken one off. I use a 6’6 MH/Fast rod, so I’m not sure equipment itself is much of the issue. 
 

Where in the line is the failure point? What knots are you using?

Super fluke on 12# Sniper, Trokar TK 110 hook, SDJ knot with always a nail weight in the back. 

I’ll move it up and back depending on how I want it to fall when periodically dead sticking in a fairly vigorous retrieve. 

Another thing I’ll do is rig with about 1/4” of the tip pointed up or down, again depending if I want it to rise or dive. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

12 to 14 pound fluoro and weightless plastics are my go to.  I can't remember the last time I broke a fish off on a hookset.  I would cut and retie your bait frequently and/or change to a different brand of line (I use sniper).  Fluoro can get beat up at the knot from casting and hooksetting so it's good practice to cut and retie so you have a fresh knot as often as possible. 

 

Beyond that there are little things you can try.  I think that a reel setup that let's you cast effortlessly with a lower energy smooth cast also helps to keep the line alive at the knot.  Consider freeing up the reel by backing off on the spool tension.  Also don't rip at the fish with wild hooksets.   Load the rod, reel and sweep the rod.  

1 hour ago, sb04 said:

(even retying about 4x in an 8 hour derby). 

The leader or the terminal knot?  I'll retie the terminal knot 4 times in under an hour easily.  I'll do it after one fish if it's a big fight by the boat with the fish diving under the boat and my rod fully loaded, the stretch pulled out of the line and all that force going to the knot.  That's an instant retie.  

7 ft. ML spinning w/15# high viz braid,  6 ft. 10# mono. leader, 5/0 light wire red EWG hook, Texas rigged, Palomar knot;  no swivel, no weight, no breakoffs.

29 minutes ago, Bigbox99 said:

 Beyond that there are little things you can try.  I think that a reel setup that let's you cast effortlessly with a lower energy smooth cast also helps to keep the line alive at the knot.  Consider freeing up the reel by backing off on the spool tension.  Also don't rip at the fish with wild hooksets.   Load the rod, reel and sweep the rod.  

The leader or the terminal knot?  I'll retie the terminal knot 4 times in under an hour easily.  I'll do it after one fish if it's a big fight by the boat with the fish diving under the boat and my rod fully loaded, the stretch pulled out of the line and all that force going to the knot.  That's an instant retie.  

 

I have two lews Pro TI's rigged with flukes this time of year so it's definitely a quality reel. I could certainly be guilty of getting a little carried away with a hookset. In my mind, I set the hook pretty similar for all single hook, plastics techniques and only ever have trouble with a fluke. So my mind immediately goes to line twist being the issue. I suppose I do tend to cast more aggressively with a weightless fluke vs. other weighted soft plastic applications so that could be a piece of the puzzle contributing to knot weakness. I hadn't thought of this so I appreciate your perspective. Maybe I'll be more conscious of my casting practices and retie more frequently. Maybe it's not a setup, gear issue at all. From my experience, suffix advance seems like a decent fluro option, although I'm certain sniper is a superior option. 

1 hour ago, sb04 said:

I could certainly be guilty of getting a little carried away with a hookset.

Which terminal knot are you tying? The leader on my fluke rig is 10lb Seaguar Blue. Never broke at the knot on a hookset using a pretty crisp/stiff 13 7'1" Omen Black 2/Alphas SV. SDJ with 7 wraps.

Sufix Fluoro has a pretty good reputation and to be honest, there has been a lot of failures with Sniper reported recently. I’d lose the swivels, since every knot is adding a potential failure point. Honestly, I’d probably switch to mono for throwing a donkey rig, since that’s adding an additional shock on every cast.

 

From what I’m guessing, your

knots are failing from shock loading. Fluorocarbon isn’t a good shock absorber, and if your line is already stretched at the knot, it will let go.
 

If you don’t already, make sure you lubricate that line before pulling the knot tight. Spit on it at the very least, or use some kind of lubricant. I keep a bottle of Reelsnot on the deck and spritz the line before pulling it up (my partner greases his knots with crawfish Megastrike and swears by it). 

19 minutes ago, ElGuapo928 said:

to be honest, there has been a lot of failures with Sniper reported recently

 

Certainly not in my experience, it is the only flourocarbon I've used for years without issue.

 

Berkley Vanish, now we're talking failures 😉

I’m probably the outlier here but my DShad setup is a spinning rod with 6lb straight mono, weightless on a 4.0 EWG Gamakatsu hook.  I only break off when they have teeth.  And I cross their eyes on the hookset.  7ft medium rod.  BPS EXCEL line, so it’s not expensive. DShad in the morning worked just off the bank on Headwaters is the ticket. Likewise casting into the tall reed islands.  

I break off 12# fluoro on hookset every now and then.  I generally attribute it to pickerel, but I admit that it has been a reminder to retie and respool more often than I do.

1 hour ago, BayouSlide said:

 

Certainly not in my experience, it is the only flourocarbon I've used for years without issue.

 

Berkley Vanish, now we're talking failures 😉

It’s been a pretty recent thing, and has only shown up in Sniper. Random breakage without damage, burned feeling spots in the coating on new line. It doesn’t appear to be tied to any individual run or size. The Hookup Tackle even did a video on it a week or so ago. Something changed in either the extrusion or coating process, and the JDM Sniper hasn’t been immune to it either. 

Vanish is in its own league - the line that never fails to fail. 

15 minutes ago, ElGuapo928 said:

It’s been a pretty recent thing, and has only shown up in Sniper. Random breakage without damage, burned feeling spots in the coating on new line. It doesn’t appear to be tied to any individual run or size. The Hookup Tackle even did a video on it a week or so ago. Something changed in either the extrusion or coating process, and the JDM Sniper hasn’t been immune to it either. 

Vanish is in its own league - the line that never fails to fail. 

Oh really? Ive heard of issues with the bulk spools but not about the 165 or 200yd spools. Just picked up a few of the small spools and youve got me nervous. 

This is the time of the year, for me, where fish seem to get stupid and lazy. The water is hot (90+ degrees) and the pleasure boaters have churned up the water and turned it chocolate. So fish seem to hit baits weird. I tend to foul hook more fish this time of year than any other time. It's not uncommon for me to fish a crankbait or jerkbait and end up hooking the fish in the middle of the body, nowhere near the mouth. When they start doing this, fishing a fluke style bait can be challenging. I tend to use an open hook lightweight jig head (1/8oz or smaller) instead of an EWG. Hook ups are better and fish seem to strike it hard if they decide to chase it. 

Check all your guides for nicks. Two different lines makes me think it’s you or the rods.

I'm OCD when it comes to soft jerkbaits, love them.

First and foremost they must be hooked perfectly straight for the right action, no twisting.

I've got Zoom flukes, Bass assassin, whiplash, Keitech, D-shad and 6th sense flush.

All said and done like D-shad and Bass assassin best for the action I'm looking for.

Prefer spinning due to the fact they skip so well, med action XF is personal.

15# braid to 12# Sunline sniper flouro.

4.0 Gamy EWG for weedless.

Never break on a hookset, knot maybe ❓

 

On 8/13/2025 at 2:30 PM, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

Oh really? Ive heard of issues with the bulk spools but not about the 165 or 200yd spools. Just picked up a few of the small spools and youve got me nervous. 

It’s been seemingly random - apparently it has been worse in the smaller (10lb and less) weight lines, but there’s been weird failures all around. 

2 hours ago, ElGuapo928 said:

It’s been seemingly random - apparently it has been worse in the smaller (10lb and less) weight lines, but there’s been weird failures all around. 

I guess I’ll pay attention to the spools I got and see how it goes. 

Is the line breaking at the knot, or some distance up from it? Knot failures happen for a number of reasons, poorly tied or too much stress on the hookset. Farther up the line can be caused by kinks (reeling over loops is one cause), bad line or getting nicked by rocks, shell beds, zebra muscles, or rod guides. Start eliminating things that you do, or could be doing, before looking at things done to the line to cause it to fail.

1 hour ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

I guess I’ll pay attention to the spools I got and see how it goes. 

That’s pretty much what has been decided by everyone experiencing this - check it real close while spooling, and watch for discolored spots to show up.

People always rag Vanish, but I use it all the time for fall steelhead and if it handles them; it’s handling bass. Rocks, wood, gravel beds, mussels combined with the speed and power of fall steelhead are gonna test leader line quick like. I don’t break off much, but do pull hooks sometimes 

I fish a weightless fluke on 15 lb Big Game with a 3/0 EWG hook.  If I need to add weight I'll either tie on a belly weighted hook, or I add a 1/16 oz. bullet weight to the line.

Zoom fluke 8 lb Big Game mono and a spinning rod. 3/0 hook 7 ft mxf rod. My favorite combo