Although they’re effective throughout the large majority of the year, soft jerkbait fishing is about to be at its best. When the shad make their annual migration to the backs of creeks, the bass are going to follow in a big way. It may be tough fishing right now, but much of the country is just a few cool nights from incredible fishing action.
I never go fishing this time of year without several packs of Zoom Salty Super Flukes. Whenever I need a quiet baitfish imitator, it’s one of my go-to baits.
There are four things I’ve always loved about ’em.
- Gliding action
- Durability
- Castability
- Versatility
Realistic action that fools big bass
My local fisheries become very clear this time of year which tends to make the fishing difficult for many anglers. Even though we know the bass are gorging on shad, a still day can make it almost impossible to get bites on crankbaits and spinnerbaits—they’re just too unnatural for these clear water bass.
Whenever this happens, you can be sure there will be a Zoom Salty Super Fluke rigged on the front deck of my boat. They’re an excellent baitfish imitator but more importantly, they’re not noisy and bulky. They’re very subtle, they fool bass of all sizes and they’re easily fished through heavy cover without worry of hang-ups.
It doesn’t take an expert angler to have a great day of bass fishing with the Salty Super Fluke, either. Simply make a long cast, let it sink for just a few seconds and incorporate small, short twitches of your rod tip into your retrieve. You’ll find some soft jerkbaits that like to spin, pop out of the water or slide down the hook shank throughout the retrieve, but the Salty Super Fluke glides and swoops through the water column very naturally.
If you’ve ever seen a big school of shad next to your boat, you’ll notice they don’t swim in straight lines. It may look like it at first glance, but upon further inspection they’re always making some sort of small lateral movements. When fished on a weightless Texas rig, the Salty Super Fluke is a great imitation of this behavior, which has resulted in several 100—yes, 100—fish days for me over the years.
I’ve also been impressed by the different types of fish this bait catches. I’ve caught smallmouth bass, spotted bass, largemouth bass, white bass and striped bass on the Salty Super Fluke and it doesn’t just catch quantity. Many of my biggest fall bass come on this bait.
Durability
If you commit several fishing trips to learning the intricacies and different techniques of the Zoom Salty Super Fluke, you’re going to run across some big groups of bass. When they’re concentrating on schools of live bait, you’ll experience some short strikes, but durability has never really been an issue with this bait.
If I had to guess, I probably average anywhere from four to six fish on each Salty Super Fluke. So it’s safe to say each package catches at least 40 bass for me. Priced at $3.49 per bag, this is a great value in my opinion. On those special 100-fish days, I’ll go through a few packs but honestly—there are much worse problems an angler could have.
Very castable
I make a lot of skip casts with the Salty Super Fluke and very rarely does it ball up on the shank of the hook or tear at the head. It stays intact very well and holds up to repeated skips underneath docks, overhangs and into laydowns and grass lines.
More importantly, however, even beginner anglers are able to make some ridiculous casts with this bait. It’s small and subtle at first glance but when you put it on a medium-action rod, you’re able to make some absolute bomb casts. This is especially useful in two situations—for bank anglers with limited casting options and for anglers making long casts to schooling fish.
I have a lot of success targeting shallow docks with the Salty Super Fluke throughout the fall and I’ll tell you one thing—this bait can really make you feel good about your casting skills. Just a quick flick of the wrist sends it skipping into very tight areas with the utmost of ease.
Works well in a variety of situations
Anglers can always appreciate versatile soft plastic baits because they save both money and aggravation. There are several ways you can use the Salty Super Fluke to your advantage throughout the year.
- Weightless Texas—This is definitely the most popular way to rig a Salty Super Fluke and it works well whether the bass are shallow or schooling over open water. You can work it close to the surface by using monofilament line or you can work it several feet deep by using fluorocarbon.
- Carolina rig—A lot of great anglers do this, but they rarely talk about it. If your local bass haven’t quite made their commitment to shallow water, rig a shad-colored Fluke on a Carolina rig and drag it along creek channels lips, primary points and humps. It looks very similar to a wounded baitfish.
- Nail weight—This is an excellent way to catch bedding fish in the springtime, so make sure to try it. I like to insert a small nail weight into the head of a green Salty Super Fluke and make long casts to shallow beds. The bass will think it’s a bluegill messing with its nest and attack it.
I strongly suggest the Zoom Salty Super Fluke for your fall fishing endeavors. It’s a time-tested bait that has caught countless big bass and it will allow you to fool those shad-focused bass as cooler temperatures approach.
The Zoom Salty Super Fluke is available at TackleWarehouse.com.
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