# Flukes!!



## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

I am new to flukes and I gotta say they are sweet!! I love the action on these things. Still tough fishin, I only caught 1, but I missed 4 or 5! So i have some questions.

When you flick your rod tip and they dart near the surface and float back down, I am having troubles feeling the bite. I took them to a clear pond so I could see what I am doing, and thats the only reason I could tell if I had a bite. Do I need a different rod?? I am using a 6'6 medium action rod.

I rigged them weightless texas rig, is there a better way?


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

I like to T-rig them weightless on a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook. If you are using a heavy gauge hook like Owners, that gives them plenty of weight. I think you are fine on your rod choice. I throw them on light braid with a 12-18" flouro leader tied onto the braid with a swivel. It seems to give it an even deadlier twitch action, and the swivel and flouro also will help the bait sink. The swivel will also reduce line twist if the bait bunches up and twirls on the retrieve. Meantime the braid floats and you watch your line for the fish to pick it up. Hookups can be tough on flukes. Usually you are throwing it way out there, so a mushy rod with stretchy mono will make it a lot tougher to drive that hook through the plastic.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

streamstalker said:


> I like to T-rig them weightless on a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook. If you are using a heavy gauge hook like Owners, that gives them plenty of weight. I think you are fine on your rod choice. I throw them on light braid with a 12-18" flouro leader tied onto the braid with a swivel. It seems to give it an even deadlier twitch action, and the swivel and flouro also will help the bait sink. The swivel will also reduce line twist if the bait bunches up and twirls on the retrieve. Meantime the braid floats and you watch your line for the fish to pick it up. Hookups can be tough on flukes. Usually you are throwing it way out there, so a mushy rod with stretchy mono will make it a lot tougher to drive that hook through the plastic.


Thanks streamstalker! If i am going to fish soft plastics, braid would probably be better anyway to pull fish out of weeds. I am in the market for a softplastic/flippin set up. I did notice it tore up my pline 12 lb, its all twisted and kinked up. Does the line twisting eventually affect the action of the bait in a negative way?


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Silent mike, I too have recently been "hooked" on using flukes and I've had the EXACT same problems, fish are tearin it up, but I'm missin on the hooksets, so now as I "twitch" the fluke near the surface, I make sure to continually reel, SLOWLY, to keep the slack out of the line, it has fixed he problem and resulted in more good hooksets.
I use them on the mad river down near the Dayton area for smallmouth, they absolutely can't resist a slw moving injured baitfish! They are now one of my go to lures!


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

... The swivel idea by streams talker is right on the money, use a swivel, it definitely helps keep the twist out of the line and does help on the action of the fluke.. It's a little mor time in rigging but well worth it


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

Fishlandr75 said:


> ... The swivel idea by streams talker is right on the money, use a swivel, it definitely helps keep the twist out of the line and does help on the action of the fluke.. It's a little mor time in rigging but well worth it


will try that next time i go out!


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I have been using the super flukes for about 10 years now. We use a 2/0 or 3/0 gamakatsawasuwasu (however you spell it) worm hook. We too were missing many hooksets. But, we found using the gama *round bend* worm hook greatly increased hookups. It really made that big a difference.

Also, I found out several years after we started using them that we are rigging them upside down. We put the hook through the topside of the body so the hook end rests in the slit and doesn't have to go through the plastic body to hook the fish.
I tried rigging them the "proper" way many times since (this past Saturday included) but I just don't like the action as much.

I use them texas rigged with a 1/32nd oz bullet weight. The weight isn't heavy enough to adversely affect the action and it allows use in deeper water and weedbeds.

Last, do a search on flukes. Someone on here posted a picture of how they rig them with a treble hook. It was really cool and I have wanted to try it but just never have.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

One more thing. There is only one color you will ever need. Pearl.
pearl outproduces any other super fluke color far.

They also introduced paddletail flukes this year too. We killed the big bass at Stickmarsh/Farm 13 on them this past spring. But the tail is kind of stiff and doesn't paddle too well.


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## dre (Aug 14, 2009)

I don't know the watermelon green has worked wonders for me. I have really never been able to get pearl to work for me?? I really have only used Flukes in ponds and rivers/creeks but the only color is the watermelon green for me. I guess I should give pearl or white another try. Is there any time the pearl fluke would be more ideal then using the green watermelon?? Just can't understand why white does not work for me. I also have white strike king Zulu's in white I might have to give another shot.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

dre said:


> I don't know the watermelon green has worked wonders for me. I have really never been able to get pearl to work for me?? I really have only used Flukes in ponds and rivers/creeks but the only color is the watermelon green for me. I guess I should give pearl or white another try. Is there any time the pearl fluke would be more ideal then using the green watermelon?? Just can't understand why white does not work for me. I also have white strike king Zulu's in white I might have to give another shot.


I was using flukes in my soft plastics tackle box that i didnt realize i had (well i did, but i didnt know what they were). I only had watermelon and gold fleck. Didnt get any strikes on water melon, but gold fleck did get 1 fish landed. I will probably go and get some white/pearl before i got out again.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

Ii also have the watermelon seed, watermellon red and green pumpkin in my box but never use them.

Here's the thread on rigging with a treble hook.

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=132253&highlight=fluke+rig


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

thats perfect! I will always keep a rig like that. Especially for yesterday, they were biting at the body/tail and not where the hook was sitting


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

more info:

http://www.fishin.com/articles/jimdicken/fluke.htm

From Zoom themselves.

http://zoombait.com/2009/08/how-to-rig-zoom-super-fluke/

I prefer not to have the hook so deep into the fluke. I only go < 1/4" deep so the eyelet of the hook is still sticking out of the tip.
Again I rig it so the shank of the hook is on the top of the fluke and the hook is in the slit and covered by the slit. It is still very weedless (and yes it runs "upside down".
Also, the hook shown is not a round bend worm hook. Us the round bend to increase hook ups.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Been fishing flukes for about 12 years. I love 'em!
White/pearl is my go to. Watermelon a close second. Secret weapon.....Bubblegum. There are days when they just absolutely destroy a pink/bubblegum weightless fluke.

Bunch of good advice above. I'll add something on the hook set...it can be tricky. Some days, even when they crush it, you'll go to set the hoook and it comes flying back at you.
A smart dude told me once that when smallies eat a larger bait fish, that they'll "rearrange" the fish/bait in their mouth so it goes down head first (to keep the dorsal fin spines from cutting up their throat when they swallow).
So some days, many days, you have to almost let them swim off with it and "wait for the weight" on the end of your line.

Great advice on the smaller braid, too. 10-20 # high vis braid, which floats, will solve a lot of issues.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

Just found this. The double rig.

http://fishing.about.com/od/basicfishinginstruction/ss/aa050805a_2.htm


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

i hope to use these baits for 10+ years myself...i love them so far...cant wait to try these new rigs and methods out


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Yeah, you've usually got to put your arms forward and gently get in any slack before you give it to them. And that doesn't always work! 

I'll add to the color choice here that baby bass is deadly in places like AEP ponds where they pretty much don't have anything to eat but each other.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I had 2 bass pick up the fluke and swim right at me and the boat Saturday. First time it happened it confused me for a second. I let it drop next to a lily pad bed and let it sit there giving a couple little twitches.
Watch your line, you may never even feel them pick up the bait if you are slow fishing them.
I use 10 or 14lb Fireline with them.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

at the pond i was at, i twitched the bait past a weed bed and got a big strike, i set the hook and the fluke almost hit me in the face. Reset the bait and did the same cast, set the hook and nothing. SAME cast and he finally took it for a run, set the hook (or so i thought) reeled him most of the way in and he spit it out....sigh...still fun to see these bass go after it


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## moosejohn (Feb 25, 2010)

My brother in ga. turned me into a fluke fanatic and as he says any color will work as long as its white! ha ha but i have found sometime more natural can work well in very clear water


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## Daveo76 (Apr 14, 2004)

Flukes work great here in the Ohio River for Wipers. In the swifter water , you can even rig them with a leadhead. White Ice and Pearl work best for me.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Lewzer said:


> Just found this. The double rig.
> 
> http://fishing.about.com/od/basicfishinginstruction/ss/aa050805a_2.htm


Seen kvd do this yrs back on a show. action looked awesome! Always wanted to try it on st.clair when the smallies are chaseing minnows!


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Agree with that... Whit or pearl seems to be the most visible in any water clarity... The other colors do work, I've tried them, but I can actually SEE the white/pearl fluke as I'm twitching it... I love that cuz a lot of times I can actually watch the bass take the lure! Lotsa fun!!


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

Although I haven't fished flukes much this year, they are one of my confidence baits. I like to hot rod my flukes. Almost all the hot rodding has to do with allowing me to work the bait much faster than you could not hot rodding. I didn't carefully read all these posts but my thoughts on flukes are:

Any color works so long as its pearl white or maybe silver

Swivel idea is good but skip the swivel in heavier weeds

Put the hook all the way thru the bait. Slightly tuck the barb into the plastic to keep it weedless. 

Use weighted offset shank hooks to be able to work it faster and deeper. I sometimes attach small steeheading weights to the shank and use heat shrink wrap to keep them attached.

Loosen the fluke on the hook. A brand new fluke placed on a hook perfectly is harder to work than a slightly used one that might have a tear near where the hook crank enters the bait.

No need to ever wait on the hook set. You'll miss more waiting than hammering them when you get bit

I far, far prefer flouro above all other lines when flukin. Flouro sinks and allows me to work it deeper and faster than mono or even braid. And braid is too stretch free and as a result dampens the action of the fluke. 

I use 12-15lb flouro on a medium action, fast tip 7' rod with a bait caster.

I can almost always get bass interested in a fluke-even on tough cold front days. However, sometimes they just don't eat it right and basically just get excited by it and follow it or even half heartedly hit it. That's when I know it's time to switch to a hard jerk bait with trebles!

Hope these are helpful tips.


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

Streamstalkers advice was money. I rig exactly the same way using spinning gear. I like a 4/0 ewg hook. Are u holding the rod tip pointed at the water? It goes deeper that way. I also use a weighted hook in open water twitching along bottom. Unless Im in pads i work them quick with no slack and use a sweeping backhand hookset to pick up all the slack and keep reeling after hookset similar to using a circle hook on a wacky worm. I like white best too simply because i can see it better and usually see the hit before i feel it. When dragging thru slop i use dark green or baby bass. Bubblegum can be explosive especially up north in Canada imo they see that pink almost exactly like they see white. Lastly i like Magnum flukes on a 6/0 hook because its the only weightless soft plastic i can cast far on my baitcaster with heavy mono.

Used to be my favorite lure but now Im usually sitting in a duckboat and therefore can't point the rod tip down on retrieve so it keeps coming to surface with no weight added.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

Pigsticker said:


> Streamstalkers advice was money. I rig exactly the same way using spinning gear. I like a 4/0 ewg hook. Are u holding the rod tip pointed at the water? It goes deeper that way. I also use a weighted hook in open water twitching along bottom. Unless Im in pads i work them quick with no slack and use a sweeping backhand hookset to pick up all the slack and keep reeling after hookset similar to using a circle hook on a wacky worm. I like white best too simply because i can see it better and usually see the hit before i feel it. When dragging thru slop i use dark green or baby bass. Bubblegum can be explosive especially up north in Canada imo they see that pink almost exactly like they see white. Lastly i like Magnum flukes on a 6/0 hook because its the only weightless soft plastic i can cast far on my baitcaster with heavy mono.
> 
> Used to be my favorite lure but now Im usually sitting in a duckboat and therefore can't point the rod tip down on retrieve so it keeps coming to surface with no weight added.


yeah i had the rod pointed toward the water. I would stand higher on the bank or on a rock so i could get the action i wanted. They seem much easier to fish from a boat, so if i master them bank fishing i will probably be good anywhere. I like the double rig idea, might try that to see which color they want...thanks guys for all your advice, this may be one of my confidence lures as well, just need to master it


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

when i am fishing rivers with these, am i looking for the same types of pools that i would fish a rebel craw? ripples, eddies, structure, etc?


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

I don't use weightless flukes in the streams because when you're retrieving against the current it comes right to the surface.


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

I don't use weightless flukes in the streams because when you're retrieving against the current it comes right to the surface.


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## GULPisgreat (Mar 17, 2009)

I always had good luck with fluke type baits. Just got a nice bass at Nimisila on a 4 inch white ice color,3/0 Gamakatsu EWG, 1/16 splitshot about 18 inches up. That was just enough wait to get it down on top of and into some weeds. WATCH YOUR LINE. I always keep a little bit of arc as the bait falls and that seems to help detect strikes. Ive done O.K. with zoom big critter craws fished the same with or without the split shot. hope this helps.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

Got some pearl flukes and ended up with this guy...love some flukes now!


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## jason_0545 (Aug 3, 2011)

i was hammering them a little earlier in the year on flukes one thing i dont think has been said yet is if your getting bites fishing them slow but not landing fish try to fish it faster in the same area of the water column seems if they bite a faster moving fluke they think its now or never and get more of it i dunno has worked for me good luck


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

Pretty sure I missed my PB at this pond yesterday. First cast, and he broke the surface and hammered my fluke 5 feet from shore...i went to set the hook and at that moment he re arranged the bait and spit it out...ahhh! still love flukes, just need to figure out how to set the hook better...


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

You could try nose hooking the fluke with a circle hook, Mike. Alot of guys fish it this way.
The action of the fluke is actually better, and it may solve your hook setting issues....depending on how comfortable you are with circle hooks.
Worth a try.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

PS, make SURE you get some bubblegum flukes for the fall and for the spring. And don't forget they're in your bag.


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## BASmead (Jan 11, 2008)

I second the bubblegum idea. That color is deadly for some reason. I also have done very well with baby bass and white at times. I think it's just inherent to this erratic style of bait that you are gonna miss some bites. Especially fishing it weightless, which in my experience, is the best way. It really needs those periods of slack line to do it's dance. Don't let it discourage you. The one that gets away is always bigger anyway, haha. As others have said, be a line watcher. Another thing that i like about the bubblegum and white is that you can usually keep eye contact with them. You see it simply disappear, take up the slack and hammer it. I recently was turned on to the strike king KVD caffeine shad. Fantastic bait. It has a very subtle senko-like wobble as it falls, which opens up a whole new potential for this bait. It also performs great as a jerkbait. The only downside is that they're a bit more delicate than the Zoom Fluke. I gotta say though, a couple weeks ago a friend and i were fishing side by side, him with the caffeine shad, and myself with the Fluke in the same color and he schooled me. Until i switched to one of his baits. I'm sold. You just havta take twice as many, because they get shredded quick unfortunatley. I find the original, smaller fluke to be a great stream smallie bait as well. Obviously it's not ideal in faster currents, but they're devastating in slower stretches. Again, i usually stick to white and pink. And i surely miss plenty of bites in that situation too, but i find smallies are more apt to take another swing at it if you throw back in the same spot. They just need to eat it right to get a good clean hookset. It's awesome to watch them attack it. This style of bait really seems to bring out the rage...


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

So Ive gotten better at the hook set. Someone either on here or another thread said they rearrange the bait in their mouths so that the spines on the fish dont kill their throat. I usually wait a second or 2, count one one thousande, two one thousand....set the hook like i normally would and its way more efficient. If they lose it, just keep workin the bait, they will hit it again...

I managed this guy using that technique. Hes about 15 lbs give or take 










Now, I have a different problem. I put spiderwire fluro braid on my reel last week and it has frayed and the line has broke halfway between the last eye and the bait...wtf? has anyone else had a problem with this??

Also, once i got the frays out of there, i tie a POLOMAR knot like i ususally do and when i set the hook it breaks?? Is polomar not the right know for braid?? I read the Eugene bend is better?? I lost 3 hooks and 3 flukes...and 3 fish!!!


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Never heard of flouro braid, so I don't know if the problem is the flouro or the braid. Terminal knots on flouro can be tricky. They can come undone if you don't tie them perfectly. You can pull on braid all day and it won't break, but sometimes if you give it a hard shock (like the kind of hookset you put on a fluke) it will pop. Also, the coating on new braid can make the knot slip. I've been using the fish-n-fool knot for my terminal knots this year with great success. It's just a uni-knot where you double loop through the hook or lure eye. I read somewhere that it tested out as strong as a palomor in _Knot Wars_, and I find it very easy to tie. Terminal knots are hard to tie correctly with flouro: it's hard to cinch them down tightly or keep from overlapping.

http://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/fish-n-fool-knot/


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

ill have to try that knot out! is that good for all applications or just hooks?


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

I use it for all of my terminal knots now.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Mike,
Get some regular braid. PowerPro 15# or 20# is about as reliable as it gets. 
My line has literally never broken on a fish. And a Palomar is exactly what you want to use with braid.

One more note, braid is SUPER thin. Many times guys think it broke at the knot, when actually the line had just "slipped" out the gap of the hook eye.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

Bubbagon said:


> Mike,
> Get some regular braid. PowerPro 15# or 20# is about as reliable as it gets.
> My line has literally never broken on a fish. And a Palomar is exactly what you want to use with braid.
> 
> One more note, braid is SUPER thin. Many times guys think it broke at the knot, when actually the line had just "slipped" out the gap of the hook eye.


maybe ill start super gluing my knots as well


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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

Try a weightless double fluke rig in the fall when smallies are chasing shad it's awesome to get two 3lbrs on at once one of them almost always gets away with the amount they pull but it will get the heart rate going I also keep a rod rigged with buzz bait another with popr another with an x-rap the flukes are deadly no matter the technique I like zoom they are durable and not super expensive they also work great weedless over fairly thick matt once it clears the weeds let it sink won't be long before you know if ones sitting there 


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## jason_0545 (Aug 3, 2011)

o yeah you can try a drop shot with them i havent ever fished a drop shot but i know you can if thats something you have confidence in why not right?


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## Bassky (Oct 7, 2008)

Learn to watch your line when your twitch ends and the bait falls, this is when 90% of your strikes will happen. I use the double rig on spinning tackle.
Bassky


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

yeah that has helped alot...i see the twitch, wait for the bait re-arrange in mouth, then set the hook


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Bingo!!

You will absolutely catch some pigs next spring, and probably this fall. Fall is such a funny time....it's all right place right time. But in the spring, flukes are king for sure.

As far as fall, someone mentioned rigging them on a weighted head hook. There will be a time when you'll come across some crazy bait fish chasing activity in the middle of a riffle. A weighted head will allow you to do two things:
- Help you keep it in the riffle longer without getting washed down
- More importantly, when you find a "wolfpack" of chasing smallies, the REALLY big ones will be below and behind the main pack. So you can toss your weighted fluke right into the pack, let it sink to the bottom, drag it to the back, and then RIP it off the bottom.

YOWZA!!!


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

i havent even tried it on smallies yet! cant wait to do that!!!


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

LOL!! Just dawned on me which board I'm on. I sometimes forget that some people fish for something other than smallies. 
For the record, everything I've typed so far, I only have experience with river smallies.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

they work just as well on the big mouths


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