By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan
No one was calling it a fluke when Anthony Gagliardi won the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup, but rest assured he used one to lay a beating on Lake Murray largemouth population.
“Once water temps reach 50 degrees, it becomes a viable option,” Gagliardi said. “Most of the time it’s going shine in the post-spawn when those fish come off the beds, group up and get in feeding mode.”
Getting Set Up
A high-speed reel and 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy rod are required for long casts and the necessary leverage to set the hook with 12-pound fluorocarbon line as it has some stretch.
“I’ve played with braid, but I like fluorocarbon because many times, I want to get the fluke down a foot or so and the braid makes it more difficult,” he said. “The Fluke works better, for me, on fluorocarbon.”
He does like to rig the bait with the hook very tight to the body so the 4/0 size works perfect. Trial and error is the only means of figuring out the cadence, but he’ll start off with typical jerkbait retrieves and modify according to the mood of the fish.
Where to Play
What many anglers fail to clue in on is the versatility of fluke-style bait like a Zoom Fluke or Yamamoto D-Shad. Gagliardi has found it to be a great way to catch largemouths and smallmouths. While white ranks high on his list of colors, blue glimmer, shad-type patterns and olive shad are a close second.
He’ll throw these baits around grass beds, over submerged grass, or he’ll even let it free-fall into holes in hydrilla beds. The bait excels any time fish are schooled up and feeding off shore in clear water, but equally important is the manner in which the bait is presented.
Cadence and Rigging
Early in the year when the water is colder, he’ll let it sink more. Once fish are active and busting the surface during the summer months, he’ll keep it on top and move it fast, always looking for cues for what the fish want.
“Most the time when I first pick a fluke up, I’m going fish it skipping cross the top like a fleeing baitfish,” he said. “When that stops working, I’ll make a change, add some weight to it to get it down and fish it below the surface.”
Especially if he has a fish roll on it or if he’s getting bites and they aren’t hitting it on the surface, experience has taught him that as long as the bait is a few inches below the surface, a lot of those fish that showed themselves will actually eat it. Under such circumstances, he’ll opt for a belly-weighted offset worm hook or a screw-lock hook.
“There are times when I’ll add a nail it gives it a more natural fall, especially if I’m fishing it in the fall and the water has cooled. I’m going to kill it and let it sink,” Gagliardi said.
Trickery
Gagliardi was revealed a little trick that he has discovered to get a fluke to walk like topwater bait.
“If you rig that fluke with a little bit of a bend in it, you can get it to walk under water like a Zara Spook or a Lucky Craft Sammy,” he said. “You have to play around with it so that you are able to see it and play around with your rod tip and your hands and what kind of action you need it impart. You’ll get a feel for it over time.”
He’s also found that come fall, a straight retrieve will bring the bait to the surface, creating a little “v” or wake is a great way to tap into the wakebait deal.
