Can you really target and catch fluke on the fly... for the answer please tilt your head slightly to the left... there ya go..

Over the past 5 years, we have honed the skills needed to target these bad boys on the fly. It's much different than typical saltwater fly fishing in the midatlantic. But, if you give these techniques a try, I promise, catching fluke won't be an accidental occurrence. It will be something that you can do for months at a time during the summer... this is what we do..

What's the first 3 laws of real estate? Location, location, location... When trying to catch fluke, pick the right spots. It isn't very difficult... this is what you look for. First and foremost.. current baby.. You want that water moving. Fluke are ambush predators and they prefer staying hidden and waiting for something to come by. We like to fish areas that have a firm sand bottom with slight variations in the contour. Since I have just described the entire coastline of the mid-atlantic, let me try to more specific. Longshore currents and storms create all sorts of bars, edges, and drop offs that flounder just love. It doesn't have to be a dramatic drop either. A 6 inch change in depth can be enough for the water to pick up a little speed and trap bait. If you are wading... like we do.. anytime you step on a dropoff or hole.. back up and fish it hard. That's where they are. Another strange factoid... when you get one for god's sake stay put. There will be more in that area. Fish it hard for at least 15 or 20 minutes... you'll be surprised how mant fluke can stack up in a small area. A few years ago my friend Ed and I caught close to 40 in three hours and never moved more than 50 feet. We were wading... in less than 3 feet of water.

The next logical question is once you have a good idea where they are... how do you get them to bite? I generally use an 8wt rod due to the strong chance of wind. I match up a good 8wt floater with a 7 1/2 foot leader. Anything longer than 7 1/2 feet will cause you to strain the rod when attempting to lift a big flounder off the bottom. They aren't shy... so I normally go with a 16 to 20lb tippet. I do go down to 12lb.... if I'm looking to beat the IGFA... but 16 is most common.

One of the most interesting factoids we learned along the way... fluke love calico crabs. Almosr every one we keep has a few in its' stomach.

Proof is in the puddin right? They eat these little calicos with reckless abandon. Here's the kicker... calicos are great swimmers. They are usually up a foot off the bottom and kinda drifting with the current. When threatened, they dive into the sand. So, use a fly that looks like a calico. When fishing the fly... DON'T strip it in. Drift the damn thing!!! You'll get 10x the number of strikes and they will all be bigger fish. Casting and stripping in a clouser will get you 2 or 3 throwback flounder every trip. Drifting a crab fly in the current will keep you hooked up all day. Mend your line to keep close contact. the strikes vary from thunderous, rod jerking blows...to the fly simply stopping for a moment. This is very simliar to a wet fly swing for trout. it takes a while to get the hang of it, but you'll be happy when you do. Don't give up!! Cast 45 degrees to the current and mend the line constantly. When the line reaches 180 degrees, strip in ... many times you will see a big fluke following the fly.

Well... I hope this helps.. if you have any comments or questions... feel free to post them.

Until then tight lines and fair seas!!

Tony Friedrich aka OneMoreCast