Magnum Fluke
 

The temperature has been in the low 90's for a while now and the water is in the high 70's low 80's already and the fish have started to slow down a bit. Because of this, it seems that whatever I throw, the fish just dont seem too interested. I still manage to catch 1-2 and hour, but nothing great.

I finally decided to throw something a little different than what I usually throw, and picked up some ZOOM Magnum Flukes (darn big fluke). I know most people see them as prespawn and fall pattern lures but I thought "what the heck, nothing else is working right now". I decided to rig it initially on a weighted swimbait hook and had decent success with it. I would cast it out, let it sink to the bottom, then rip it off the bottom and let it sink again. I pulled a couple nice fish using this method and was happy to be back in the fish again. A couple days later I decided to try it weightless on a 5/0 hook using 30lb braid with no leader, and thats when it really got exciting.

I cast it out and let it flutter to the bottom, ripped it off the bottom, but the fish werent hitting it anymore so I started changing up the retrieve hoping that I would find one that worked. I was doing a slow but steady retrieve with the handle while doing small pulls every 1-3 seconds when the rod just loaded up like I ran it into a stump, and then the line started running sideways. I quickly land him, fix the magnum fluke, cast to the same spot and land number 2 with the same retrieve. 30 minutes and 6 fish later, I am having a ball but have to head back to work. I never would have thought that a fluke would have been that productive in water temperatures that high, but I have been definitively been proven wrong.

Line: 30lb power Pro
Leader: none
Hook: Mustad 5/0 Swimbait Hook (Actually the only Mustad Hook I use, all others are Owner or Gamakatsu)
Lure: ZOOM Magnum Fluke in Arkansas Shiner