John, For things stuck on the bottom like that there is a really simple trick from Florida that really helps. Called the "Zing-Pow". It only works with spinning reels, but what you do is lay the line on your finger like you're going to cast with the bail open and then point the rod straight at the snag and tighten up on the line. I tighten up by stepping back a little bit, but not so much that it snaps the line. Next, you simply release the tension with your finger as quickly as possible,almost with a "snap" is done correctly, and gently try to reel in. The idea is when you release the tension the hook or lure shoots back a little bit and comes free. Results may vary, but this has saved me many a lure and weighted rig.
The fluke master... from a boat, kayak, beach, dock, jetty... next up from a paddle board and then a hot air balloon. Lol. Just shows that your techniques work in almost all situations. Thanks for taking the time to teach us.
Hello mr Skinner, I started surf fishing about 8 years ago, been getting better at it by watching your videos, I want to thank you so much for sharing your expertise
I rarely make it to the coast of Maine to fish the ocean, but I find myself addicted to John's videos. Some day I'll make it to where I can catch some flounder, but stuck with brook trout for now. Always appreciate your content, John!
Hi John, Thank you so very much for these videos on how to catch fluke/flounders. I been catching flounders with live shrimp as bait and it been rewarding. Then I came across your videos and now I can "target" flounder with bucktails and gulp baits. I can't say how thankful and rewarding the experience has been since. I now can walk down to Narrows in Brooklyn and fish right off the rocks and catch flukes all afternoon. Amazing stuff!!! Thank you again for these videos.
Dock fishing is fun specially when you have those low dark clouds hanging over you head. Went fishing last Friday and caught and released 6 "aloses" (European Shad) around 10" in size. They will soon head for the salt water to become adults. Have a nice day at work and thanks for sharing. Nice video link in my email this morning from Annie.
Great Videos John. Just got back into fishing after many years. Any advice for fishing near the mouth of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay? Was told that flounder populations in the Chesapeake have dropped drastically since when we used to fish in the 70’s and 80’s. Keep the videos coming, and thank you for sharing your knowledge!
@@JohnSkinnerFishing Near Seattle. My wife's the first one who mentioned it, and after more listening, I had to agree. At least to our, perhaps, untrained ears!
@@JohnSkinnerFishing My wife was actually born in Montana, then lived for about 20+ years in Eugene, Oregon. I'm originally from the Caribbean, spent 20+ years in Florida, and have been in Washington for just over 20 years. Go figure. Flounder were always a surprise catch in Florida.
Hard to tell the size of your spider crab in the video but I’ve seen one at Pennfield Reef with the body larger than a dinner plate. You can imagine the length of the arms!
John, Watching the spinning real for casting.Will the bait caster serve me ok in this dock fishing and shore fishing also? Trying to keep it real simple for me and wife
HI John love your books and videos. Thanks to you I'm trying to target fluke right off the shore of Clinton CT on the Sound. So far I'm getting only sea robins. What am I doing wrong? BTW the robins and the schoolie stripers really go nuts for the Gulp grubs! I get more fish on the teaser hook with just a grub on than on the jig...
I don’t know if there are fluke around that’s why I’m out there targeting them! I guess your videos this year are on the other side of the north fork? On the other hand it sounds like I’m on the right track. Ps. My last fishing trip with my late dad was out of captree. He caught the only fluke on the boat and won the pool. Thx for getting me back on the hunt for them.
Great video! I feel like the short/keeper ratio is rough in those areas this year. Are weed edges a good place to concentrate on when looking for 19" plus fish? I usually look for sandy so that I'm not cleaning my line constantly.
John, Thank you for all your videos as you continue to teach me how to fish! I was wondering after you saw that striper break the surface, what is your thought process: Stick with fluke it's more productive? What is that incident indicating to you as far as potential conditions; channel/structure/current/column/or other fish that might be present? How would you have targeted those bass if you had wanted to? Would love to hear your thought process, what goes through your mind when you observe such an event? Many times when I observe surface activity I'm not quite sure what to do with it? How to convert it to hookups. Thank for all the knowledge and entertainment you've provided me.
First comment was made at about 10 minutes. Just got toward the end, saw the shad. What would that have confirmed or negated based on your analysis from earlier? Thanks so much for your reply!
Hey John I had a question. I saw a picture of a flounder that was caught with a rattle trap. Do you think that that would be a good lure or would scare them away?
Were fishing another flounder species (California halibut ) from docks and piers however the same principal works well . For California halibut were simply using a heavy duty 2/0 straight worm hook , a 5 inch zoom super salty fluke and a 1/2 to 1 ounce spro bucktail jig. California halibut is Typically $20.00 to $ 25.00 a lb with peak season fillets still costing at least $18.00 a lb making even a 22 inch minimum size halibut worth $50-75 bucks.
Gulp sandeels shortage incoming LOL. Every time JS uses something, the whole market is just jumping on it. JS -- you need to become a brand ambassador for gulp
John I have a question about depth of retrieve when fishing from shore/dock. I understand you're trying to keep the jig near the bottom but not touching or bouncing along. In a new spot like this, how do you determine that? Do you find bottom on the first cast and mentally count down on successive casts or is it more a feel thing? I fish a lot with jigs for our local dusky flathead (they are ambush predators - lie on the bottom with eyes up) and find it a challenge to stay near the bottom without hitting from time to time.
One thing I have noticed is that everything you have the b-tail with sand eels, fish always pick the eels, is there time when the b-tail win the battle?...
Gates isn't gonna be so rich after his Wife Melinda sues him in a divorce. Female flounders also make the smaller males chase down food(Resources) and then part ways.
Jonn please answer , How long of a length are your leader lines usually? Does it depend on which type of fish your targeting or is it the same length no matter what?
So is this Long Island? Down here at the Shore the bay has gotten to warm and the fluke moved out,still a few off the beaches but it's cool to see the difference in location.
Last thing we need is a market for sea Robin! Sea Robin save the day for a good bag limit or good fish to eat when on day fishing for targeted species and not getting the targeted species and have something to take home. Hence, they don’t get relatively large, but you need some sort of quantity for a meal! Why? Because, they don’t present true fillets just nuggets morsels! That’s why you’ll need a nice portion of the to catch! A market for them will only lead to a bag limit that will render them useless to catch if you want to eat them!
Hey John I was fishing in Fire Island today for fluke and the snappers would rip through my gulp swimming mullets like crazy because they would bite the tails off. Is there anyway to avoid this?
I liked watching the transition of the tide here after low slack. If you don't mind me asking - how long were you fishing at this spot before you stopped?
would it be ok to use a swivel to tie braid to a leader? if so does it affect the strength and make my line more prone to breaking when swinging a fluke, im using 15lb braid to 25lb leader
Hi John, Do you ever get sick of using the same high low rig ?I mean simple boredom, don't you get the urge to experiment? yes this rig takes the fish but something new and creative maybe , been watching videos from guys in Malaysia they have to fish in murky still water too torrential currents running 50 Miles and hour they have tremendous creative rigs to meet the conditions .
It usually means the bucktail is too heavy, but in this case I know the fish were feeding on sandeels and liked the closest imitation to that, which is a gulp sandeel on a plain hook.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing I like that explanation. Makes perfect to me now that I think about it. Thanks! Will take that into consideration now that I am getting into fluke fishing from shore.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing Thanks again! I've never used the gulp shrimp - will have to try it. I've always mostly been a freshwater fisherman. In my recent retirement I have just taken up shore/pier fishing for fluke for the first time this year. Have only gone twice and scored my first keeper on my second outing. As a former computer scientist I always keep asking myself why something is or is not happening... to improve my game. There must always be a reason.
I recently learned that Bouillabaisse (french fish stew) is typically made with Sea Robin. They are indeed delicious. The issue is the american privileged mindset. If your going to Fluke or bass, and you keep catching sea robin, in your mind they become a nuisance. In reality they are a delicious fish that put up a great fight and are plentiful. Other countries and cultures appreciate and utilize the fish that are abundant in order to keep the balance. We as fishermen should be doing the same.
Most of us Americans gladly eat ugly unintended species. I kept two ling on my last Montauk trip. The ugliest of them all, the monkfish, would be a prized catch.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing Thanks for the reply. Most real fishermen are more open to trying new fish, most Americans who just fish sometimes or just eat fish, are not as open in from what I've seen. I belong to both groups. If we want people to do what's right for the seas, we just have to do it first, lead by example and show them these fish are as delicious as other countries know them to be. Great vid.
Jonn please answer , How long of a length are your leader lines usually? Does it depend on which type of fish your targeting or is it the same length no matter what?
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
John,
For things stuck on the bottom like that there is a really simple trick from Florida that really helps. Called the "Zing-Pow". It only works with spinning reels, but what you do is lay the line on your finger like you're going to cast with the bail open and then point the rod straight at the snag and tighten up on the line. I tighten up by stepping back a little bit, but not so much that it snaps the line. Next, you simply release the tension with your finger as quickly as possible,almost with a "snap" is done correctly, and gently try to reel in. The idea is when you release the tension the hook or lure shoots back a little bit and comes free. Results may vary, but this has saved me many a lure and weighted rig.
The fluke master... from a boat, kayak, beach, dock, jetty... next up from a paddle board and then a hot air balloon. Lol. Just shows that your techniques work in almost all situations. Thanks for taking the time to teach us.
John
For us that are boat less these dock and wading videos are what we are needing to see more of.
Really enjoyed it
George from GA
John, only you could fall in a bucket of chum and come out smelling like roses! Great video, some nice fish!
Hello mr Skinner, I started surf fishing about 8 years ago, been getting better at it by watching your videos, I want to thank you so much for sharing your expertise
I'm glad the vids have helped you.
I rarely make it to the coast of Maine to fish the ocean, but I find myself addicted to John's videos. Some day I'll make it to where I can catch some flounder, but stuck with brook trout for now. Always appreciate your content, John!
I fish the coast of Maine... Pemaquid area ... whereabouts are you ?
Hi John,
Thank you so very much for these videos on how to catch fluke/flounders. I been catching flounders with live shrimp as bait and it been rewarding. Then I came across your videos and now I can "target" flounder with bucktails and gulp baits. I can't say how thankful and rewarding the experience has been since. I now can walk down to Narrows in Brooklyn and fish right off the rocks and catch flukes all afternoon. Amazing stuff!!! Thank you again for these videos.
Thanks for that feedback! I'm glad my videos help. Brooklyn fluke - awesome.
Mr. John, you are THE MAN! Thanks for sharing.
One of the tastiest fish to cook, especially stuffed
Guys probably come to that gas dock in their boats, fill up with a couple hundred dollars worth of fuel and then head out looking for fluke.😆
This is the video that I really wanted.
I have many chances to fish from piers. Thank you, John.
Nice flounder🎣👍🏼 Greetings from Germany🇩🇪✌🏻️
went fishing for fluke for the first time a week ago legit used your tips really helped 👌
Thanks for sharing that!
Another amazing fluke video, John!
I believe you could catch fluke in Lake Michigan, John.
@@cobrasrock
Whooshj!
Dock fishing is fun specially when you have those low dark clouds hanging over you head. Went fishing last Friday and caught and released 6 "aloses" (European Shad) around 10" in size. They will soon head for the salt water to become adults. Have a nice day at work and thanks for sharing. Nice video link in my email this morning from Annie.
John! you are the god of fluke!
Thanks Jon..been watching your channel for long time..you make me want to go catch flounder....and you make the catch really easy.
I liked seeing how you adapt to the situation, that’s what good fisherman do, friends gonna be late? Wet a line!
Great video. I love catching flounder!
Great video John. I sent it to a friend of mine who has been fishing the Jones Beach pier with his 14 year old son and not much luck.
John Sweeney it’s hit or miss there but you can definitely get fluke when they’re nearby
my names Chris I work at that marina... Oakland’s on shinnecock bay. Great fluke spot, good call by the cut station 👍🏽
I love watching your videos, they are so peaceful.
Do you ever get skunked?
Florida has spider crabs just as big and bigger than the one you showed. Sometimes they were thick when I was a kid.
Here in Virginia we have an Oyster Toad nuisance. If we found a market for then we would have a big drop in their population
Adam Holston Same here in Louisiana.
Just got these in northern NJ
Thank you John for your video I learn so much then!!
Great Videos John. Just got back into fishing after many years. Any advice for fishing near the mouth of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay? Was told that flounder populations in the Chesapeake have dropped drastically since when we used to fish in the 70’s and 80’s. Keep the videos coming, and thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Do you point the teaser hook down for a specific reason, or does it not matter? I ask because most rigs point the hook upwards as far as i know.
Every video of yours that I watch, I can't get over the fact that you sound EXACTLY like Howard Stern!
Where are you from? I think if you're from my region you wouldn't think I sound like Stern. His accent is way west of mine!
@@JohnSkinnerFishing Near Seattle. My wife's the first one who mentioned it, and after more listening, I had to agree. At least to our, perhaps, untrained ears!
Ha! Funny. Almost as far away on the US mainland as you can get. I bet your wife sounds just like my sister, who lives in Port Orchard.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing My wife was actually born in Montana, then lived for about 20+ years in Eugene, Oregon. I'm originally from the Caribbean, spent 20+ years in Florida, and have been in Washington for just over 20 years. Go figure. Flounder were always a surprise catch in Florida.
Very nice John 👍👍I’m digging that tsunami reel with the power handle! Thanks for the tips. Gonna grab me some gamakatsu hooks and a bucktail!
I was on Great South Bay today/charter boat. 7 keeper fluke total, many shorts and sea robins
Hard to tell the size of your spider crab in the video but I’ve seen one at Pennfield Reef with the body larger than a dinner plate. You can imagine the length of the arms!
You must come to texas, every fishing team needs a flounder fisherman for tournaments
John,
Watching the spinning real for casting.Will the bait caster serve me ok in this dock fishing and shore fishing also? Trying to keep it real simple for me and wife
Catching fluke and not losing a days pay awesome.....fish on I miss the Hampton's.....
HI John love your books and videos. Thanks to you I'm trying to target fluke right off the shore of Clinton CT on the Sound. So far I'm getting only sea robins. What am I doing wrong? BTW the robins and the schoolie stripers really go nuts for the Gulp grubs! I get more fish on the teaser hook with just a grub on than on the jig...
Are there fluke around? I live across the Sound from you and it's been a poor year for fluking in the Sound for us.
I don’t know if there are fluke around that’s why I’m out there targeting them! I guess your videos this year are on the other side of the north fork? On the other hand it sounds like I’m on the right track. Ps. My last fishing trip with my late dad was out of captree. He caught the only fluke on the boat and won the pool. Thx for getting me back on the hunt for them.
If anyone could catch flounder in a rain puddle it would be John.
John,
Recently I have snagged three or four fluke with my bucktail. Does this reveal anything about my technique or weight of the bucktail?
Thanks!
Yes me too
When using your blackfish jig what do you bait it with. Also your books and videos are the best
Great video! I feel like the short/keeper ratio is rough in those areas this year. Are weed edges a good place to concentrate on when looking for 19" plus fish? I usually look for sandy so that I'm not cleaning my line constantly.
Any kind of edges.
John, Thank you for all your videos as you continue to teach me how to fish!
I was wondering after you saw that striper break the surface, what is your thought process:
Stick with fluke it's more productive?
What is that incident indicating to you as far as potential conditions; channel/structure/current/column/or other fish that might be present?
How would you have targeted those bass if you had wanted to?
Would love to hear your thought process, what goes through your mind when you observe such an event?
Many times when I observe surface activity I'm not quite sure what to do with it? How to convert it to hookups. Thank for all the knowledge and entertainment you've provided me.
First comment was made at about 10 minutes. Just got toward the end, saw the shad. What would that have confirmed or negated based on your analysis from earlier?
Thanks so much for your reply!
That sand eel is put in the works on the fish
I miss these vibes
Hey John I had a question. I saw a picture of a flounder that was caught with a rattle trap. Do you think that that would be a good lure or would scare them away?
Were fishing another flounder species (California halibut ) from docks and piers however the same principal works well . For California halibut were simply using a heavy duty 2/0 straight worm hook , a 5 inch zoom super salty fluke and a 1/2 to 1 ounce spro bucktail jig. California halibut is Typically $20.00 to $ 25.00 a lb with peak season fillets still costing at least $18.00 a lb making even a 22 inch minimum size halibut worth $50-75 bucks.
Awesome! I've had numerous CA anglers tell me these techniques work there.
Gulp sandeels shortage incoming LOL. Every time JS uses something, the whole market is just jumping on it. JS -- you need to become a brand ambassador for gulp
John I have a question about depth of retrieve when fishing from shore/dock. I understand you're trying to keep the jig near the bottom but not touching or bouncing along. In a new spot like this, how do you determine that? Do you find bottom on the first cast and mentally count down on successive casts or is it more a feel thing? I fish a lot with jigs for our local dusky flathead (they are ambush predators - lie on the bottom with eyes up) and find it a challenge to stay near the bottom without hitting from time to time.
It's OK to hit bottom occasionally if you're not in a very sticky area. With these fish, it's better to be too low than too high.
Good job👍👌🏻
One thing I have noticed is that everything you have the b-tail with sand eels, fish always pick the eels, is there time when the b-tail win the battle?...
If I were you I would talk to Berkeley and come out with your own gulp bait you would be right up there with bill gates lol
Gates isn't gonna be so rich after his Wife Melinda sues him in a divorce. Female flounders also make the smaller males chase down food(Resources) and then part ways.
if your hook is below the weight, how can you tell when the hook hits the bottom?
Jonn please answer , How long of a length are your leader lines usually? Does it depend on which type of fish your targeting or is it the same length no matter what?
If you check out the videi in the bottom of the description he shows you how to make the leader
don't forget to drop a few crab traps.. blue claws are running and tasty..
Hi John do think it’s possible to setup a rod and reel that can be used for both shore fluking and casting for false albacore?
could you give us a video how to tie the leader to your braid? thanks!
I go through a high-quality barrel swivel, with a palomar knot on the braid side and a clinch on the other.
John what is the best tides to fish for fluke on the surf
So is this Long Island? Down here at the Shore the bay has gotten to warm and the fluke moved out,still a few off the beaches but it's cool to see the difference in location.
What part of the island cause I only catch sea robin😂😂 I land 20 sea robin and catch a 10 inch fluke
life seems to have returned to that area.
What part of the country are you in? Would this technique work on the Gulf Coast? I fish Grand Isle off the coast of Louisiana.
I'm in the Northeast. I know this works in Texas.
Hey John , in this video our you in South Jersey?
LI
Hey John .. can you fish without Gulp please =)
I have tried numerous substitutes for fluke to no avail.
John, is there a reason you prefer the teaser hook to be positioned with the hook point facing down?
I give no thought to it. I don't think it matters how the hook is attached.
Thanks John
Are those flukes the same fish that are called halibut in California?
Very similar, and numerous CA anglers have told me the fluke techniques and rigging in these videos work well on those halibut.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing thank you
Last thing we need is a market for sea Robin! Sea Robin save the day for a good bag limit or good fish to eat when on day fishing for targeted species and not getting the targeted species and have something to take home. Hence, they don’t get relatively large, but you need some sort of quantity for a meal! Why? Because, they don’t present true fillets just nuggets morsels! That’s why you’ll need a nice portion of the to catch! A market for them will only lead to a bag limit that will render them useless to catch if you want to eat them!
Hey John I was fishing in Fire Island today for fluke and the snappers would rip through my gulp swimming mullets like crazy because they would bite the tails off. Is there anyway to avoid this?
Not really. Interference fish can be a problem.
I liked watching the transition of the tide here after low slack. If you don't mind me asking - how long were you fishing at this spot before you stopped?
What are you using as bait?
would it be ok to use a swivel to tie braid to a leader? if so does it affect the strength and make my line more prone to breaking when swinging a fluke, im using 15lb braid to 25lb leader
I do exactly that.
What pier is this?
So john what I would like to know is can i use these same techniques for cali halibut...they look same as fluke..
Definitely! Numerous California Halibut anglers have told me of their successes with these tackle and techniques.
John Skinner Fishing thank you for your reply!..very informative as ll you videos are.
Hello: Where is your fishing place? Do you have an address?
Hi John, Do you ever get sick of using the same high low rig ?I mean simple boredom, don't you get the urge to experiment? yes this rig takes the fish but something new and creative maybe , been watching videos from guys in Malaysia they have to fish in murky still water too torrential currents running 50 Miles and hour they have tremendous creative rigs to meet the conditions .
I used many different rigs for my first 40 years of fishing before settling on this.
All the fluke came on the teaser. So what does that tell you?
It usually means the bucktail is too heavy, but in this case I know the fish were feeding on sandeels and liked the closest imitation to that, which is a gulp sandeel on a plain hook.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing I like that explanation. Makes perfect to me now that I think about it. Thanks! Will take that into consideration now that I am getting into fluke fishing from shore.
When there are no sandeels around I use 3'' gulp shrimp on a plain teaser hook for casting.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing Thanks again! I've never used the gulp shrimp - will have to try it. I've always mostly been a freshwater fisherman. In my recent retirement I have just taken up shore/pier fishing for fluke for the first time this year. Have only gone twice and scored my first keeper on my second outing. As a former computer scientist I always keep asking myself why something is or is not happening... to improve my game. There must always be a reason.
How many ounce bucktail
ig to use
3/4
Hey anyone know any good spots in Long Island by port Washington?
I fished a couple times by the preserve caught a few nice fluke
@@knicksallday6442 leeds or manorhaven?
knicks all day thank you
knicks all day which preserve?
Wow😮😮😮👍👍👍
We need general locations
What hooks do you use
There are links to the gear in the video description.
that looks like mono line there why not braid??
Daiwa J-Braid Grand, gray.
Surprised you didn't get a bird tangled in your line.
me too
You are the modern aged Matt Adhern (sp)
Thats a big spider crab
I recently learned that Bouillabaisse (french fish stew) is typically made with Sea Robin. They are indeed delicious. The issue is the american privileged mindset. If your going to Fluke or bass, and you keep catching sea robin, in your mind they become a nuisance. In reality they are a delicious fish that put up a great fight and are plentiful. Other countries and cultures appreciate and utilize the fish that are abundant in order to keep the balance. We as fishermen should be doing the same.
Most of us Americans gladly eat ugly unintended species. I kept two ling on my last Montauk trip. The ugliest of them all, the monkfish, would be a prized catch.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing Thanks for the reply. Most real fishermen are more open to trying new fish, most Americans who just fish sometimes or just eat fish, are not as open in from what I've seen. I belong to both groups. If we want people to do what's right for the seas, we just have to do it first, lead by example and show them these fish are as delicious as other countries know them to be. Great vid.
We have spider crabs in lower Delaware all over the place
one ounce of lead drops a foot a second so they say 😉
That's bare lead. Bucktail hair is buoyant
At 2035, kick save and a beauty.
Is that Ed Giacomin in goal?
Me: I'll just watch one video real quick
Me many videos later: What Day is it!?!?!?!
Wheres this spot
I think it's on a dock by a cleaning station, but not 100% sure. 🤣
He’s not going to tell you a exact spot. No one gives out information like this online!!
Imagine he did. That dock would sink from the couple of thousand people fishing on it.
Jonn please answer , How long of a length are your leader lines usually? Does it depend on which type of fish your targeting or is it the same length no matter what?
Theres a video for thatand how to tie it. Go on his page and scroll