Draggin Bait

[wb]

OK so here's one of those threads maybe you don't want to chime in.. ooo big secret.  I say share your thoughts and maybe we all (mostly me) learn something...

so if I am dragging bait for fluke with a standard 1 hook rig, what is the optimal length from hook to sinker? I say from my vast experience it should be 33". plus/minus 3". Any longer they don't bite as much. Any shorter same shite.

what choo think?

[Luna Sea 5]

this all depends on current conditions.  If the current is fast, you can get away with a longer leader.. if the conditions of the current are very slow, you can shorten the leader. 

I actually don't measure mine, just eyeball it at 2'-3'

[hiking]

I might not have it right, but I shorten them up with a fast drift and leave them long for the slow drift. I'm still learning.

[Luna Sea 5]

A long leader and a very slow drift will keep the bait too far off the bottom.  If the drift was quicker, then the longer leader will glide closer to the bottom.  Its all about trial and error to get your bait in the strike zone. 

Rule of thumb...  Fluke are bottom feeders.. so you can't go wrong if your too close to the bottom... you can go wrong if your too far off the bottom.

[Salty Dog]

Not sure of the science in all this when they are hitting a teaser 12" off the bottom,above the sinker?

[Luna Sea 5]

12" is about right if the leader is above the sinker.  On a standard rig, when the sinker is on top of the bait, a 2" leader during a drift will be about 1" off the bottom.

[ped579]

Right now trial and error is the ballgame.  I have been tying leaders with droppers approx 8 to 12 inches above the jig.  It seems as this years season progresses the shorter the distance from the teaser to the jig has been working better.

[Bucktail]

I might not have it right, but I shorten them up with a fast drift and leave them long for the slow drift. I'm still learning.

This is what I've always believed was correct.

[Luna Sea 5]

picture a very slow drift, and a long leader.. The leader will stay too high of the bottom as you need the drift to bring it down. 

Use the anchor theory.  If you have no current you don't need as much road to keep your boat anchored.  If the current is strong, you will need more road to hold bottom.

no current = less leader
quick current = more leader

no current = less road in the anchor line
quick current = more road in the anchor line

But once again, its all about trial and error to get your bait into the strike zone.

[urulie]

Thats the way I do it Nick it always works for me.
Also this year I'm slapping a teaser on everything I rig about 1 foot up from my sinker and you wouldn't believe how many fish caught on the teaser and double headers I have caught (all doubles short) but still fun. That way you cover all bases give it a try.
I really believe all fish have that predatory instint and  I think that teaser triggers some fish that weren't going to bite, to bite.

[Luna Sea 5]

here is another way of looking at it.. If you are using a bucktail with a teaser over it.  The bucktail is dragging the bottom first, stirring up the mud/sand, waking up the fluke.. then after the bucktail rattles the fluke and wakes them up, then the teaser comes right behind it, which will explain the great success rate of the teaser.

I usually don't like using pyramid sinkers but a old salt told me that when you drag bait, you want to use a sinker that will disturb the bottom the most.  The more you disturb the bottom, the more attention you will get from the fluke... then, 2' away is the bait..

[gottog]

I was always told that for a fast drift you have to shorten your length of leader. If the sinker, while dragging it ona drift, is lifting up from the bottom due to a fast drift, your trailing bait is just going to lift even higher.

Gotta remember that the bait if after the weight.  With a very slow drift, a longer leader gives you more movement in the bait while bouncing the sinker.

With a teaser over a bucktail, how does it come after the jig?   On a drift the bucktail will be at the bottom with whatever hung above it slightly in front of the jig and of course above it.

Maybe with a 3way setup then teaser would be after the bucktail but then it's just like a bait rig as described first.

[urulie]

Nice sketch is that a keeper fluke you got there?   

[ped579]

I think the captain is sleeping better wake him up he is about to hit hit by freddie fluke there.

[Pfishingruven]

Nice explanation and sketch GT!

 

[gymrat987654321]

looks like paul isnt the only artist on the board. lmao j/k 

[Hunter 2]

Another trick from the old timers.  Hang a 1 or 2 foot section of chain from a rope tied to a cleat on the boat, let it drag the bottom before the fishing lines to wake up the fish. But dont tell anyone.

[gottog]

Art is not my cup of tea

Heard from another about a longer leader in fast currents, but just doesn't seem right to me.

With an anchor, you have the main "weight" at the end and then some chain which is additional weight.  Chain helps the anchor dig in no?
With a bait rig generally you have the bait after the weight so in my mind that just doesn't mesh.  Not saying wrong, but can't wrap my mind around it.

With a real fast drift and dragging 8ozs, when that sinker starts to "rise" as it won't hold, the following baited hook is going to rise as well. With a longer leader I just see it rising even higher off the bottom.

The chain and pyramid sinker causing disturbances...I can see that working for flounder, just not so much for fluke. Hey, if it works for you though, go right ahead and keep using it. Different strokes is what makes the world go around...or something like that

[Bucktail]

 

[wb]

Nice discussion, just what I was hoping for.

Here's how my mind gets around it. With the bait after the weight, worst case no drift, the bait can come up the entire leader length. This is almost never the case, the actual bait height will be less. Fast drift, regardless of leader length, the bait is forced by the drift down to sinker depth (which should be the bottom.) With shorter leader length you get lower bait. Fast or slow drift. Remember flukeys are always looking up-- the question is how high up? If the bait's on the bottom, the fluke have a harder time seeing it than, say, if it's 6-12" up. So the longer leader the better in fast drift (within reason), get it up off the bottom, and this is the key, as long as you are holding. If you're not holding, go home and have a soda, you ain't catching except by pure luck.

So back to my 33" plus/minus 3". I'll tie at around 38"-40" initially, then retie as necessary down to about 28"-30". What I have noticed is as they get shorter than that (believe me I want to keep retying as fluoro ain't cheap) I just don't get as many hits.

Thanks for all the comments.