The Best Fluke-Fishing in the Northeast
evinrude
make your boat better
Based on an article (Flatfish Nirvana) authored by Jimmy Fee for onthewater.com - reposted with permission
In this episode of On the Water, Jimmy Fee and crew head out to what Fee describes as “the best fluke-fishing waters in the Northeast,” Nantucket Shoals.
“Nantucket Shoals is a vast area of shallow and constantly shifting bottom that extends 23 miles east and 40 miles southeast from Nantucket. Depths in this area can change from 100 feet to 5 feet over the length of a football field, creating tidal rips and breaking waves that have given the area its reputation as a ship graveyard. However, the same conditions that make Nantucket Shoals hazardous for boaters provide incredible habitat for gamefish. The sandy shoals concentrate baitfish, such as squid and sand eels, and fluke, bluefish, sharks, and even bluefin tuna move in to feed.” -Jimmy Fee, On the Water
“Short drifts are the order of the day on Nantucket Shoals.”
According to Fee, “short drifts are the order of the day on Nantucket Shoals.” Due to the constantly shifting bottom and dramatic currents, Fee says that “lines may be in only 10 to 15 minutes at a time before resetting is necessary.” While it’s a lot of work for everyone involved, it yielded great results.
TACKLE
Fee says that “there was no magic rig or bait that day.” The crew all filled their limits with everything from strips of fresh mackerel (Fee’s choice), small whole squid, spearing and squid strips, whole snapper blues, and jigs. According to Fee, “One theme was clear, however: The fresher your bait, the more bites you had.” Fee adds that he avoided using jigs (even though plenty of anglers caught fish on them, including the 12.4-pound pool winner) “because the fierce full moon tides made it difficult to hold bottom and resulted in several tangles.”
Tapdancer rig, Courtesy of On the Water
However, Fee emphasizes that on Nantucket Shoals, one setup is not enough.
“It’s wise to bring at least two different setups for a day of fishing on Nantucket Shoals. The night before my second trip on the Helen H, I tossed my heavy tautog/cod setup into the car. When my 10-ounce sinker scoped way out on the first drift, I was grateful I had that stout conventional when the mates suggested we bump up to 20. On slower tides, or in the shallower part of the shoals, lighter outfits work better for bouncing bucktails.” - Jimmy Fee, On the Water
Popcorn rig, Courtesy of On the Water
Fee recommends “bank and cannonball sinkers between 6 and 20 ounces” saying that those “will cover any depths and drift conditions you might encounter.” He also recommends “bucktails from 4 to 8 oz” for jigs as well as a “Berkley Gulp to tip your jig and the teaser hook above it.”
“The rig employed was far less important than making sure a fresh piece of bait was fluttering off the hook. Standard three-way rigs dressed up with squid skirts were the most popular aboard the Helen H, but other rigs also caught fish.”
GETTING THERE
Because of the danger, Fee strongly recommends that anglers seeking a day on Nantucket Shoals “do so aboard a charter or headboat, rather than their own private vessels.” According to Fee, “Leaving the boat handling to the professionals is not only safer, it will cut down on the time required to find the hotspots out of miles and miles of water.”
Courtesy of On the Water
But if that simply isn’t an option for you, then Fee has some advice for making it in your own vessel:
“If you do venture out to Nantucket Shoals on your own vessel, keep in mind that the shoals constantly change and move, and most charts don’t show the true nature of the bottom contour. Use your head and avoid the whitewater on top of the shoals while watching your depthfinder for the deep holes where big fluke concentrate.” - Jimmy Fee, On the Water
To see this otherworldly place for yourself, check out the full episode of On the Water below, brought to you by Evinrude. For Fee’s full account of the trip, check out his article “Flatfish Nirvana” over at www.onthewater.com. You can also get more from Fee and the gang on Instagram at @onthewatermagazine.
On the Water airs Wednesdays 7:30-9pm and Saturdays 8:30pm-9:30pm on Samsung TV Plus, channel 1184. Watch the show anytime on the Waypoint app!
S17:E4 “Flatfish Nirvana”
