Flat Liners

You want to catch a monster doormat fluke in the middle of the summer? Then you should target deep waters with high current, where big fish lurk and few anglers can target them. The most effective way to aim for these fish is to leave the usual flounder fishing gear at home, and rig up to troll for them. Here’s what you’ll need:

RODS should be short and stout, with the emphasis on stout. You’ll be using a ton of weight—20 to 28 ounces is common in water over 30’ with strong currents—to keep your line on bottom, and a wimpy rod simply won’t do. Since trolling is best done with conventional gear you’ll also want to make sure your rods have gimbaled butts, so they sit in the holders properly.

REELS don’t need to be anything fancy, but line counters will help you speed deployment of the spread. Also make sure you’re using reels that, like the rods, are hefty enough to take the strain of all that weight.

LINES can be braid, but monel or stainless-steel line is even better. It’ll cut the water just as well, while improving the sink rate.

TROLLING MOTORS are a big help, because most  boats don’t idle-down slow enough for effective trolling. Sharpies like to move along at one to two miles per hour. If your boat won’t go this slowly and you don’t have a dedicated trolling motor, consider towing a five gallon bucket behind the boat, to slow you down. If you plan to do a lot of trolling in the future, think about adding a kicker bracket and/or a trolling motor to your boat. Not only will it help you troll more effectively, it’ll also save fuel.

STRIP BAITS are better than live baits, when you’re trolling. Though livies out-fish strips in most other situations, when trolled (especially in a heavy current) they often tire out then begin spinning—and a spinning baitfish is rarely eaten.

Fluke Trolling Tip: Whenever possible, troll from shallower water to deeper water, not from the depths up into the shallows. This will greatly reduce the number of snags you experience, and it’ll also keep your baits on bottom more of the time because it’s easier to stay in touch with your bait’s running depth when letting line out then it is when reeling it up.