Heading into the crux of summer flatfish fun, fluke are now situating in the mid range depths of 35 to 75 feet. The largest of flatties will be hanging around structure piles as various wrecks, reefs and rocks provide cover for fluke to lay low and ambush baitfish as they swim by.

Structure fishing by snapping bucktails means a more detailed oriented approach is necessary to prevent hang ups. To start, you may think you want to go heavier, but that’s not the case. Rods should be rated 15 to 25-pound, 7-foot moderate to fast action such as a Shimano Teramar or St. Croix 7 foot TISMH70, matched with a spinning reel to hold enough line as a Shimano Stradic 5000 or Okuma Cedros CJ40. Spool up with lighter 30-pound Power Pro or Sufix 832 green braided line as the thin diameter can cut through the water column and get you down to the bottom quickly. Bucktailing reigns supreme around Oceanside structure piles as you can keep the weighted hook up and off and around bouncing through the sticky stuff where a normally dragged offering will hang up on drifts.

The standard bucktail rig consists of a 36-inch section of 25 to 30-pound Yo-Zuri Topknot or Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, with a 80-pound Spro barrel swivel at the top end, then 16 inches down a dropper loop tied then another 20 inches down from there a lighter 1 to 2-ounce Spro bucktail in white, white/chartreuse or white/yellow tired via loop knot. On the dropper, fix an even lighter 1/8-ounce bucktail to be freely flailing on the loop when bouncing the bottom with the heavier buck.

The light bucktail is easily utilized even in the heaviest of currents as boat anglers on a drift can cast upcurrent and let the bucktail swing around until it becomes tight at around 12 o clock then, can be bounced effectively until about a 3 o clock hand until it should be reeled in and cast out again upcurrent. Tip the bucktail with a longish 4 to 7-inch bluefish strip, fluke belly or squid strip and lightly hop the bucktail in, around and over the structure, where you will inevitably find a doormat flattie hiding in waiting to pounce on the offering.