Dougs Custom Lures 5" Soft Plastic Fluke Jerkbait

"The fluke is the most natural-looking baitfish imitation in my bag. When bass are up shallow chasing shad, this is the first bait I reach for. Twitch it twice and let it die on a slack line — that glide on the fall is what triggers them. I've won money with this bait and I throw it every time I'm on the water."

Sharp rod tip twitches send the bait darting sideways. Let out slack and let it glide back down on a loose line. The split tail kicks the whole time — bass eat it on the fall, not the twitch.

The flat body skips cleanly under docks and into tight cover with a sidearm cast. Let it sit a full three-count before you move it — dock fish will eat it on the pause before you ever start a retrieve.

Nose-hook it on a jig head for a slow, steady swim across open flats and over grass. The body rolls and the split tail pulses on every inch of the retrieve — great for covering ground and locating fish fast.

Rig it perfectly straight or it won't work right. The fluke relies on a clean, symmetrical body to dart and glide the way it's supposed to. If the hook skews the bait at all, it'll spin on the fall instead of darting. Take the extra 30 seconds on the hook set — it changes everything about how the bait performs.

Go with natural and translucent tones. Bass get a long look in clear water — the flat body and split tail transmit light, and natural/smoke/pearl bodies look exactly like what they're eating. Anything too opaque or flashy gets refused on inspection.

Reach for chartreuse-accent and high-contrast tones. In off-color water, bass are tracking the bait by contrast and movement. A bright belly or chartreuse tail accent gives them something to zero in on through the stain. Visibility over subtlety.

Grey, blue-flake, and pearl-based bodies match shad and minnow profiles across most Midwest and Southern lakes year-round. If you don't know what they're keyed on, start here. This family does exactly what a fluke is supposed to do — look like something that belongs in the water.

Solid and dark-based bodies produce a strong silhouette against whatever light is available. At night or in near-zero visibility, bass are locating the bait by feel and outline — the split tail movement reads even when they can't see the color. Go dark and let the action do the work.

In clear water, match the size and shape of what's in the water, not the color. If bass are blowing up on shad but not eating your fluke, you're usually off on profile or action before you're off on color. Once the presentation is right, natural tones almost always work. Color adjustments come last.

Start weightless Texas-rigged on a 4/0 EWG hook. Cast it out, give it two sharp twitches with your rod tip, then drop the rod and let the line go slack. Watch your line. Most bites happen while the bait is falling on that slack line — you'll see a jump or the line will start moving sideways. Keep your eyes on the line instead of the rod tip and you'll start catching fish immediately.

Different tools for different situations. The Pintail Shad is built for depth and vertical presentations — it suspends in place and works fish that are holding deep or tight to structure. The Fluke is a reaction bait built for covering water near the surface and through the mid-column. It darts and glides to trigger fish that are chasing baitfish. The Pintail Shad suspends; the Fluke escapes. If fish are keyed on baitfish near the surface or schooling, throw the fluke. If you're targeting suspended fish deep or working structure in clear water on a drop shot, reach for the Pintail Shad.

Yes, and it's one of the best choices for it. Texas-rigged weightless, the bait is fully weedless — it slides through grass, over pads, and around any vegetation without fouling. The flat body planes up through the water column when you retrieve it, so you can run it just above a grass canopy and trigger fish sitting on top of the mat. Keep the hook point buried and it'll come through anything.

For weightless and skip presentations, a medium to medium-heavy spinning rod in the 7'–7'2" range with a fast tip is ideal — it loads on the cast, gives you a good sidearm skip angle, and lets you feel the subtle tap on a slack line. Run 15–17 lb fluorocarbon straight through for most situations. If you're fishing heavier cover or need extra casting distance, a medium-heavy baitcaster with 30–50 lb braid and a 17–20 lb fluoro leader gives you more control on the hookset.

Absolutely. Smallmouth are aggressive baitfish feeders and the dart-and-glide action is exactly what triggers them in clear water. Rig it weightless Texas on a 4/0 in natural or shad-tone colors and work it around rocky points, sand flats, and anywhere you see shad activity. The drop shot presentation also works well on smallmouth in deeper, clear water — nose-hook it and keep the bait suspended just above the bottom where they're holding.