When working over the back channels, your drift is your key to success. Paying attention to the wind and the tide. The prime drift of any channel will have you setting up 100 yards on one side of a flat, bouncing your lure along in the 4- to 6-foot deep flats. You keep drifting in and through the hole of the channel and continue bouncing your jig on the other side of the flat for about 100 yards.

Most fluke will not move very far away from the superhighway feeding route of the channel. Thus if you drift over 100 yards onto the other side of it, put the boat in gear and drift back over the piece of real estate again. Try to position your presentation in fast drifts through the center of the channel, working each ledge, through the cut, and over the opposite edge.

Fluke are aggressive at this time. They will chase the bucktail jig up the channel ledge, but may not immediately hit it. You may need to coax them out of the deeper water and up the ledge for a solid hit. Thus dropping back is necessary in some instances.

BIG BAY FISHING
Jersey’s largest bays, the Raritan and the Delaware, create our state’s southern and northern boundaries. Both big bays contain both shallow and deep waters, with small tidal creeks flowing in and replenishing them every moment of the day. Without a doubt, some of the largest doormats of the year are always taken from Raritan Bay. Not only do the flatties have shallow 3- to 10-foot depths to feed over, but deeper channels ranging from 20 to 65 feet also harbor the largest flounder during the late summer months.

Delaware Bay is a much shallower area altogether. Depths average in the 10- to 25-foot range, though it does have waters that dip down to 65 feet in certain sloughs.

No matter which bay you fish, heavier tackle needs to be implemented due to increased depths and rushing currents. Bucktails can still work well, though it’s time to change up to heavier 1- to 3-ounce models. But by far the most productive baits are live peanut bunker, snapper blues or large strip baits.

You can procure fresh peanut bunker baits with a cast net in the backwaters prior to your trip. Snapper bluefish will also fit the bill, provided they’re in the 2- to 4-inch range. Snappers are suckers for Sabiki rigs.

Live baits are best used on a fish finder slider rig. The live peanut bunker or snapper blue should be hooked through the bottom lip and out the upper lip to allow it to swim freely. Let out line as the drift dictates.

When using large 5- to 10-inch strip baits such as bluefish, sea robin or mackerel, rig up the same fish finder slider rig and let the strip bait undulate back in the current in free spool. When you feel a fluke pounce on the strip, drop your bait back and feed it to the flounder for a count of three before you strike. This will ensure that the fluke has the whole bait (and hook) in its mouth.

Many times, anglers will hit on the first tap when a fluke will only be mouthing the bait. Let it swallow it whole. Patience pays off big time when using strip baits in the big bays.

JERSEY’S BACKWATER SWEET SPOTS
Barnegat Bay
Two prolific channels connect Barnegat Inlet to Barnegat’s back bay: the Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels. For foraging fluke, the Oyster Creek cut is a prominent superhighway that stretches from the BI Buoy in Waretown out to Barnegat Inlet.

The meandering channel runs an average of 10 to 14 feet in depth and holds some sweet ledges and edges to work. Noted hotspots along the channel are by the BI buoy, and the flats off the No. 33 “Rolling Rock” can.

Double Creek Channel passes through along the south side of the infamous Barnegat shoals. The channel is a bit narrower than Oyster Creek, and its average depth runs from 7 to 11 feet, with sharper edge dropoffs. Near the south east side of the channel mouth, you can find holes that reach down to 22 feet.

Ludlam Bay
This wide, shallow back-bay estuary behind Sea Isle City is a perennial early-season hotspot, and fluke up to and over 8 pounds are caught here during the early summer. Bucktails tipped with mackerel or bluefish strips will do the most damage here.

Townsend and Corson sounds are each a short run from Ludlam Bay, and the tidal inlet waters here hold flatties.