Rigging The Magic Lure

Posted by MNAngler On September - 9 - 2009

I was asked recently by a friend how I rig my Magic Lure, the Zoom Super Fluke. I sent my friend some pictures and thought I would use them here to illustrate the technique.

The super fluke can be rigged a variety of ways, but I like to use a Texas rig. It gives a nice action to the lure and is weedless, so it doesn’t get hung up in the weeds.

I was taught to use a 4/0 Gamakatsu offset shank worm EWG hook. I’ve not really strayed from that hook because it has served me well.

I’ve recently been turned on to red hooks as it’s supposed to attract more fish. I don’t know if that’s true, but it certainly can’t hurt. For you fashionistas out there, I’m well aware that the red hook clashes with the bubble gum color of the fluke in these pictures, but trust me, the fish don’t care. And if the person your fishing with is catching more fish with this combination than with your black hook, you won’t care either.

So here I have the fluke and the hook together:

hook and fluke

Start by running the hook through the nose of the lure. Go in about the same length as the offset at the top of the hook and pull it through the side of the fluke with the hump.

hook in the head of the fluke

Pull the hook through all the way to the hook offset.

hook pulled through

Turn the hook so the hump of the hook matches the hump of the fluke and pull through so that the line made by the offset and hook line up with the flat side of the fluke.

hook turned around

Hold the fluke with your thumb and forefinger at the location where the end of the hook sits. Push the fluke together (it will curve) so as to push the hook into where your thumb and index finger marked the entry point.

hook inserted into body

Run the hook the rest of the way through so it sits naturally with the fluke. The fluke should now be straight.

rigging complete

Grab the fluke above the hook tip, push it up toward the eye of the hook and bury the hook tip just a bit into the plastic of the fluke. This last step will make sure the tip of the hook doesn’t catch any weeds.

I usually tie this rig directly to the line or attach it to a swivel. My hard core fishing buddies think the swivel changes the action of the lure, but I’ve caught plenty of fish even with the swivel.

This method of rigging is weightless. That is, when you retrieve, the lure will swim along just a few inches below the surface and even poke it’s nose up through the surface once in a while mimicking a wounded shad. The “traditional” Texas rig has a bullet weight in front of the hook that moves freely on the line. You can add a bullet weight before tying the fluke on your line, or add a leader if you’re using a swivel. The weighted Texas rig is very successful because the tick-tick-tick of the weight against the hook mimics the sound of a crayfish back as it moves in the water.

I also sometimes split shot rig the fluke by putting a split shot 10-12 inches in front of the hook. I normally only do this when I am in deeper water with no weeds to get it a little deeper. That’s how I caught my biggest largemouth bass to date.

Use this rig with the technique I outline in my ‘The Magic Lure’ post and you should be catching all species of fish in no time.

6 Responses to “Rigging The Magic Lure”

  1. […] with most soft baits, the super fluke doesn’t come with a hook. I was taught to rig it Texas style with a Gamakatsu Offset Worm Shank EWG, size 4/0 hook, sans the weight. What’s nice about […]

  2. […] Read more on why it’s my favorite lure in my post, “The Magic Lure.” And learn how I rig it in my post “Rigging The Magic Lure.” […]

  3. […] years now, I’ve been fishing with texas rigged plastics. With this type of rigging, if you set the hook as soon as you feel a bite, all you’ll catch […]

  4. michael says:

    This bait is amazing. Although every time i reel it in it is upside down!!! Need help!!

    • MNAngler says:

      Flukes will “swim” sporadically and twist and turn all over. The idea is to jerk it as you reel in and it will look like a wounded baitfish. Just make sure it is rigged correctly and it should have the correct action.

Leave a Reply to The Magic Lure « Journal of a Minnesota Angler


CURRENT MOON