Our take on the Super Fluke

This is the benchmark soft jerkbait, the one most brands have since produced their own version of, and the 5.25″ is its central size. The split belly lets you rig it perfectly weedless and keep working through weed beds where many lures become unusable. With 10 lures per pack, you can use it freely, which matters for a soft plastic that wears out as the bites come.

The Super Fluke at a glance

• 5.25″ long (about 133 mm), between the 4″ Super Fluke Jr. and the 7″ Magnum
• Salt-impregnated plastic for casting weight and for holding the bite
• Split belly with a hook slot for a weedless rig
• Forked tail behind the darting, the gliding and the knuckleball action
• Pack of 10 lures
• Rigs: weightless, weighted hook, inserts, jig head, darter head, scrounger head, Texas rig
• Versatile baitfish profile, wounded shad type
• Species: black bass, perch, sea bass

On the water

Jerk and pause, the retrieve that triggers

The basic retrieve comes in two beats: a sharp stroke that sends the lure sideways with a flash of flank, then a pause during which it glides and sinks slowly. The bite almost always comes on the pause, when the fish commits to what looks like a disoriented forage fish. The split belly lets you bury the hook point in the body, which means you can keep working weed beds, low branches and laydowns without snagging. That tolerance for cover explains its lasting place among lures for black bass, including on fish that have seen everything.

On the rigging side, an offset hook in 3/0 or 4/0 set perfectly straight in the belly slot remains the baseline. To work deeper in the water column, add insert weights or switch to a light jig head, or a darter head, which accentuates the darting.

5.25″, 4″ or 7″: choosing your Fluke size

The 5.25″ covers the widest range of situations, because it matches the most common forage fish size in freshwater. Below it, the 4″ Super Fluke Jr. comes into play when fish are on small fry or when fishing pressure calls for a smaller profile. Above it, the Magnum Super Fluke 7″ filters for big fish keyed on bulky forage, at the cost of fewer bites. If you were to keep only one in the box, this 5.25″ would be it.