Few saltwater fishermen think about colors as much as fluke fishermen, especially since the advent of Berkley Gulp, when many fishermen replaced or enhanced their natural bait offerings with this scented synthetic bait. But, with dozens of colors to choose from in the popular fluke fishing styles like the Swimming Mullet and 6″ Grub, anglers are left asking which colors to use when.
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Chartreuse: Eye-catching chartreuse is a great color on cloudy days or in stained water, outproducing natural shades when water visibility is low.
White/Pearl: From the 4-foot backwater flats to ocean reefs 100 feet down, white is a close match to a wide range of fluke forage, making it a good starting point for most fluke trips.
Glow: In stained water after a storm or big blow, a glow-in-the-dark color can still grab a fluke’s attention in tough conditions.
Green/Olive: A sand-eel-imitating shade can work very well over natural structure in deeper water, especially off Rhode Island and Cape Cod, where flatfish key in on these slender baitfish.
Pink/Pink Shine: In deeper water, where fluke regularly feed on squid, pink is a must-have color. A contrasting color combination of a white bucktail with a pink trailer is a deadly deep-water fluke combo from New Jersey to Nantucket Shoals.
Weirdest Color You Can Find: Above all, don’t forget to experiment! Some days, an off-the-wall color like blue or orange might be the top producer.
Doormat fluke are opportunistic feeders and regularly eat sea robins, black sea bass, and a wide variety of crabs and crustaceans. Matching some of these lesser-known forage species could be the key to the biggest fluke of the day.
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