Rigging and Fishing The Hogy Flatfish

By Capt. Mike Hogan

In the backyard here at Hogy Central, we know big striped bass eat flounder. So do big summer flounder (fluke), cod, ling cod, halibut and many other highly sought-after game fish.

Hogy Flatfish are available in two sizes:

5 ½-inch, 3 per package
The larger of the two Hogy Flatfish designs seems to have the most applications with the striper, cod, and cobia angers. Due to the extra length, the flounder really quivers.

Rigging recommendations:

The 11/0 Hogy Drop Shot Rig

1 or 3 ounce Hogy Jig Heads

Half Way Method

3 ½-inch, 3 per package
The smaller of the two Hogy Flatfish are far more popular with fluke and sea bass anglers due to the shorter size and consequently, better hook up ratios.

Rigging recommendations:

The 7/0 Hogy Drop Shot Rig

1/2 ounce Hogy Jig Heads

Half Way Method

Hogy Flatfish Features:

• The Nose is padded out to support jig heads
• Lifelike, natural appearance
• Feature the Hogy Premium Blend of plastic, amazing action
• Numerous Rigging Options

Depending how you fish them, they glide, settle and quiver like a real flatfish. How you rig them will vary based on your fishing conditions. Here are some of our favorite rigging options:

1. The Hogy Flatfish Fished on Jig Heads:

Rigging the Hogy Flatfish is really quite simple. The nose on the bait is padded out to support Jigs heads up to six ounces. In fishing the Hogy Flatfish, the name of the game is SLOW. Raise your rod tip and lower it to let the flatfish glide back to the bottom. A good method in depths up to 30 feet.

Step 1: Select the appropriate sized jig head. We like 1- or 3-ounce jig heads for the 5" flatfish and a ½-ounce jig head for the 3.5" flatfish.

Step 2: Insert the jig head so that the hook exits the "back" of the bait fish. The nose is thicker than the rest of the body to support grip barbs on jig heads.

Fishing Hogy Flatfish with Jig Heads: Casting a jig head rigged Hogy is a bit challenging, kind of like casting a deck of cards. What that means is you're somewhat limited in terms of casting distance. Jig head rigged Flatties are perfect for shallow water situations where you can fish the bait slowly across the bottom. A lot of our customers are also sight casting to large cobia with jig head rigged flatties.

Rigging recommendations:

1 or 3 ounce jig heads

Rigging with Jig Heads

2. Drop Shot Style:

The whole idea behind the drop-shot rig is that the hook is attached directly in-line to the leader, so the hook actually rises and falls in sync with the leader as it bumps over the bottom or is twitched by the angler. The result is that the Hogy Flatfish quivers in an extremely tantalizing manner. As the rig rises, falls and bounces on the bottom, the energy associated with the movement with vibrate right through the soft bait.

Any amount of weight can be used on the drop-shot rig, so the rigging method lends itself very well to deep water fishing and serves as an extremely effective "pin point" fishing technique. Deepwater game fish stacked up in a small area don't stand a chance with the Hogy Flatfish dancing in front of their faces.

Step 1: Attach sinker to the snap located on the bottom of the rig. We prefer a slightly heavier weight than would normally be required to hold bottom, allowing for more aggressive twitches while maintaining contact with the bottom.

Step 2: Attach Hogy Flatfish to the single hook on the drop shot rig. We prefer the 7/0 Owner offset worm hook for the 3.5" Flatfish and the 11/0 Owner for the 5" Hogy Flatfish.
Step 3: Connect barrel swivel to running line. We prefer braid running line for this method due to its sensitivity.

Fishing With the Drop Shot Rig: Simply let the rig down to the bottom but be sure to keep a straight line to the rig - no slack! If drifting the sinker's bouncing movement will impart action to the bait. Additional rod twitches will enhance the bait's action.

Rigging recommendations:

Making The Drop Shot Rig

Video of the Flounder on a dropshot rig

Flounders in the webstore

3. The Half Way Method:

Just like the name suggests, the halfway method is a cross between the drop-shot method and rigging on a jig head. The Half Way Method is great way to twitch the Hogy Flatfish in shallow water of depths up to 30 feet.

Rigging with the Halfway Method:

Step One: Take a snap and run it through the eye of an offset worm hook.

Step Two: Using the same snap, pass it through the eye of a "casting sinker," which is basically a teardrop style weight with a barrel swivel protruding. The end result would be a "weedless" rigged flatfish designed to fish on the bottom with some of the "twitch" of a drop shot rig.

Fishing with the Halfway Method: In shallow water, fish the flatfish the same way you would a jig head, popping it along the sand or mud. When vertical jigging, use enough weight to allow the bait to thump along the bottom.