Looking for a little help on rigging a weightless fluke. Catching alot of fish but I am burning through alot of line in the process due to twists.

Currently I am using braid with a flouro leader. I have tried a small swivel but I really dont like that option because it is less natural and I have to be careful not to reel it into my guides...

Any thoughts on this.

Are you using spinning tackle? I throw a weightless fluke with a bait caster and don't have a problem with line twist.

I wouldn't use a swivel.....or braided line while fishing a fluke. I'm guessing you're using a spinning outfit since you mention line twist. I use 8-10# mono (trilene). Once you spool your line, remove the spool and run it under warm/hot water. It helps the line be in sync with the spool. Then, when you are getting ready to cast, give yourself about half a foot to a foot of line with your bait at the end. before casting, make sure that you manually pull all slack out of the line. this can be done by just pulling the slack out of the line above your index finger that you hold the line with. after casting, manually place the beal back into position with the open hand. if you crank the close the beal, you have just created about 6 to 7 internal line twists within the spool. I hope this was helpful

Guessing you are using a spinning reel. You will get used to the swivel; I use them on my fluke rig.

If you just can't tolerate the swivel be sure you are doing the following to minimize twist.
1. close the bail manually after casting
2. do not overfill the spool (leave 1/4 inch from full)
3. use line conditioner
4. before fishing, let as much line out as you can (if in a boat/kayak/canoe, just throw the line out and keep the bail open as you troll until you get to the knot tying the line to the spool. Then reel it all back in keeping tension on the line in front of the spool.
5. there are reels designed to minimize/eliminate line twist Wave Spin reels (I don't have one, so can't give an informed opinion)

I read an article that Aaron Martens wrote specific to fishing a fluke and he uses a plastic bead in front of a swivel to keep from damaging the rod tip.

Thank you for the replys. Great information. Yes I am using a spinning reel. But I have considered using a bait caster (mainly because I have been broken off a few too many times lately). I have a chronarch that I am sure will throw a weightless fluke well.

I do manually close the bail but I will try to follow some of the additional suggestions.

Thanks again.

I don't use braided line or swivels for weightless fluke fishing because it makes the fluke sink too fast. I use 15 lb mono and a bait caster and don't ever have line problems.

I also used to have line twists when I used spinning reels. I would throw it out and let it sink with the beal open and line would just keep going out, then would close the beal back manually and start reeling in the slack w/o tension... Big mistake back in the day

Been using a small pinch on weight about 1 foot above the Fluke for years on a baitcaster. Sure have caught a lot of fish that way.

With braid and a leader I really don't understand why you are getting a lot of line twist even with spinning tackle. How are you rigging the fluke? Is it perfectly straight? Try taking the fluke off the hook and make a few casts with out it and see if that doesn't get some of the twist out of the line. That is what I do with my spinning rig that is set up for drop shotting. It gets twists in it because the worm spins when I reel it in. Your fluke shouldn't be spinning. You are using a regular fluke, not a swimming fluke right?

The swivel only needs to be about 6 inches from the tag end of the braid. You should never crank any bait all the way to the guide anyway. For best results using spinning tackle ALWAYS have about 6 inches of line exposed before you get to the first guide.

+1 on the baitcaster

Baitcaster and I dont use a swivel either and have no problems.

Shimano Baitcast w/ 12lb Seguar Fluro with 7 ft Skeet Reese micro Honeycomb rod!!!
My Power House on Texoma

Tyson, "all of the above" but one more likely reason, this though assuming you have the fluke tied on and hooked up properly:

It may be the way you are reeling in fish.

With a spinning reel, you cannot reel against the drag. A bait caster spools up the line unless its drag is exceeded. But, even then, no twisting occurs.

But, with a spinning reel, if you reel against the drag (line going out as you reel), the arbor still turns and each turn puts a twist in the line though no line is taken up or is actively coming off the spool.

So, technique wise, a bait casting reel can be muscled, if the angler wants to ski a fish in, for example. On spinning tackle, you fight the fish with the rod, not the reel, by pulling up or to the side, then reeling down on the line to secure whatever advantage you just made. Then you battle the fish with the rod again, then you reel down on the slack you created. Again and again.

I'd say this actually causes more line twist than any other aspect. We get excited when a fish is on, forget and reel against the drag.

Brad