Every fisherman has a catch that redefines his view of a particular species. A friend of mine, who wouldn’t give sunfish the time of day from March to December when the lakes are open and the weather is nice, went absolutely bonkers for bluegills the first time he caught one through the ice. I had a similar revelation with summer flounder. While I’d always enjoyed drifting bait rigs for them, I became a certified fluke fanatic the first time one of these fanged flatfish latched onto a bucktail jig I was bouncing on the bottom.
Every season more fishermen become interested in jigging for fluke, and naturally the first question they ask is, “What kind of jigs do I need?” For the past five years, the resounding answer has been the New-Jersey-based S&S Bucktails Rattletail.
Stanley Gola, Sr., first made the bucktails for himself and his son, owner of S&S Bucktails, Stanley Gola, Jr. The jigs proved to be deadly on Garden State fluke, and before long, S&S Bucktails were becoming the standard for jigging flatfish.
Making the bucktails rattle was Stanley Sr.’s doing. He believed the clicking of the rattle would call in the fish and help set S&S Bucktails apart from the other jigs.
Another aspect of the S&S Bucktails that helped win over the Northeast bottom-fishing fleet is the outstanding…
