FLOUNDER FISHING


Locating them is the trick and that requires a little looking. Water temperature and currents are key factors in locating flounder. They like to bury up in the sand or mud in a current. Larger fish look for deeper structure, or just deeper water.

Just because the water temperature is rising doesn’t mean they will all leave for cooler water. I find good size flounder in the shallower water at the mouths of inlets and creeks, and even on the flats during the summer months.

I look for drop offs where they hang out just over the edge and wait for something to swim by in the current. You may also look for jetties, channels, bridges or anything that will create a current.

In the spring flounder seem to like out going tides that move bait out with the warm water. Later in the summer they find the cooler incoming tides to their liking, almost always with an ambush point in the current.

The bait changes as the season progresses. In the spring the smaller baitfish (match the hatch) is what they are used to. In the summer they will be looking for larger finger mullet and menhaden.

When using cut bait try to cut it about five inches long, one inch wide and tapered to a point.

Flounder hit artificial baits too. I’ve caught lots of flounder on red ¼ oz. jigs with a shad tail electric chicken. I know several guys who swear by a red ¼ oz. jig with a white grub about four inches long.

Presentation is very important because flounder are sight feeders. When still fishing in shallower water (to 16’), anchored, I set up a casting pattern. I will start by locating a landmark and cast toward it. My next cast will be about 10 degrees to one side of the last cast and go in a complete circle. I find this is the best way to cover the target area. If I catch more than one fish I will make the circle again before I move the boat just down and following the ledge.


Your retrieve should be a slow bounce across the bottom. When the flounder takes the bait he will grab it, and then situate it in his mouth in order to swallow it. At first the bite may feel like a snag on the bottom. When you first feel the bite, stop your retrieve and let him take it well in his mouth. The amount of time you let him have the bait is a matter of figuring it out each day. An old timer once told me, “A flounder bites the hook three times before he has a good grip on it. One day he’ll swallow it whole, and the next day he’ll jess poke around and take all day”. In any case the amount of time you allow him to have the bait is brief.
Common rig for live bait is constructed as follows. Tie your main line to a three way swivel, then, tie on a 12 to 24 inch, 20 to 30 pound leader with a wide gap hook. (If you have patience, and you use a little finesse, a circle hook will work.) Tie to your swivel a line holding a bank sinker with enough weight to keep your bait on the bottom. Don’t make your sinker line too long as it will foul your line when you cast.
Another rig is similar to the fish finder. Run your main line thru an egg sinker and attach it to a barrel, or snap swivel, to this a leader line with a hook or jig is attached. This rig lets the flounder swim away with little resistance. He will be taking the bait deeper in his mouth as he swims away.
The rod and reel you use should be the one you feel most comfortable with. Remember, when drift fishing you must to be ready to let the fish have line in order to get the bait in his mouth. A baitcaster will allow you to control the line with your thumb as your boat moves over drop offs, and will allow you to release line to the fish at the strike. Spinning reels are good for casting from boats, docks, bridges, or the beach.
The strike, as I mentioned earlier is like snagging your bait in the grass. With a little practice you will learn the difference. Once you turn him and get him moving in your direction it will feel like grass hung on your line until he sees the boat or realizes he has been hooked, at that point you will have a good tug depending on his size. I had a flounder break a twenty pound rod when he saw the boat and the new 20 pound braided line was short lived too. That is no fish tale, it happened one night on Lake Powell in north Florida.
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IMPROVING THE BAIT

Met a fisherman that limited out Flounder fishing. He was using a gulp on a jig head with a skinned piece of Lizardfish. It was cut in a long triangle and hooked on the big end. Worked it on the bottom . Biggest one was 18 1/2 inches.

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HOW FAST SHOULD I WORK MY LURE?
 
Working your lure:
That sounds hard to figure out but it isn’t too hard. The first thing you need to consider is what kind of lure you are using. If you are using an imitation of a crab you would just let it sit on the bottom and make it crawl slowly. If you are using an imitation shrimp, let it rest on the bottom for a few seconds then you can make it crawl by cranking if very slowly, or make it hop by giving it a short gentle pull. Think about how that shrimp or crab acts when it eats.
If your lure is an imitation of a baitfish like a mullet then you would use a quicker retrieve. Think of how a baitfish looks when it is swimming around or wounded. Try to make your lure act like baitfish do in real life. Water temperature makes a difference in how you work your lure. When the water is cold fish move slower, and so should your lure. When the water is warm retrieve your lure faster.
Target fish:
We fish mostly in salt water so I will talk about those kinds of fish in this article.
Snook: I like to fish a topwater lure worked really fast, when I know they are eating baitfish.
Tarpon: Just let your lure sink with a gentle twitch. Be ready for a hard fight if you are lucky enough to hook one.
Redfish: If you’re using crab let it sit and then crawl it on the bottom. Some time redfish like to hit topwater lures retrieved very fast, it just depends on the conditions.
Trout: These are easer to catch and are more plentiful. Trout like a slow even retrieve with a rest every now and then.
Bluefish, mackerel, jacks, ladyfish: All these fish like a fast retrieve.
All of these fish can give a good fight, so hang on.
Pretend to be the bait.
When you hook a fish, don’t abuse it. If you don’t want to, or can’t keep the fish, it might not survive the fight. When releasing fish try not to keep it out of the water too long, and don’t handle it any more than you have to. Try to get the hook out with out hurting it’s mouth gently. If a fish swallows the hook just cut the line as closely as you can and release it gently. Much of the time a hook will dissolve or the fish will spit it up.

Saltwater fish have teeth, and I wouldn’t kiss them like some of those guys do on TV.

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USING THE WIND
12-07-07

Learn to use the wind to your advantage; you can reduce hull noise and fatigue. By using the wind you can increase your casting distance and cover much more water.

Calm to light & variable

When the wind is calm and direction is not a factor, always position the sun to your back. This allows you to pole slowly with maximum boat control and you can sight-fish with minimal glare on the water.

In calm conditions you will be able to use both heavy (plugs/spoons) and light weight (plastic) baits. Your options allow you to target more kinds of fish, and use different techniques.

Breezy Days

Keep the wind at your back regardless of the sun's position, for several reasons but primarily for stealth.

With the wind to your back and or stern, that way you will not have as much of that hull-slap sound that gives away your presence. This is especially important on a catamaran style boat, as the slap between the hulls is greater than that on a monohull boat.

Poling or crabbing your boat downwind is always easier, and you can still throw both heavy and light baits easily. I fish from a catamaran and I have found that catamarans seem to crab with the wind no matter what you do.
I think crabbing your boat is an advantage when two are fishing, because you can fish easily from both ends of the boat.

The major drawback of drift fishing on breezy days is boat control, as it is harder to stop the boats drift. You can sometimes ease the anchor out, but a power-poll is best if you can afford one.
When the drift is too fast, you might want to use a small sea anchor to slow your drift. This will also keep the stern of the boat in the wind. I will sometimes put a five gallon bucket off the stern tied to a 15 ft. dock line if I am in deep enough water. Don’t drag anything but a lure over a grass flat.

When you o nly have upwind access to the fishing hole.

Use your heavier baits like top water plugs, larger spoons, or any bait that helps you cast more distance into the wind.

Use a longer push-pole that you can keep in the water without lifting as often, and it can also give you more control of your boat.

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Tips on releasing redfish
12-07-07

Don't land a big redfish, if you know they are out of the slot keep them in the water. If possible, get in the water for your photographs and don't lift the fish totally out of the water. A big redfish has a lot of weight in the internal organs; keeping them in the water helps them survive. When water temperatures get in the mid 80's and above... anglers need to take more precautions to insure that the fish survive.
1. Grab their tails and move slowly back and forth until the fish is motivated to swim on their own. This could take some time for larger fish in warm water.
2. Keep handling to the minimum. Try to not rub the slime off the fish, it protects them.
3. If possible, use higher pound test in warmer water to shorten the fight-time.
4. Don't stick your hands in their gills.
5. If the hook is in the throat of the fish or "gut hooked", cut the line and don't play doctor. (Don't use Stainless Steel hooks, and always try to use circle hooks).

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