Flounder Fishing - How to Catch Flounder

Flounder Fishing - How to Catch Flounder

Any freshwater or light saltwater tackle and line is good. Try using a 10-12-foot surf spinning rod with a two-handed grip. Saltwater spinning reels are most popular, wound with 200-250 yards of 15-20 lb. monofilament line.

Bait & Rigging

Flounder Bait: Pile worms, blood worms, mussels, grass shrimp, mud shrimp or ghost shrimp.

BASIC SURF RIG

At the top of almost every inshore angler list is the flounder. A collection of three main species, flounder are perhaps the finest table fare found in the estuaries and lagoons of our Florida coasts. Here, we summarize everything you need to know about catching flounder.

You can find flounder year-round; you just must know where to look during each season. In general, during spring, summer, and early fall, flounders spend most of their time dispersed throughout the estuaries. Late fall throughout winter is termed the “flounder run,” as this is when the fish all travel downstream to the inlets, to aggregate together before heading offshore to spawn. This usually occurs after the first major cold front in the fall.

Where to Catch Them

When the fish are inshore, they can be caught in a wide variety of habitat types. In all cases, the fish will be buried slightly below the sand or mud, waiting to ambush prey. They like to sit near structures such as oyster reefs, sandbars, channel edges, and the pilings of docks, bridges, and piers. During the fall flounder run, the fish can be found aggregated in the inlets, and can be caught along the jetties of the inlets throughout the winter.

The tackle you use for flounders should be as light as it can be. A good starting point is a light or medium reel capable of 10-to-12-pound test braid of fluorocarbon line, tied to a 20- pound fluorocarbon leader. The rod chosen should be a light, sensitive model. The reason for this is simple – you want to have greater sensitivity for feeling the bites. Often, flounders will not swallow the bait whole and run like many other fish. Instead, they only grab the bait, leaving it sort of halfway out of its mouth. This first bite can feel like just a small tap and is likely missed often by anglers with too heavy gear. It’s important to not miss this tap, as after you feel it, you want to wait about 5-to-10 seconds before setting the hook.

·         Spinning Tackle for Flounder

·         Spinning tackle is easy to use and can be used in all situations for catching flounders. It is especially effective when baits need to be pitched under mangrove branches or under docks, where the ease of use makes getting the perfect cast simple. Spinning tackle is also very good for fishing the more open areas such as sandbars, so that the drag system can be fully utilized to tire the fish quickly.

·         Baitcasting Tackle for Flounder

·         Baitcasting tackle has several benefits over spinning tackle when it comes to flounder but is not as magnified as for other species. For one, you will get more leverage for pulling the fish out from structures; however, this is only useful for the largest flounders, since they’re not the strongest fighters in the sea. The other benefit is that you can get a farther cast, which can help with covering more ground.

Best Bait for Flounder

Flounders eat a wide variety of fish and crustaceans, but there are some baits that seem to work better than others when on the end of a hook. The hands-down best bait is a mud minnow, properly known as the Mummichog.

These small “minnows” are very common throughout estuaries and the muddy backwaters feeding into them. The other baits that work very well include finger mullet and shrimp, followed by others such as sardines, menhaden, and pinfish.

Lures for Flounder

Flounder are a sit-and-wait ambush predator, so artificial lures are very effective at fooling them. Artificial lures can be very convenient for you as well, as there is so much casting and dragging involved in pursuing flounder that many times a natural bait (which is usually hooked through the lip) would need to be replaced every other cast.

The best lures for flounders are ones that mimic fish or shrimp and are either pre-weighted (such as the many D.O.A. lures), or can be pieced together using a jig head and either a fake shrimp or fish. Fish these lures the same way you would live bait – by dragging or gently bouncing the jig along the bottom.

Lures for Catching Flounder

Adult flounder eat a variety of estuarine fish, including anchovies, mullet, menhaden, croakers, pinfish, spot, and of course the mummichog (aka “mud minnow”). Essentially using any artificial lure that mimics one of these, or a similar, estuarine fish with plenty of weight to get to the bottom will produce a bite. Artificial shrimp baits, although not a major part of a flounder’s diet, do provide steady action as well.

Artificial Soft Bait Fish for Flounder

As was previously mentioned, stick with lures that look realistic. Many realistic artificial soft baits exist that have caught many a flounder. When using these types of lures, mimic the natural bait in the area when choosing which lure to use. The lures can be either free-tied to the end of a monofilament of fluorocarbon leader (if weighted inside), or easily rigged onto any live bait-rig used for catching flounder.

Artificial Shrimp for Flounder

Although shrimp are not a major component of an adult flounder’s diet, they still produce great action. Bounce or slowly drag the shrimp along the bottom where you think the fish may be and wait for the initial strike. This can be done alongside the oyster reefs, channel edge drop offs, bridges or piers. The great thing is that the weight is right there directly in front of or inside the bait, allowing great control of the bait.