Flounder Tips Reviewed

[Missed Again]

Couple of months ago there was a good thread on Flounder fishing. I think we'd enjoy reviewing it again. Let's review it.


When a flounder picks up your line, you will feel the line being slowly pulled, give the flounder line so it doesn't feel the weight of the sinker. This is the hard part, don't set the hook instantly, and give the fish time to get your bait into its mouth real good. A count of twenty to thirty is usually long enough. Then take up the slack in the line and set the hook. Do it as if you were worm fishing for Bass. This is esp. effective on light tackle.

Flounder are likely to spread out over a wide area but like to sit and wait for an opportunity to pounce on something to eat. On a falling tide Rather than anchoring drift around the mouths of inlets, rivers, and the edges of channels. On rising tides work the pilings around piers and docks by drifting past them as well.

When fishing for Flounder with hook and line many anglers prefer using a jig with a plastic tail that resembles a shrimp or minnow. Live or cut bait can also be utilized with a jig head, as can an effective additive such as the new "Gulp" or "Fish bites" products. Using a Carolina type rig works well when drift fishing or casting. Some anglers prefer a slip sinker rig when using live shrimp or baitfish. When using the slip sinker rig cast your bait and let it sit on the bottom for a couple minutes. If you don't detect a pickup lift the rod tip and let it sit again.
Menhaden oil mixed with mineral oil to sweeten soft grubs. Use a hypodermic needle to inject them right after putting them on the hook. A drop on a fly doesn't hurt.

Where legal to gather shrimp for bait, poke holes in dog food cans to attract them. One can also use fishmeal rolled up with clay as "chum." Wait a while and toss the cast net

When flounder fishing with live bait remember that the fish will be keying on the most abundant species of bait. While they feed mainly on minnows and small fish they will take advantage of shrimp runs also. At the start the year use mud minnows as the small schools of baby menhaden become common. In the late Summer and early Fall switch to finger mullet and increase the size of the baits. Strip baits made from flounder bellies will suffice if you need a couple of extra baits to finish out. Just make sure you leave the head and tail intact so the fish can be measured should the need arise.

When fishing for flounder or sea trout using artificial lures with soft-plastic tails and jig heads as hooks, try to use contrasting-colors. For instance, if you have a light-colored lure, try using a red jig head. If your lure is dark-colored, use a white jig head. Contrasting colors draw more attention to your lure. Experiment with different combo's till you find the right one for the conditions. Tie your jig head onto the line directly, don't use a swivel. Make sure you put the plastics on with the hook showing on top of the bait (so belly down, as the jig head is designed to travel hook point on top). This cuts down on snags and makes the lure travel more natural.

When the cold weather first sets in, you'll find the flounder up in the mud bottom areas before they leave the sound all together. The mud stayed warm longer than the sandy bottom. You'll find mud bottoms near land - in the land based creeks and in areas where the estuaries feed into the sound.

If when you have live bait out on the bottom, you get distracted and leave the rod alone for a little while. When this happens, when returning to the rod always lightly tighten any slack that may be in the line, then give the line a quick short tug to set the hook. Set the hook you say?....right, just as if you felt a hit on your line. Sometimes a flounder will pick up that fish while you aren't paying attention and if you just start to real the line in, he'll spit the bait out.

An important one tip, after catching a flounder roll him in HOUSE-AUTRY seafood breader then pitch him into some hot grease about 350 deg. Along with aA little lemon juice and maybe some hushpuppies. Now this is the best flounder tip you'll ever get!!!

Just remember not to set the hook too hard. Be gentle. They don't have tender mouths, but the way they eat the baitfish, sometimes you can snatch the hook right out.

When filleting, split the fish pretty much down the lateral line first. Then cut across the tail top to bottom, and the head the same way. You go back to the lateral line cut, and fillet the meat right off. Start at the head, hold the meat in one hand and run your knife across the bone and the meat will come right off. You will get two fillets off of each side of the fish. You do each side the same way. You should be able to see through the fish when you are done. With a sharp knife it can done in about a minute to a minute and a half. Once the flounder reaches five pounds and up, it is also best to skin the fillets if you are going to fry the fish. You don't scale the fish if you are going to skin it. Again you need a sharp knife. Flip the fillet skin down. Start your knife at the tail end of the fillet, and work it to the head end. It is very easy once you do it a couple times. It is the same way you would do drum, grouper, Spanish, etc. You start the knife between the skin and meat. Grab the skin where you started, and pull the skin while you work the knife the other way. When done properly, there will not be any meat on the skin.

I have had some luck in finding an area that looks good then baiting it with canned corn then coming back at next tide change and catching good #s of flat fish. Use whole kernel corn. It gets the real birds going too.

Scaling cut bait makes it disperses scent into the water better.

There was also some discussion about fishmeal/boanmeal and menhaden oil used for chumming balls. Would the ones talking about that give us a review.