I hardly ever hear Charleston people talk about flounder fishing on the rod and reel? how is the flounder bite down your way? and before you say it I know, I know, " its horrible stay where your at" !!! lol
My experience is that most people don’t fish slow enough with artificials to feel the bite. We have some flounder but most of the time folks catch them by chance. I have a couple of spots that hold flounder and seem to do best starting in May and June. Lots of smaller fish the past few years. Caught three keepers inshore two weeks ago. That’s pretty rare for this time of year. Shows you how warm the water has been. I fish on backsides of oyster rakes, docks, and the outflow of creeks to catch most of mine. I like to eat all kind of fish but my favorites are probably flounder in the salt and crappie in the fresh. Would like to take a trip up around Oak Island NC–I hear they are plenty of big ones up there.
Had not been following the site as close as I usually do but, I’m learning how to catch flounders and I’ve had good success thus far. I catch a one or two at times. Like I said I’m a novice at this. I have gotten lucky at times. I realized I was missing quite a few fish thinking they were trouts and accidentally caught a flounder. I changed rods to a light/medium action and strictly fish for flounders and I’m learning the flounder bite and work them gently and patiently. I’ll send a photo or two later
“Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education”
18’ CC SeaFox
So, being as I’ve never caught a flounder, I guess I’m a flounder virgin. I’ve heard they are tough to catch and their bite feels different…So what should I be looking / feeling for ?
2003 Key West 1720 Sportsman
2015 Ocean Kayak BG2
The feel is dead weight. Like you got hung up on a boot. You think to your self “did I just snag a boot”? Then count to ten. Then the boot starts to move, or maybe a tap. You think to yourself “hey, maybe it’s a Flounder”? Count to ten, then set the hook#128521;
Fatrat has obviously dialed in on the flatties! When I catch them, it is by accident and as stated, it doesn’t feel anything like a trout or red. A bid one will feel like you’ve caught a board. When I catch them, I am usually bumping a mud minnow on a jighead along the bottom though I have caught them on artificials doing the same and have caught one or two on trout tricks.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
When I get a bite near the shoreline, I flip the bail, lightly tighten the line and see how fast the line is moving. If it’s running, I’ll keep pressure on the line then jerk it hard after about 8 to 10 seconds. Red, Trout or flounder, it’s hooked! Trying to get only flounder is a waste of time, I fish for all three and see what shakes out. I usually end up with a few flounder this way.
I’ve caught a few flounder…but mostly in NC. I use a chicken rig with two mud minnows. Or I’ll sometimes use a blood worm and a mm. I usually drift along docks and just wait. Once the rod tip bends a little I just wait. If I think it’s a flounder, I wait some more. I have learned to never try to set the hook. My pops used to say that once you feel the fish, smoke a cigarette before reeling him up. They do feel like you’re reeling up a wet tshirt so watch for the line to move side to side.
Carolina Skiff 17
50 Yamaha
Guys check out this video on flounder fishing by John Skinner,
he is the Man when it comes to flounder he put a camera on his rig to watch the fish bite and openly shares his knowledge.
I was always told to count to 10 as many of you were but he says not to wait and you can see why on the video, flounder are ferouches and will swim with your bait completely swallowed and if you don’t set the hook they’ll spit it out and you’ll never know they were there.
if this link doesn’t work go to youtube and flounder john skinner.
Jeff
That is amazing how they spit it out. I have fished where he is for years and slayed the flounder/fluke.
Not so much here, might be the bottom, might just be smarter fish! Thanks for that video.
Wow, that was a cool video. Thanks.
I’ve always done ok with flounder, surprisingly. And I’d say %90 of mine were on those Berkeley big gulps.
2002 17’SeaHunt
I don’t know a flounder that won’t gulp a killifish:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_killifish
You gots to go catch them in the surf with a cast net…never tried a minnow trap…
You catch some flounders Fat Rat…best eating fish in the ocean IMO.
That is a really killer video. A lot to learn there for sure. Has anyone ever tried an underwater camera in our waters? I’ve always assumed our water is too stained to see much. Wonder how it would compare to those videos (which are up north maybe? not sure.).
For years I thought the only way to catcha flounder was trolling mudminnows. We held the rod and if it went down we set the hook. The vast majority of hits we hooked. We didn’t wait. You got one now and then that bit the minnow in half and missed the hook but, not to many. We always fished a wide gap jig hook or kayle style hook usually on a tandem rig. It’s kind of like fleeing from wasp or yellow jackets - it’s an instinct thing. Hit = hook set.
I have since got more into fishing artificials and the same deal. We fish structure slow and feel a hit and I set the hook. A lot of hits may be lite but, some slam it. On crank baits - spinner baits - bucktails - jigs/soft plastics - jigs tiped with minnows. We usually are meat fishing so any of the inshore slam trio that hits is welcome.
J Ford
Fatrat you’re not a novice
Cool Video!
I’ve seen that video before & it says a lot about them. I’ve never found them to be hard to catch, no more or less than any other fish, but can be more difficult to locate if you want to target them specifically. IMO smoakin has the right idea about the best types of places to check. Like others have said, if you’re going to go looking for Flounder, you should be also looking for other fish too. Generally, they’ll all take similar baits or lures , just in different places in the water column.
Last time I was at Pawley’s we caught several legal size, all on baitfish from our cast nets, and both live or dead produced. I use a single hook bottom rig when fishing like that & like the hooks with a few beads & a spinner best.
I rarely, if ever, “target” any one specific type of fish. We simply go fishing. Every flounder I have ever caught has come while simply fishing. I throw artificials 99.99% of the time, all year long and I’ve caught flounder on bottom bouncing baits and moving baits higher in the water column. I’ve seen them bust topwater baits in shallow water. Fishing can be frustrating as it is. I wouldn’t want to further stack the deck against me by pursuing only one specific type of fish. I’m an equal opportunity fish mouth-piercer specialist. Lol!
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.
Looking at the video there are no short strikes or need for the 10 count I was always told to do. if you feel a bump set the hook.
they literally swallowed the whole thing on the first contact.
from past experience in other waters I would think the edge of the shipping channel and the deep water of the anchorage in the harbor would be great starting points but never see anybody fishing the harbor deep.
jeff
Buddy caught his second doormat of the year this past weekend. They are here get out and get after’em and post some pics!