this goes back to an earlier post wherein we briefly discussed the gut contents of large (>20in) flounder as it related to their consumption of pinfish. caught this one today on a 5" haden:
her stomach was empty, as was the largest one i’ve caught this year (on live scrimp):
the fish next to the big one was 2lbs and had a 6" menhaden in her stomach, and went after the little scrimp all the same.
i prefer to fish with scrimps, but after being plagued by baby redfish and croaker this afternoon, i switched to big bait and was rewarded… with this:
old bay, egg, panko, then oil. with mushroom rice pilaf and grilled squash and zucchini… just so there’s no guessing about what’s in my stomach.
so, large flounder are constantly hungry… or at least they’re hungry when i am
Nice fish and dinner! I caught a 20" flatty last December with a 10" trout in its belly
Its crazy that it was still going after my offering with that stuck in its throat!
You put a 4/0 circle hook on that blue plate and chum some Bud Light I GUARANTEE you’ll catch a Vinman! LOL! Great fish (and feast!)! You’ve been a floundra master this year!
Opti, cool pic. Gross, but cool. Come December, anything that can get et, will get et! I miss winter already! Wonder what he hoped to do with your offering!
Vinman
19.5 Triumph, 115 HP Honda
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
That would be a hell of a story to tell a game warden. “I swear that 10 inch trout was not in the cooler (full of empty beer cans) when I threw that flounder in there two seconds ago.”
cool pix, dave! their gut cavities are so small, but i’ve seen 1lb mullet bent around in a circle inside 4lb fish! mummichog, that was my first thought too!
these all came from the harbor in less than 3’ of water- the double was june 1. i float fish because i’ve done it a long time, i’m stubborn, and i lose fewer rigs- 3" cigar/peg, 15lb powerpro, uni-to-uni to 20lb fluoro, enough split shot to stand the cork, and a #1 or 1/0 owner J. whole rig costs far less than one equalizer… and until finances change, that matters to me!
barbawang…you metioned the fish next to the “big one” was 2 lbs…I’m just a little curious about the other fish!!!..How big was he???..around 25-26 inches and 6 lbs??..lol…at least that’s what it looks like…MAN…that thing is HUGE!!!..
Your finished product looks yummy too!!!..thanks for sharing…the report that is!!..
livin life one day at a time!!!
2006 Seafox172
05 Mercury90hp(saltwater)
Nice Flounda! I caught 1 in the harbor the other week that had a pin fish stuck in its throat and looked just like the trout pic. I also like to fish with a float in about 4 ft of water using a 3ft leader. it might not catch as much fish but all the hang-ups with slow rolling on the bottom gets old to me.
When I clean the flounder I have been noticing an absense of food in their bellies. Do flounder throw-up when caught in a futile effort to spit the hook??
i agree, skeep- believe they do throw up when hooked sometimes, have heard others say the same. makes sense they might when convulsing and doing that caterpillar back-to-front shaking motion.
“no, tournament weighmaster, those egg sinkers aren’t mine… he threw them up, so i put them back in.”
amazed by how aggressive they can be- i caught a 16" less than two weeks ago that i had seen blow up a school of finger mullet in 2’ deep, so i put the float and scrimp in the right spot, and the fish came off the bottom again to eat the scrimp, figured it might as well go for a double, and tried to eat my float before i could even get the line tight. have the tooth marks to prove it.
bugs, the pix make them look bigger, but thanks for the benefit of the doubt first pic is 22" and pushing 4lbs, big one in second shot was 4lb 6oz and 23.5"… i’ve assisted in landing a 7.5lb gulf and a 6.5lb southern, both of them put these to shame. few things can beat fresh fried flounder… few things my boat can reach, at least.
oh yeah, the big fish was under my rod tip in 1’ deep when she hit, so i horsed her immediately onto shore where the hook popped out. got a couple good cuts preventing escape, but can confirm that she didn’t have time to blow cookies/trout/pinfish before landing- she really was just hungry.
