The spring fishing season brings flounder into inshore waters, and anglers pursue them in many different ways. Quite a few traditional flounder fishermen are content to drift or troll the inlets dragging live bait on the bottom and letting the boat do the work for them. But for those anglers seeking larger flatfish, anchoring up and casting to structure is a better tactic.
Big flounder love to orientate themselves around hard structure inshore. Docks, bridges, piers, jetties, and oyster beds near marsh grass are great places to find them. These larger female fish are a bit lazier than their smaller male cousins and prefer to lie in wait around some sort of baitfish-attracting structure (like pilings or rocks) that will bring a steady flow of straggling small fish (mullet, pogies, spot, croaker, pinfish, etc) when the tide really starts moving either in or out.
Here are some tips for catching these larger flounder:
Anchor up and cast
Stop drifting around and anchor up near likely flounder spots. Work areas completely on moving tides using either live bait or scented soft baits. Cast into structure and let the tide do some of the work for you. Use short hops off the bottom and don’t be hesitant to crawl the bait or lure and use frequent pauses.
If you are using live bait you’ll need to give the flounder some time to take the bait. If you opt for lures set the hook immediately upon the strike.
What’s a good live bait rig?
A simple fishfinder rig will do best and hang up less. Thread an egg sinker onto your running line. Use as little weight as you can, but you must be one the bottom for flounder so anything between 1 to 3 ounces is possible depending on the current. 1 ounce is usually a good starting point.
After you thread on the sinker tie on a swivel. To the other end attach your leader. I use 20 or 25 lb mono line and never get bite-offs from flounder. Other anglers and guides prefer different leader material, though. Don’t use a leader too heavy and don’t use wire leader. After about 14 inches of leader tie on the hook, something like a 1/0 or 2/0 Kahle hook.
Hook mud minnows through the lips and finger mullet through the eye sockets. This rig works terrific with any of the other baitfish, plus small crabs or live shrimp.
Can I catch flounder on lures around structure?
You absolutely can, and it is one of the best ways. You can work faster and cover more territory by anchoring or using a trolling motor around docks and other structure and throwing lures.
Flounder love to hit today’s scented soft baits. Use a lead head jig of ΒΌ or 3/8 ounce depending on the current (jig head size varies based on how strong the tide is) and make sure you can make contact with the bottom. Then add the scented soft bait of your choice.
Gulp and Fishbites make great scented soft baits for flounder fishing. Remember to fish them slowly and keep the lure going back to the bottom. Most anglers like to hop the lures a little then let them pause as they fall back like a struggling baitfish. You can also use a slow, steady crawl. Flounder will really pounce on these scented baits as they rise up from around structure.
For more fishing tips and articles see my blog A Dash of Salty and my website Surf and Salt