During this time of the year, the flounder bite should be at its peak. Thanks to cooler water and air temperatures, large “door mat” sized flounder will be in search of an easy meal. Flounder are not very picky when it comes to feeding. They can be caught with a wide variety of natural or artificial baits such as bright colored jerk baits that typically have a paddle tail. Flounder will also aggressively feed on baits such as live mud minnows, live finger mullet, live or frozen shrimp, or cut bait. One of my favorite ways to catch them is on spinning gear which consists of a 7’ medium action spinning reel combo equipped with 20-pound test braided line and 15-pound test mono leader. Flounder are ambush predators that feed primarily by sight. When targeting them I prefer to periodically bump or jig the bait across the bottom to make it more visible. According to the FWC, flounder have a minimum size limit of 12” total length and have a daily bag limit of 10 per harvester per day.
Now is a good time to catch a few nice redfish and black drum. Baits such as live shrimp, cut baits (mullet or lady fish) scented jerk baits, or even gold spoons will receive plenty of action from a hungry redfish in search of an easy meal. When using shrimp or cut baits, anglers will want to concentrate their efforts near channel drop offs, mangrove islands, or boat docks. For those who enjoy casting artificial lures your approach will be a little different. Rigging spoons or soft plastic baits such as Bass Assassin’s 4” Sea Shad Combo (salt and pepper) will be a good way to increase your chances of bringing a fish boat side. During this time of year many of these reds will measure within the legal slot size of 18 to 27 inches. Tight lines and Merry Christmas!
