By Capt. Mike Smith, Fish Your Ass Off Charters
Do you want to catch more flounder? You will need to find an area with current, bait and structure for the flounder to ambush its prey.
Where Are They?
Flounder are very prevalent in creek mouths, jetties, sandy points, oyster bars, docks and any other underwater structures. The flounder will take advantage of the structures to block the current, saving them energy and bringing bait right to their gluttonous mouths.
Flounder are the perfect ambush predator. They like to bury in the sand adjacent to structures of some kind facing directly into the current. Your lure presentations always need to come from up current or you will spook them.
What Do They Eat?
Flounder love to eat unsuspecting shrimp and fish brought to them by the current. The best lures to catch flounder are scented shrimp and baitfish imitations.
The best colors of lures to use for flounder are any color as long as it is white. White is by far the best color of lure to catch flounder. Do other colors work? Yes, if you want to catch fewer flounders, then use something other than white.
The best lures that I have found for flounder are Gulp! Shrimp and swimming mullets on a jig head. Start small and go bigger if you notice the bait in the area is large. Having an assortment from 3 to 5 inches will usually be perfect.
A great second choice for a flounder lure is a white bucktail jig. Add a small piece of shrimp to add odor for best results.
How Do You Catch a Flounder?
Flounder have a very small cone of awareness. They are very unlikely to notice and chase a lure that is more than 3 or 4 feet away from them.
They also have a very small strike zone. They are very hesitant to rise more than 18 inches off of the bottom to eat your lures.
Let’s say you found a beautiful oyster point at the mouth of a creek with plenty of current and bait flowing around it. This scenario is perfect for catching a flounder.
Cast up current and work the lure on the bottom very slowly in 1 to 3 feet of water. When you think you hooked an oyster, set the hook. Flounder strikes are subtle and often feel like a hang up.
It is very hard to work your lure too slowly for a flounder. Old timers will tell you to just drag it on the bottom. I personally like to bounce my lures off the bottom being careful to not lift it more than 18 inches into the water column.
Pro Tip: Use braided line and fluorocarbon leaders when fishing for flounder. Fluoro sinks and helps you present your lures more effectively on the bottom. Braid doesn’t stretch and will help you feel a flounder’s very subtle bites.
If you want to become an official flounder pounder, then follow the tips above and catch more flatties. Go get ’em!
Capt. Mike Smith, owner of Fish Your Ass Off Charters, is an inshore fishing guide who has been fishing the inshore waters, oyster bars and grass flats of Florida for more than 40 years. Reach him at (561) 339-2317, email: contact@fishyourassoff.com or visit fishyourassoff.com.
