A lot of anglers think fishing for flounder is a fall-only event. A little less known is the fact that flounder begin moving back into bays and estuaries in the spring as early as February. That’s right, if you didn’t get your full-flung flatfish fix, you may already be wasting time.
The spring runs are much more subdued than the fall runs. Flounder begin slowly moving into the bays from passes and cuts, and they slowly spread across the entire bay system. Flounder will migrate into bays as late as May, so it can be a long drawn out process, but they are there. There is also the chance of catching a few resident fish that did not leave at all.
Focus on areas closer to Gulf and Atlantic inlets or the flats immediately adjacent to them and match the hatch with small lures as much as possible. They are after small shad, menhaden, glass minnows and juvenile shrimp coming into the bays at the same time as they are.
Fishing for flounder in the spring is also a great way to save the day when the winds of March are howling and the open bays are all but off limits. Calm protected shorelines, small cuts into the nearest marsh and other similar areas will become areas to target as the season progresses.
By Tobin Strickland
Tobin created TroutSupport.com – Tech Support for Speckled Trout and Redfish.