Flounder Run Cancelled? Warm Weather to Blame?

Has the fall “flounder run” been cancelled?

Has the unusually warm weather short-circuited what is typically the best flounder fishing of the year?

The answer is no and yes.

The “run” is not canceled but the weather has changed things a bit. We have yet to experience the strong Arctic cold front that will get the fish morning in a big way.

People often use the term run in fishing to note that the fish are biting. When someone says the “bass are running” they mean they are biting or there has been a solid period of fishing action.

“Run” however actually denotes a period of migration in relation to a spawn.

Salmon “run” upstream to spawn and then die. White bass annually move into certain areas of the river to spawn. The fall flounder “run” is an event tied to their migration to the Gulf. Cold fronts that drain the marsh trigger it. There are fish trickling into the Gulf now and that will continue but one big cold front should send a large number out through the passes.

These migrations tied to breeding periods congregate many fish in an area and since there is intense activity the flounder feed aggressively.

Try these tips to catch flounder as we await mass migration.

Big flounder can eat bigger fish than smaller ones but they often do not. Unlike speckled trout, which start seeking out bigger baitfish than their smaller counterparts do, flounder are opportunists that eat what is presented them and typically just keeping eating more of the same size prey.

The biggest flounder tend to hang out in close proximity to deep water. Target a large percentage of efforts toward deep-water access points in ship channels and in areas where passes and channels intersect with bays. This is true not only now but year-round.