Saltwater

Finding Flounder With Your Eyes

Flounder Shades

Greetings fellow flounder fanatics!

For many years I went without wearing premium sunglasses. I would either buy a $9.95 pair or not wear shades at all.
Several years back my cousin Frank Moore and I were fishing one of the short rigs out of Sabine Pass and as we pull up he yelled, “Look at that HUGE school of sheepshead!”
“What school? I only see two,” I replied.
“Take those cheap shades off and put these on,” he said.
As I slide the shades on I looked onto the water and saw several hundred sheepshead in one big bunch about 50 yards on the down-current side of the rig. From then on I was big believer in premium polarized shades.
They are extremely important in flounder fishing, particularly during the spring when the baitfish is small. For the last couple of years I have been using wearing Costa shades with the 580 lenses, which are simply amazing and have become crucial in my quest to catch flounder and other fish. There have been many, many days where I would have caught few if any fish if I did not have them on.
I recently tested out their Fantail design in the 580 lenses and was super impressed with them. I am blessed to be able to try these shades out because of my position as and outdoors communicator but I would not wear them or write about them if they were not worth of mention.
As flounder anglers we often ignore visual clues because they are bottom fish. However, I have found that by noticing very subtle changes in water clarity, the presence of small baitfish, eddies and even flounder themselves I have been able to catch many more fish than I would have otherwise. A prime example is that yesterday I was able to see a plume of murky water coming in the area we were fishing that was virtually invisible (due to the super strong wind) without polarization. I know because I pulled my shades off to see the difference.
This does not mean you should bust your budget and go buy the most expensive pair of shades you can find but I do recommend making an investment in your fishing eyewear. Search the Internet and your friends about shades that are in your budget whether its $50 or $250. You might be able to find some that don’t hurt your wallet and will not only help you find more fish but protect your eyes in the process. Do make sure they are polarized which is the process that allows you to see beyond the water’s glare.
Paying attention to visual clues has made a gigantic difference in my success as a flounder angler and I know it can do the same for you. The Lord gave us five senses and all of them can make a difference in our quest to catch flounder.
Chester Moore, Jr.

TFG Editorial

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