Thump! There is no sensation more exciting in inland sportfishing than feeling the signature “thump” of a flounder strike. It is what leads me and thousands of others to pursue these fascinating fish that are headed toward their peak season just about now.
The fall flounder run is the migration of flounder from the bays into the Gulf of Mexico to spawn. During this period the fish are hungry, mobile and often congregated in large numbers offering anglers a high percentage shot at success. The following four tips will help you score on fall flounder even when others fail. Shrimp Cocktail The basic flounder-fishing rig is called the “Carolina Rig” or “Fish Finder”.
It consists of an egg weight rigged above a swivel attached to a leader, which usually measures 12-18 inches and finished off with a hook and it is usually baited with a mud minnow or finger mullet. A few years ago I watched a man absolutely smoke me using large live shrimp on a modified Carolina Rig.
He had a wide gap hook with a 1/8-oz split shot rigged above it and he pitched into the current toward a point allowing the current to push it into the key bite zone. The key to this seems to be the rig. The flounder do not seem to want the shrimp if it is on a heavy Carolina rig but cannot resist the free-swimming action of this setup. Fish The Lizards In early fall when tides are running high flounder gather on shorelines especially those near large bayous and canals. Attacking vast shorelines would be a waste of time and end up in frustration so you have got to have a strategy.
Instead of looking over eight miles of shoreline, narrow your search down to an eighth of a mile. You must eliminate water to successfully bag spring flounder. The first step I take while eliminating is to once again look for a shoreline that has stands of roseau cane. Roseau cane has an intricate system that is somewhat like a smaller version of mangrove and it gives menhaden a place to linger, hide and dodge larger predators.
It is best to fish these areas during the first couple of hours of a falling tide. As the water recedes, the menhaden removed from their cover and the predator/prey dynamic begins. There is something about menhaden they cannot resist and the angler that learns this will usually catch the most flounder. While fishing in the Sabine River near the Dupont Outfall Canal north of Sabine Lake I noticed a big alligator with half of its body out of the water, inches from the rocks and facing the bank. It would strike at the water every once in a while and then move on.
At the same time there were fish busting the millions (and I do mean millions) of tiny shad that covered the Sabine’s shorelines. In the past, other anglers and I have noticed when gators act this way and there are fishing busting on the tiny shad right on the rocks flounder are on the move. Egrets and herons are another indicator, especially when they are feeding just a few feet away from the alligators with seemingly no fear and the big lizards are paying them no attention.
Drop Shot The drop shot rig is popular with bass fishermen and in my opinion it is the most underutilized of all rigs for saltwater, especially with flounder. A drop shot rig consists of line attached to a small round sinker that sits on the bottom with a hook suspended above it. I prefer mine about six inches about the weight. Spinning gear is perfect for vertical fishing and using a drop shot over some of the suspended rocks at the edge of the jetties, around boat cuts and in the mouths of deep bayou cuts is a great way to find flounder in fall.
A great setup would be a spinning reel rigged on a 7 foot 6-inch rod. I recoomend 30-pound braided line which with most brands is about 10-pound diameter and set the drop shot rig on a 30-pounder fluorocarbon leader.
I prefer using Gulp! Swimming Mullet as a bit but the Gulp! Shrimp is also highly effective. The drop shot can be dragged slowly across the bottom like a Carolina rig but is best used fishing vertically when flounder are in deeper water. Just lower the lure and move it up and down slowly. Very slowly. Keep your finger on the line to help you feel any bite. Vertical fishing for flounder feels awkward but there are lots of fish in deeper areas than the shorelines we typically fish. The drop shot rig will allow you to effectively fish these spots.
Chester Moore