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Similar Fish:
southern flounder, P. lethostigma (no eye-like spots; color
pattern is key to distinguishing the two species)
Description
All flatfishes, including the southern
flounder, are compressed laterally and spend most of their life
lying and swimming along the bottom on their side. In the case of
southern flounder, the left side is always the "up" side; in other
species, the opposite is true. Small flounder grow rapidly and may
reach 12 inches in length by the end of their first year. Males
seldom exceed 12 inches, but females grow larger than males and
often reach a length of 25 inches.
Where Found
Although flounder can be taken by rod
and reel in almost any portion of the bay, it is more often
productive to fish around jetties or oyster reefs that extend from
shore into the bay. Flounder do not swim continuously so they tend
to accumulate in such places in their search for food. During the
fall, when flounder are moving to the Gulf for spawning, the best
catches are made in the channels and passes leading to the Gulf.
During the spring, wading anglers work the edges of channels, such
as the Intracoastal Waterway, as the fish are moving back into the
bays. Floundering is best during the migration from October to
December. Hundreds of lanterns can often be seen in and around the
pass areas during this period, as the fishers wade through the
shallows in search of fish. During the spring and summer the best
catches with gigs are made in the back bays. Areas with cord grass (Spartina
alterniflora) along the shoreline are good producers, and a bottom
that is slightly silty or muddy generally is better than a hard sand
bottom. The mouths of small bayous and sloughs often yield
flounder. Since water clarity is very important to the success of
any floundering trip, floundering should be done on calm nights.
When fishing on windy nights, anglers should try to work small
protected bays and shorelines. The best catches are made during an
incoming tide and on dark nights as opposed to moonlit nights.
However, do not hesitate to flounder on an outgoing tide. During a
falling tide trying farther offshore in water one to two feet deep
or around offshore sandbars is often more productive. Avoid nights
when the tides are abnormally high. Stingrays also frequent the
shallows at night. They are flat and can sometimes be mistaken for a
flounder or stepped on by the unwary. The inexperienced flounder
fisher should make certain of what he has gigged before retrieving
it. If in doubt, simply hold the creature on the bottom with the gig
and wait for the water to settle before attempting to retrieve your
catch. A multi-pronged gig is helpful in such cases, because the
catch can be lifted unassisted from the bottom.
How To Catch
Flounder are taken by rod and reel or
by gig. When fishing with rod and reel, light tackle offers both the
greatest sport and best chance for catching flounder. Both
artificial lures and natural bait can be used. Over barren bottoms,
leaded plastic worms (worm jigs) are often very effective. In
heavily vegetated areas, shallow-running spoons are best. Flounder
prefer live to dead bait. Live shrimp retrieved slowly along the
bottom often produce excellent results. Killifish (referred to
locally as mud minnows) fished in a similar fashion, is good bait.
These fish can often be taken in large numbers with the cast or
minnow seine. Although many are taken by rod and reel, "floundering"
or gigging offers the best challenge for this species. The flounder
is vulnerable to this technique because it often enters the shallows
at night to feed. Both the skills of the angler and the hunter are
called for here. Lanterns are used in searching for flounder and
gigs ranging from single-pronged to modified hay forks are used to
spear the fish. The anglers wade quietly along the shallows looking
for flounder. Once the flounder is within the light from the
lantern, normally it will not move, affording the fisher a chance to
"gig" the fish. Although this sounds like a sure-fire method, many
fish are missed because they go undetected until they swim away or
because of inaccurate gigging by an overanxious angler. The more
sophisticated flounder fisher may mount his lanterns (or
battery-powered lamps) on the front of a flat-bottomed skiff. The
skiff is then poled through the water in search of fish or is pushed
by a small air motor. Floundering from a boat is much easier than
wading. It allows the angler to cover more area and search bottoms
that are too soft for wading.
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