Wanted: Big flounder

[Blloyd]

Ok, I've been pier fishing now for flounder using minnows, squid, cut bait etc.... I'm looking to do a little boat hoing here soon and want to know how to catch these big 8lb flounder that you see/hear about people catching. I've read that a small spot can be used to catch them. Can anyone give me some particulars on this...what type of rig? Weight? Size croaker and where to hook the thing? Done a little research on the structure so far. Thanks.

[dckhd247]

Ok, I've been pier fishing now for flounder using minnows, squid, cut bait etc.... I'm looking to do a little boat hoing here soon and want to know how to catch these big 8lb flounder that you see/hear about people catching. I've read that a small spot can be used to catch them. Can anyone give me some particulars on this...what type of rig? Weight? Size croaker and where to hook the thing? Done a little research on the structure so far. Thanks.


Egg sinker on the mainline then tie a swivel on it...From the swivel tie on a 2 foot leader to a live bait or circle hook...Don't overlook those small snapper blues also as bait...

[Duke of Fluke]

Will you be fishing the ocean or bay? This time of year the best action is offshore on rough/live bottom or the artificial reefs. When fishing this type of broken structure it is best to find a piece of rough stuff and make short drifts over it rather than making long drifts which will occasionally pass over productive bottom. If you are fishing the artificial reefs one of the reef guides published by the state in which you are fishing is the best investment you can make. Most charts show only the boundaries or the center of a reef site. The guides usually give you the positions of specific pieces of structure that have been deposited. It is usually better to fish the smaller scattered structure for flounder. They will hang on the perimiters of larger structure like wrecks but you are better off fishing concrete rubble, tire units, or reef balls. My favorite rig is a chrome ball or fluke bullet with a dropper a short distance above with a long leader to a hook and teaser. I usually fish a long strip bait on the chrome ball and a smaller bait like a squid strip or squid and baitfish combo. I do most of my flounder fishing up north where we call them fluke. I like jumbo spearing(silversides/shiner), smelt, or sand eels for bait. These are all readily available up north but might be tougher to come by to the south. If you fish southern waters the extra effort of obtaining these baits could be well worth it. For one, these bait with the exception of smelt are a major natural part of the fluke's diet and secondly most folks down south don't use these baits so the fish are not educated about their use. Sand eels are a particulary good bait as they inhabit waters up and down the coast and are a major prey species. They are probably the toughest bait to get down south. Spearing/silversides are available at least as far south as OC MD but far less commonly used than in the north. If you can't find some for sale they are easy to catch. All you need is an umbrella net with some canned tuna mashed into the mesh or a seine to catch them. The bigger ones are best, but tougher to come by. A lot of bait shops in New England actually import jumbo spearing from Peru. Smelt are great because they resemble a spearing but they are nice and plump and make great hook baits. Of course live baits like spot or snapper blues are awesome also. If you fish these live baits it is usually best to use a shorter leader to help keep the bait near the bottom. Long leaders make it easier for your bait to escape the hungry flatties. Make sure that you drop back some line when you feel a bite and give the fish time to eat. I am only starting to tinker with the live snapper/spot technique, but this is what seems to work the best. I definately plan on giving it more effort in the coming weeks. One thing I'd really like to try in the fall is live mullet. I'd imagine live finger mullet could be a really hot bit during the autumn mullet run but I have never tried it.

[Blloyd]

Wow! Thanks for the info you two. Looking to fish in the bay right now, but if I can catch a trip out into the ocean you can bet I'll be there. Being in the bay, w/ a small spot, etc...what size weight, hook should I be using. I'm assuming that it'd be way over the 1.5oz I now use with minnows pier fishing in the bay, maybe around 8oz? I'll have to check into one of the reef guides. My brother in law just bought the charter boat that he ran for another guy, but I'm not to sure he's too experienced in the way of the flounder.

[Rockstar]

if you're drifting around the bay, 4-6oz should do the trick... offshore wreck fishing atleast 8. i'd suggest a 5/0 kahle hook and atleast 50lb. leader. don't be afraid to use spinner blades, beads, and skirts above the hook.

[Blloyd]

Thanks for the advice. How do you hook a live spot for this - lip, back?

[Guppy]

the best thing i've done to catch big flounder is to drift over the tunnels of the CBBT. use a three-way swivel with a flounder rig on one eye, a length of mono with a dropper loop attached to the other. you need 8-10 oz. to hold bottom. just motor up current of the tubes and drop your line. make sure to keep contact with the bottom and "jig" when over the tube. they covered the tubes with boulders and if you don't keep a tight line you'll get snagged for sure. this method has worked great for me. for bait i use menhaden,cut bait,and squid strips. also the bigger your bait the bigger the flounder but the less you'll catch. good luck.

[Blloyd]

Thanks everyone. Will let you know how it goes when I find my way out on a boat.