# Fort DeSoto Flounder 12/20/09



## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

I went out to Fort DeSoto Sunday morning to do a little wade fishing. I had planned to meet up with a couple of other various forum waders, but had some trouble finding them initially. I was gonna try for trout first, but when I got there my two best spots already had a couple of anglers working them. Scratch that plan I thought. 

My second goal was to work a couple of flounder spots I know out there, so I switched gears and decided to concentrate on that instead. 

I decided earlier on the drive over from Lakeland that I was gonna go strictly artificial, so I loaded up some jig heads, D.O.A. Cal shad tails and some Berkley Gulp shrimp and put on my insulated waders. 

Fishing for flounder is sloooooowwwwww. Did I say sloooowwww, I mean slooooowwwww! I fished for about an hour before I had my first hookup. After that I must have been in the zone both geographically and mentally. 

I spent about three hours total working some areas with some nice sandy patches. These are areas out there that I know flounder love as these spots have produced in the past. I have them marked on my hand held Garmin.

All total, I was rewarded with half a dozen nice flatties. The biggest fish went 16 inches and the rest averaged 13-14 inches. 

Here's a few photos:



















I consider this to be a very successful trip as I specifically targeted one species and caught a good number on two different types of artificial baits. Although one could argue that Berkley Gulp is not really an artificial bait. LOL

I eventually found the other guys, they all caught some nice flounder as well and a couple of the other guys nailed some nice trout too.

You know I'm gonna be eating good the next few days.


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## patrck17 (Jun 10, 2009)

Nice report. I've never caught Flounder, man that is an ugly fish. Do they taste good?


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

patrck17 said:


> Do they taste good?


You're kidding right? They are freaking awesome!!!


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## adp29934 (Dec 30, 2008)

Nice Catch!


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## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

patrck17 said:


> Nice report. I've never caught Flounder, man that is an ugly fish. Do they taste good?


Walk into your local Publix and see what they charge for flounder! For me, it's a toss up between flounder, monkfish (never caught one), and cobia as to which is the best tasting ocean caught fish! Now...if ya really want a FEAST...take a few small flounder filets, curl them up in a muffin tin, and place crabmeat stuffing inside the "curl". Bake 'em...and you have a hell of a dinner!


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

I love flounder, mmmmmm.


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## rhodyman (Oct 31, 2008)

*Yep, there's that Gulp shrimp, which is*

total candy to flounder, (redfish, too). Work those babies on a lead-head jig, and you WILL have flounder. I caught a 28"'er on Ocracoke Island in NC with only about 1/3 of a copper penny Gulp shrimp on a white jig head. They LOVE that stuff. :fishing:

I also caught some blue fish, 3 grouper, 2 whiting, a red fish, and MANY smaller flounder using those babes. Its some AWESOME stuff.


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