# Drifting for flounder



## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

What all do you guys use rig and bait wise when you're drifting for flounder up there? We have massive flounder on the offshore wrecks here but no one really targets them on a consistent basis. I caught one about a month ago when we were drifting for flounder. There's a bunch of customers who are really interested in that technique but I want to make sure I know what I'm talking about when I describe it to them.


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## gus (Jan 24, 2002)

three way triangle swivel with 1 foot of 12 lb mono to lead sinker (not pyramid ones cause they hang up) & 2 feet of 30 lb mono to hook and trailer hook rigged with a menhaden (3-6 inch bait), first hook precisely thru middle under jaw and out skull, trailer hook thru the side of the tail area.... must be thru the middle to prevent excessive spinning and line twist...hope this helps


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

I'm going to be doing this in anywhere from 35 to 90 feet of water so perhaps I'd need some heavier tackle. I'm thinking of going with a medium-heavy action rod #25-30 mono and a hi-lo rig. I pulled a 20" flounder off a wreck on a piece of squid a month ago so I'm thinking if I rigged some minnows or finger mullet on 3/0 circle hooks and dropped them down, I could catch them on a fairly consistent basis. 

I know a diver who dives on most of our near-offshore wrecks and he sometimes spears some monster flounder down there. We're talking 10-15 pounders stacked up like firewood 40 miles out in 80 feet of water.:jawdrop:


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## gus (Jan 24, 2002)

i typically fish in 30 -80 feet of water with ripping currents, i use anywhere from 3-8 oz to keep me on the bottom....i normally use a shimano calcutta ct 400 spooled with 30 lb magnathin....just bounce the weight off the bottom about every 10 seconds...something i forgot to add before, sometimes i add a skirt above my baits for added enticement. the flounder we get into here are anywhere between 2 and 10 lbs.


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## gus (Jan 24, 2002)

id strongly recommend against the traditional hi lo rigs as they are more hassle than they are worth...if u have any current whatsoever, u will have nothing but a birds nest when u reel your baits in....trailer hooks are a must as flounder are notorious for leaving u nothing but a hook with a head on it. the point of the 12 lb mono to the weight is having a break off point...thisll help u save hooks and whatnot....it can be very frustrating losing rig after rig, these fish are structure oriented, and hangups are unavoidable


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings emanuel!

Sounds like you answered your own question! A lot of big fluke take pools on wreck trips. You might want to try a bigger than usual bait on your bottom hook, like a mackeral strip, a squid head, or a live snapper blue, peanut bunker, or bergall. Big fluke have big mouths and bigger appetites... True doormats (double digit fluke) have been caught on eels meant for striped bass (usually a week after flounder season closes!)

I understand the southern flounder can get even bigger than his northern cousin. You can also try big (6-8 oz) grouper jigs with twister tails or a single hook hopkins dressed with some fresh mackeral or squid. If you intend to target flounder by drifting near a wreck use the threeway rig and a big bait, but run a light line between the swivel and the sinker. Try to set your drift so that you do not pass directly over the wreck.


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