# Where are the flounder?



## mblanken (Nov 4, 2003)

Hey guys...anyone had any luck with flounder recently. Canaveral has been DEAD lately, but the dredge has been clearing the main channel, so I guess that could be why, but I haven't heard any good reports out of Sebastian either.

Anyone know where the flatties are?


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## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

I may be anchored in the Inlet on sunday and will let you know if they are there mblanken.


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## mblanken (Nov 4, 2003)

Thanks, Kozlow...hope your luck is better than mine has been!


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## ccc6588 (Jun 20, 2003)

mblanken said:


> Hey guys...anyone had any luck with flounder recently. Canaveral has been DEAD lately, but the dredge has been clearing the main channel, so I guess that could be why, but I haven't heard any good reports out of Sebastian either.
> 
> Anyone know where the flatties are?


I was at Sebastian Inlet State Park for a week last week. Only got to fish about 20 hours total due to visiting Disneyworld for 3 days and generally contributing to the Florida economy.

Highlights:

Caught a Spanish Mackeral in the Indian River bridge (pier) right before getting to Sebastian Inlet on Hwy. 512. Caught him on a bait called fishbites (pink). I foul hooked him on the stomach. I suspect the bait was attracting a lot of smaller fish and the mack decided to go for them when I foul hooked it on the stomach. I doubt if I would have landed the fish with the short hook and 20 lb. leader I was using with those sharp teeth they have.

Caught one 14 inch flounder. A few ladyfish, a few jacks. During the week, I did see some nice flounders being caught although it wasn't like last year about the same time.

I was fishing for snook on the north side of the inlet between the interface of the rocks and sand (across from fisherman's museum) when I hooked into large ladyfish on a jig. Never having caught a snook, I thought it was a snook until I landed it. Other folks had some on the bank that day.

On Friday, the last day of fishing before heading home, I fished the L. There were some crusty old snowbirds who came at dusk. One guy promptly hooked into something huge. He knew it wasn't a snook. What he landed was a 44 inch red drum. He was mad because it wasn't a snook. I told him it was a trophy and that he should get a picture taken. I took a picture of him and he requested to mail it to him (he had no e-mail). He offered the fish to me, but I refused and had the pleasure to release the fish. Here is a link to the photo 

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?p=16797#post16797


On the very next cast, he promptly caught a 33 1/2 inch snook. That was the first time I saw a snook get hooked and landed and what a beautiful fish. 

His buddy next to him promptly caught another undersized snook that was released. Then I hooked into something huge. I didnt even have the pleasure of a fight as my line snapped. But the fish jumped and the crusty old snowbirds told me it was a snook. All week I lost about 8 jigs to the bottom. But, on this night I suspect the fish were biting extremely well and I did not loose a single jig.

I should have listened to Kozlow. I was too much of a sportman and used a 16 lb. magna thin with a 20 lb. leader. I now realize that I need a coated braided line of about 30 lbs with 8 lb. diameter and at least a 40 lb. leader.

It was still great. I learned how to throw a cast net for this trip and it was fun catching bait. I even got selective and chose mehherra? and smaller finger mullets for bait. In some cases I had to go to the Indian River to catch bait, but even catching bait was a lot of fun. I also saw some fish moving about the dock at the L and netted a large mullet that I gave to a fisherman who was targeting sand perch and mullets. 

I also blinded casted the net during the night for bait and caught some large sand perch. 

You guys living near Sebastian are lucky and even thought I didn't catch a mess of flounder and snook I still had a lot of fun. I don't mind catching the jacks and ladyfish as they are a lot of fun. 

I had a great time and look forward to it again for next year. This is my third straight there this time of the year (from Va.) and I think I will do much better next time. 

The only regret I have is not fishing the north jetty, south jetty and the surf. Maybe next year, I'll go there for fishing only.


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## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

Great post ccc6588 . Thanks for sharing it with us.  Maybe that Snook will be on your list next year . We will save ya one or two.


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## ccc6588 (Jun 20, 2003)

Kozlow said:


> Great post ccc6588 . Thanks for sharing it with us.  Maybe that Snook will be on your list next year . We will save ya one or two.


I can't wait. Maybe I'll stop by near Christmas. Snooks may be gone, but I am sure there would be other fish to keep me entertained.


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## mblanken (Nov 4, 2003)

Thanks for the Sebastian report ccc6588. Haven't had the chance to get out and do any serious flounder fishing, but maybe I'll get out this weekend.

What part of VA are you from? I moved down here from Blacksburg in 2001 and never looked back...the mountains were nice, but have you ever seen anything as pretty in VA as Sebastian is?


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## ccc6588 (Jun 20, 2003)

mblanken said:


> Thanks for the Sebastian report ccc6588. Haven't had the chance to get out and do any serious flounder fishing, but maybe I'll get out this weekend.
> 
> What part of VA are you from? I moved down here from Blacksburg in 2001 and never looked back...the mountains were nice, but have you ever seen anything as pretty in VA as Sebastian is?


I live in the Richmond area, but I am originally from Northern Va. inside the Beltway. I went to school in Lexington and a lot of my high school friends went to Va. Tech. so I very familiar with Blacksburg. 

This is very interesting because one of the 2 old crusty old snowbirds I was referring to was from Blacksburg. This is not the guy who caught the big drum whose name was Lee. But, the guy who caught the smaller snook was named Bill and retired from Blacksburg.

Of course when I was going to school we used to sing the song as follows:

Far beyond the hills of Blacksburg in a field of Rye
Lies and Old deserted out house know as VPI....

I hope you are not a Hokie.... Take care and best regards.


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## sandcasting (Jan 25, 2003)

those linesiders are fun to try and catch. i still haven't managed to land one bigger than 20". good luck getting a hook into one on your next trip down. good thing you decided to put that red back, i think it would have been too big for the florida slot limit. i took a road trip to va tech one time from penn state to visit a high school buddy. a bunch of us went hiking to a waterfall, maybe 60 feet high, and saw some nice trout in the stream that ran along the side of the trail. beautiful country, i'd like to see it in the fall with the leaves changing.


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## mblanken (Nov 4, 2003)

No...I'm not a Hokie, in that I didn't go to VPI...but I do pull for their football team...it's hard to live there and not root for the Hokies...so I'm kind of a hokie, I guess. Sandcasting, that waterfall you went to was probably the Cascades in a little town called Pembroke, but you should've hit the New River while you were there...one of the best smallmouth rivers in the east U.S. Anyway, the Cascades is a beautiful little place where I've spent many sunny summer days. It's prettier in the winter, though, when it's in the teens...the mist from the waterfall freezes on all the rocks and trees and the whole place looks like an ice castle...when it gets REAL cold for long enough, the whole waterfall freezes into a big icicle. And they do stock some nice rainbows in there, too. But I'll take a 4lb flounder over a 4 lb rainbow anyday...they're uglier but they taste better!


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