Introduction to Flounder Fishing
Flounder, a breed of flat fish with an attitude not soon to be forgotten, are a prime catch for fishermen. Experts at hiding, they are so fast and stealthy that you may mistake them for a mere shadow. There are very few east coast fishermen who do not take pleasure in fishing for fluke. These flavorsome white fish are not only pleasing to the palate but also are tremendous fighters, creating a memorable fishing experience.
In the northeast you can find flounder near the shorelines as early as May. The warmer the water the more likely you are to find them hiding out seeking their favorite foods – sand eels, squid and other baitfish – and they can generally be found in shallow beach waters, bays and tidal river mouths. In the dead of summer, you can find flounder lurking as close as 30 feet from shore – or as far away as 120 feet. They like to stay in water temperatures that they are comfortable in but where food isn’t too far away. The cooler the temperatures, the closer to the shore they’ll be found. In the late fall, you’re going to find them making their annual trek down the coast towards the warmer waters on the Atlantic coast. Fluke are not fond of northeast winters.
Every fisherman varies their approach to fluke fishing. Much of this is dependent on water depth. Shallow water fishing (early season and late season) will allow you to start close to the beach in depths as low as 20 feet (or less). Conventional tackle or a spinning rod can be used. Jigs can be tipped with squid and the bet ones are usually in the one to four ounce range. You can deploy these rigs straight down from your boat (which should be drifting). If your jig is not heavy enough it will not come in contact with the waterbed where fluke are feeding. A jig that is of the proper weight to sink to the bottom will ensure that you have a successful fishing trip.
How you control the jig is very important, and this should be done by making use of the boat’s drifting motion to indicate when to lift and drop the jig. You can raise the jig 1-2 feet from the waterbed by merely tweaking the tip of the rod. Drop the jig little by little to attract the most attention.
If that method is not working, you can always use the snap method, which is effective when dealing with a school of lazy fish since it catches their attention. The snap method is very straightforward, you simply allow the line to hit the bottom of the waterbed and then snap it back. Allow the line to go slack, and it will most certainly catch the attention of even the laziest fluke.
Once you have caught your first fluke you’ll want to see if you can pinpoint your location. Depending on what equipment you have you will find great success in this. You can do this by triangulating and of course the best method is a GPS system. The GPS systems are literally indispensable when you’re trying to lock in on a school of fluke.
Once the season starts to heat up, fluke will start wandering away from the shore line. In this instance, you’ll want to switch over to target fishing. This will require spinner rigs which are fun to design or you can but them in any good bait and tackle shop. Most people find that they would rather experiment with a number of different pre-made spinners until they find their preference. Once they find what they prefer, most fishermen want to make their own spinner rigs.
Spinner rigs are not complicated. They are primarily three eyes. The main eye connects to the main line, then a sinker is attached to the second eye, and the final eye holds a leader. For those who are trying to get the most of out of their spinners, beads and a spinner blade are placed above the hook. Favorite bait and sinkers help ensure that the line will stay in proximity to the waterbed and create not only a visual queue and a vibration that will get the attention of the laziest fluke. When your boat drifts, the spinner blade rotates ahead of your hook and creates this queue.
On trips that you are trying to catch a larger number of fluke, it’s smart to utilize a mixture of techniques. Deeper water rigs can be helpful as the fluke migrate to the cooler waters later in the season. These rigs can allow you to catch fluke easily and quickly. Following these brief and easy tips can assure that you will at least know how to catch those tasty fluke.
In order to have a successful time fishing, you want to make sure you have the correct supplies. Some examples are Shimano Reel, Daiwa Reel, and Shimano Spinning Reels.