Winter Flounder Fishing
NJ regs 2 fish minimum 12 inches
season March 23 to May 21


During the long, cold winter, many fishermen become bored and restless waiting for prime fishing weather.* If you are lucky enough to live in or near New England, you know that you have a host of opportunities almost literally right outside your door, and ice fishing can become a great way to break up the monotony.* Striped bass can be caught in early March, and fluke (or winter flounder) are available as soon as April.* These fish are more abundant this time of year due to their spawning habits.
There have been new restrictions placed on winter flounder due largely to over-harvesting and unsuitable habitats for spawning.* This has reduced the winter flounder season to 6 or 8 weeks.* But, these 6-8 weeks provide ample opportunity for great fishing.
Unlike summer flounder, you can easily fish for winter flounder with relatively light line (8-12 lbs) and a rod as small as six or seven feet will be adequate.* Remember, these fish only range from 2-3 lbs each.* Crafting a rig for winter flounder can be as simple or as complicated as you care to make it.* Regardless, you’ll have great success provided you use the smaller hooks that are an essential component of successfully fishing for winter flounder.* Small hooks and weights (to keep bait at the bottom) help accommodate both the habitat where you’ll find winter flounder and their small, nearly toothless mouths.
Your next step is to combine bait for winter flounder with yellow grubs or beads fastened to the shaft.* Winter flounder rigs are well known for their bright yellow bait. Regardless of whether you choose to fish with mussel, sandworms or bloodworms as bait, the bright yellow helps catch the attention of winter flounder.
Chumming is another successful means of fishing for fluke, whether you opt to fish while anchored in a boat or from the shoreline, and this method attracts large schools of winter flounder.* To have all the equipment you need to take full advantage of your winter flounder fishing event, just pick up your chum pots at a local bait and tackle shop.* You need simply attach the pots to a nonflexible object near the shoreline or secure them to the boat.
For those who prefer to cast dual rods, you can use one behind your boat (in the same direction as the current) and one along-side the boat near your chum pot.* This method not only helps you catch more flounder but it helps you get the most out of your chum pots.
Winter flounder have a habit of gathering together in areas where they can find food in abundance, so it is likely that you will catch a bunch of them in somewhat shallow water.* As a rule of thumb, the more shallow the water, the warmer it will be, and therefore the more abundant the fluke’s food source.** Consequently, you can usually find a school of winter flounder near an area of sand and gravel that easily becomes to mud on a regular basis.
If you’re a saltwater angler, winter flounder is a great way to break back into fishing after a long and cold winter. These delicately flavored fish also help restock your freezer after the winter and before the summer fishing season gets underway.
When fishing for winter flounder you want to make sure that you have the proper equipment, some products to consider are Shimano Reels and Penn Fishing Reels