I need help catching flounder

[Doug_class09]

I cant catch them worth nothing. I have tried everthing from shrimp to cut up bait. I let float thier but that doesnt work.I have tried everthing. So if anyone wants to give me some tips I would be thankful.I fishing around piers, and sea wall where the current is slow and it gives time of the bait to get to the bottom I have also been fishing at the mouth of small bays, and coves.

[joeksr]

I cant catch them worth nothing. I have tried everthing from shrimp to cut up bait. I let float thier but that doesnt work.I have tried everthing. So if anyone wants to give me some tips I would be thankful.

Best advice I can give is to make sure your bait is moving
on or close to bottom. Keep it moving and something he can see. Motion will attract them.
If using cut bait use strips not chunks.
Shrimp has scent but no flutter. Add something that moves.
Like a squid strip.
And of course, fish where there are fish.
I'm sure you'll get a lot more advice on this.
Hope this helps.

[joeksr]

Hey folks, Am I the only one that has any ideas about catching fluke ?
Or are ya all to busy catching Tuna ?

OOPS, Are you talking flounder or fluke ?
Completely different fish.

In the northeast they call fluke flounder so.
Fluke, Really easy to identify, Large mouth, eat fish
larger hook, Teeth, Killies and squid with maybe a
spinner blade to atract em. .
Flounder, Small mouth, Great bait Blood or sand worms,
Small hook and sensitive rod tip.
Both respond well to Pure white rice as an
attractant.

[Glueman]

Hey folks, Am I the only one that has any ideas about catching fluke ?
Or are ya all to busy catching Tuna ?

OOPS, Are you talking flounder or fluke ?
Completely different fish.

In the northeast they call fluke flounder so.
Fluke, Really easy to identify, Large mouth, eat fish
larger hook, Teeth, Killies and squid with maybe a
spinner blade to atract em. .
Flounder, Small mouth, Great bait Blood or sand worms,
Small hook and sensitive rod tip.
Both respond well to Pure white rice as an
attractant.

I dont get the White rice bit. Can you explain? I like to use about 3 feet of leader after the sinker so the bait (live min now is best for me) jumps around more natural. More flashy the minnow the better. Stay on bottom a must!

[tunatamer4]

joeksr is speaking about a different type of fish when referring to using the rice. Those flounder have small mouths with no teeth and eat soft baits such as worms, clam strips and mussels.

The best advice I can give to you Doug, is use LIVE BAIT. You can use small menhaden(pogies) or small mullet, or even mud minnows,(which the Yanks call KILLIES)

Put any of these baits on a #2 kahle style hook on around 24-36 inch leader and cast it out. When it's on the bottom, slowly drag it along until you feel a fish stop it. Give him about a minute or so to eat the bait then lift the rod tip, don't jerk too hard.

If you don't get one, continue to drag it in and repeat this process. You need to keep the bait moving, this isn't cast and wait type fishing.

After you get one or two, you will "know" what your bait feels like and be able to detect anything that is "different" about it.

Hope this helps some. Good luck.

[bigfish4me]

Ill copy a few posts from a guy on another site....he must be part flounder because he understands these fish like no other i have ever seen.

A few rigs have been mentioned using a bucktail and a stinger or trailer hook. Simple rig to tie and use. It was my favorite for a long time. Bucktail with a strip of herring or minnow and the stinger with a minnow. Caught a lot of fish and a few double headers. Stopped using it a few years ago. Reduced my numbers but increased my sizes.

I would get so aggravated when I would use one of my jumbo minnows on the bucktail to present a large target. A second minnow on the stinger seemed to score better but with smaller fish. During the fight the small flounder would shake so hard that the jumbo minnow would fly right off the bucktail. Didn't have that many jumbos to pick from so bouncing one off the hook got frustrating. Even strip baits would fly off when the rig was shaken hard.

I decided that most of the small fish were taking the stinger hook so by eliminating it didn't realy cut down on my keepers. Less time rebaiting kept my line where I wanted it rather than up and down with two new baits all the time. My two set rigs are a white bucktail on a three foot leader to a snap swivel or a single gold 3/0 or 4/0 hook from a dropper loop with just enough weight to keep it down.

I like the snap swivel for two reasons. First it lets me change rigs in a hurry. I may change bucktail sizes all day long and they are at my side ready to go. Snap open, change rig and snap closed. My second reason is because of the weed factor. Lot of suspended weeds in our neck of the woods. When you fish these weeds will hit your line and start to slide down. They don't stop until they hit something. Tie direct and it's you hook that collects the weeds. Snap swivel will catch most of those weeds leaving your hook clean and ready.

My single hook theory for better fish has come from years of watching my aquarium. When flounder see a target they sneak up like a sniper. The fewer things moving offer less distraction. Murky water, drifting, cluttered rig = a second or two for the flounder to pick it's target. To much info to process and your bait is out of the strike zone before it had a chance to strike. Single hook and it is what the flounder can handle to make a quick strike. I've seen flounder move right up to a bait in the aquarium ready to strike only to move away when other movement distracted it.

Bucktails come out of the package with more hair than I ever remember having. Sticks out about two inches past the bend in the hook. For casting and retreiving they are great. For drifting for flounder I give them a haircut. Cut all the hairs off about 1/8 inch past the bend. Now I can use a real short piece of herring or small minnow without the hairs covering them. Want the flounder to see the bait and an untrimmed bucktail just covers it up.

My tackle box has a plastic bag filled with small pieces of white plastic worms. Cut them about the size of a pea. Every bait that goes on my bucktail has a piece of the worm on as a stopper. From jigging, the hook will wear a larger hole in a minnows lips or through any strip bait except pork rind. When a flounder hits they can bounce the bait right off the hook. That little piece of worm slid down to the bait will eliminate that problem. I never go out without the worms.

Small fish are like any small animal. Full of energy and inqusitive. While the adults look lazy the young never seem to stop moving. I believe fish are no different. Small flounder are more aggressive that larger. Thats why we catch so many. Hear it all the time. Caught twenty but kept one. Don't think that the area you fished isn't holding larger fish. Chances are that what you offered them was perfect for the small fish. Thats why I always start out offering them a large target. Small flounder can be intimadated by a larger presentation. Not saying that they won't hit it but it may turn a few back. A larger presentation may be just enough to get that big lazy flounder off it's belly and on the feed. Someone asked me where the Jersey state record flounder would come from. I believe it's around 19 pounds. I answered that it could be sitting right off our dock but wouldn't matter. What we have on most of our hooks wouldn't even get a second look from that big fish. It's probably eating the weakies, blues and kingfish that we consider a good catch.

I start out the day with a big bucktail up to three ounces. Tip that off with a four or five inch minnow and you have breakfast for the doormat. If they aren't on the feed you will know after a few drifts. Then snap open and reduce the bucktail size until you draw some interest. Last spring we were taping a show. Perfect tide and wind. Was drooling expecting lots of strikes. Bucktail just wasn't doing it. Not one hit and I knew the fish had to be there. Finally dropped down to the single gold hook with a very small minnow and ended up with eight keepers and twice as many throwbacks. You have to be ready to set the table for them. You control what you do on the surface and they control the bottom. Be ready to adjust to their tems and you will score better than most.
__________________

[bigfish4me]

So many trays in a tackle box. If god put that many in there then I guess he intended for us to fill them. End of the season it was always funny when I cleaned out the tackle box. Top tray had what I used the most. Hooks, bucktails, teasers, swivels and split shots. Next tray had my pre-tied rigs and some heavier weights. Bottom of the tackle box had at least one extra reel, gloves, hook remover and bug spray. The third tray was the amusing tray. It had my last winters ideas that seemed good at the time when I made or purchased them. January, OK this one will work great and nobody else will have one. May, what the hell was I thinking. Took a lot for anything on the third tray to work it's way to the top. Many at the time good ideas died a slow dark death on that third tray.

It's human nature to take what we use the most and keep it within easy reach. How many times do we open our tackle boxes and never even pop up the trays. What we use is usually right on the top in easy reach. Over the past few years one item that has relentlesly worked it's way from the third tray to the top is the float rig. It took a long time because I just didn't give it much of a chance. Floats were for sunny's and bluegills not for the bottom dwelling flounder.

My mistake. When I finally gave them an honest shot I could have kicked myself for not using it sooner. The day I first tried it was a try something different day. Headed out for the last hour and a half of the incoming tide and figured I'd get my fish real quick and head for home. Didn't happen. A few hits but the fish just weren't on the feed. Decided to give the change of the tide a try. The spot I was fishing was my favorite and I knew there were fish there so a big move didn't make much sense. When the tide stopped I didn't want to waste time, gas or bait so I threw the anchor up on the sod bank and waited. Good time to sort through the tackle box. On the bottom shelf sat the sliding float rigs I had ordered through a catalog the previous winter. Figured that with no tide anything I tried would just leave my bait sitting on the bottom for the crabs. Float would stop that and just maybe get the attention of a passing bluefish. Set the float rig up so the bait was a few feet off the bottom and tossed it out. Kept working on the tackle box and after a few minutes looked up to check on the float. Couldn't find it. Kept looking and picked up the rod. Line was slack but still no float. Slowly reeled in some line until the line drew tight. Set the hook and a keeper flounder was in the boat. Rebaited and a minute later another flounder. Tide was just starting to inch out and the rig was barely moving but the flounder kept wacking it constantly. Nothing fancy. Just a flounder hook with a minnow for bait. Split shot to hold it down and that neat little sliding float. With the anchor still on the sod bank I had my limit of keeper flounder and an entire new way of flounder fishing. Float never left the top tray of my tackle box and that was more than a few years ago.

Took a few trips using the float rig before I realized that this was also a very effective way to fish for weakies. In fact of the big four back bay fish (Flounder, Weakies, Stripers and Blues) the float rig has become the most versatile rigs I have ever used. It's easy to use but it has to be fished correctly or it can be the biggest waste of time on the water. Sliding float rig is just what it is. A float with a hole right through the center of the entire float. Your line passes through it but first you have to place what they call a bobber stop on your line. This is just a preassembled knot that you run your line through. Once on your line you pull the knot tight. It's made out of cotton so it can't damage your mono or braided line. You pull the knot as tight as you can then clip off the two ends of the cotton knot and now you have a knot that can be adjusted for any depth you want. Just grab the knot with two finger nails and slide it either up or down on your line. There is no limit to the depth you can set it. The knot is small enough so that you can reel it right on to your fishing reel and won't effect your casting. After the knot is secure to your line there is a small bead that comes with the float. You pass your line through the bead and this will act to stop your line from passing through the hole in the float. The knot is not enough to stop the float. So now you have a knot that you set at whatever depth you want. The knot stops the bead and the bead stops the float. If you have the knot set at 50 feet then the bead, float, swivel, split shot and hook all hang down at the end of your line. Make your cast or just drop it along side of your boat. The weight of your hook, split shot, bait and swivel will begin pulling your line through the hole in the float. Once it hits your set depth of 50 feet the bead will hit the knot and stop. The bead and knot will stop the float and you are fishing. The only thing you have to do is figure out the depth. I like to keep my bait drifting anywhere from two to six feet off the bottom. That the area where most of our game fish are looking for their next meal. Crabs, shrimp and many small fish move along on or very close to the bottom. Just make sense to keep your bait near that feeding zone. Hope I have given a decent explanation of the float rig. Much easier to fish than describe.

The float rig has many things going for it that can make this the most effective way to fish for our back bay game fish. Back bays are sometimes filled with all kinds of seaweeds and can frustrate fisherman especially kids. No fun constantly reeling in to clear your bait of weeds. Trouble is that most of these weeds are on or just above the bottom. Right where our typical fishing rigs are drifted. By using the float rig you will be able to keep your bait just above these troublesome weeds. My float rig fishing has just about eliminated any problem I ever had with seaweed. The secong geat thing about the float is that it enables you to fish with the most delicate of baits.

[Glueman]

Some of the best flounder ive caught have been in 3ft of water. True Doormats! Using a float and OC sandwitch (minnow with narrow squid strip combo) theory being if the minnow pulls there is still some squid to hang on. Plus the squid gives some movement and flash. I like long thin strips cut in a flag shape.
Our coastal hotspots on an outgoing tide create miny sandbars resembling a washboard. A float with 4 ft or so of leader casted up the tide and left to drift back can be deadly. Wait for the float to stop, tighten up till you feel the fish ( sometimes its caught on a little snag) then set the hook.
Ive used small splitshots (3ft above bait) and no float with the same results. Just take up slack as it comes down and dont force the bait.
Dont be scared to use a BIG bait. Most lines have 3 or 4 inch minnows but atleast one has a 6 inch spot or eel on it. Has proven to be Very effective at times. My girls first flounder was 10 inches long on a 6 inch squid strip!. Thier eyes are bigger than thier stomack!
I dont like the using big spinner blades or jig heads, just a plain red or gold hook and the bait. But if light is low or water is stained dont be scared to use them. Sometimes its a world of difference.

[joeksr]

I dont get the White rice bit. Can you explain? I like to use about 3 feet of leader after the sinker so the bait (live min now is best for me) jumps around more natural. More flashy the minnow the better. Stay on bottom a must!

joeksr is speaking about a different type of fish when referring to using the rice. Those flounder have small mouths with no teeth and eat soft baits such as worms, clam strips and mussels.

Glueman. Flounder and Fluke are attracted to motion.
They can see the rice falling and hopefully come to
your bait. Kinda like chumming.
Tunatamer.
Your right, My dad used to bring Rice when we went
Flounder fishing (Small mouth variety) and we had
good success. I have tried it Fluke fishing and
caught some. They also are atracted to motion,
Seems like it should work on them also.

Hey Doug, Post up your catch

[tunatamer4]

Glueman. Flounder and Fluke are attracted to motion.
They can see the rice falling and hopefully come to
your bait. Kinda like chumming.
Tunatamer.
Your right, My dad used to bring Rice when we went
Flounder fishing (Small mouth variety) and we had
good success. I have tried it Fluke fishing and
caught some. They also are atracted to motion,
Seems like it should work on them also.

Hey Doug, Post up your catch

joeksr- the only reason I ?'d the rice is when I use to "fluke" fish, it was always a drifting type fishing, or cast and drag as I said earlier. I can't see how the rice would be a help in that situation unless you never planned on moving and covering some ground.