With the days growing shorter and the mercury gradually dropping, flounder are on the move. With the approach of autumn, southern flounder begin to make their way out of the shallows, with crowds of these fish making their way through every available route to the deeper waters of the gulf. Yes, the flounder spawning season is upon us once again according to the latest fishing reports. Anglers who enjoy fishing for the saddle blanket flounder are already enjoying an action packed Texas fishing season this fall.
Captain Skip James counts himself one of these flounder fanatics. A longtime guide, Captain James prefers Sabine Lake for his angling. For many years, he's been following the movements of these fish and using telemetry to study the patterns of the fall flounder run. He tends to base his patterns on the movements of the larger females, since as he knows, there are always plenty of males right behind her, eagerly anticipating the drop of the female's eggs.
As a long time flounder expert, Captain James is as good as any fishing reports we've seen as far as Texas fishing for flounder is concerned, so it carries serious weight when he tells us "The flounder run's actually at about the halfway point right now and will peak very soon. It typically starts in mid September and ends in mid December." While the flounder make their way to the gulf's deep waters, things are pretty easy for the experienced angler. "I just use a 4" bayside speck grub - it's all I need and we've been landing flounder up to 6 pounds. If the rest of the run is this good, it'll go down as one of the best years I've ever seen," says James.
No less of a Texas fishing authority than Galveston's Phil Ortiz, inventor of the "Flounder Pounder" tells us to ignore the common thinking on the flounder run and get out on the water ASAP. "It's not only the temperature that tells the flounder it's time to spawn. As the days get shorter, they start to move to the gulf. It does pick up after the first cold snap, but I know I'm landing plenty of flounder already."
Phil Ortiz prefers to use artificial for the pancake predators. "Over the years, I got tired of flounder short striking them." This ignited Ortiz's designing of a lure called the "Flounder Pounder".
Another Galveston angler, Jeff Boudreaux is one of the rare year round flounder fishermen. In the fall, Boudreaux likes to get in on the excitement of the flounder run, employing the kind of pitching techniques most anglers use for bass in stick beds. As he tells us with a grin, "If it's good enough for bass, it's good enough for flounder. Once I feel that first thump, I set the hook as fast as possible."
Boudreaux also chooses soft plastics for flounder, reporting particularly good results with the Brown's Corky Devil. This suspended bait helped him land a 7 lb flounder just last week and confirmed this as his lure of choice.
"Those looking to catch flounder during the fall run should look at the Galveston Channel or Sea Wolf Park Flat," states Boudreaux. "Live baiters do very well using mud minnows and finger mullet on a Carolina rig."
An angler on the lower coast, Cody Stripling works the grassy structures and deep water-adjacent areas of the Lower Laguna Madre using a trolling motor when in search of flounder.
According to Stripling, flounder fishing is a little slower on the lower coast. "Flounder have been scattered lately but I expect when cooler weather reaches us down here we will see more on the move."
"Grassy points, guts, and drop offs along deeper water like the ICW are my primary focus during the run," states Stripling. "The water on the Lower Laguna Madre is very clear and it allows us to really see distinct areas adjacent to deeper water that really hold flounder. Pitch baits on the pockets and points along the edge and you will catch flounder."
"Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce lead heads work great for flounder," he recalls. "I work them with a bass retrieve by bumping it on the bottom and letting it sit for two or three seconds before jerking it again.
Captain Skip James counts himself one of these flounder fanatics. A longtime guide, Captain James prefers Sabine Lake for his angling. For many years, he's been following the movements of these fish and using telemetry to study the patterns of the fall flounder run. He tends to base his patterns on the movements of the larger females, since as he knows, there are always plenty of males right behind her, eagerly anticipating the drop of the female's eggs.
As a long time flounder expert, Captain James is as good as any fishing reports we've seen as far as Texas fishing for flounder is concerned, so it carries serious weight when he tells us "The flounder run's actually at about the halfway point right now and will peak very soon. It typically starts in mid September and ends in mid December." While the flounder make their way to the gulf's deep waters, things are pretty easy for the experienced angler. "I just use a 4" bayside speck grub - it's all I need and we've been landing flounder up to 6 pounds. If the rest of the run is this good, it'll go down as one of the best years I've ever seen," says James.
No less of a Texas fishing authority than Galveston's Phil Ortiz, inventor of the "Flounder Pounder" tells us to ignore the common thinking on the flounder run and get out on the water ASAP. "It's not only the temperature that tells the flounder it's time to spawn. As the days get shorter, they start to move to the gulf. It does pick up after the first cold snap, but I know I'm landing plenty of flounder already."
Phil Ortiz prefers to use artificial for the pancake predators. "Over the years, I got tired of flounder short striking them." This ignited Ortiz's designing of a lure called the "Flounder Pounder".
Another Galveston angler, Jeff Boudreaux is one of the rare year round flounder fishermen. In the fall, Boudreaux likes to get in on the excitement of the flounder run, employing the kind of pitching techniques most anglers use for bass in stick beds. As he tells us with a grin, "If it's good enough for bass, it's good enough for flounder. Once I feel that first thump, I set the hook as fast as possible."
Boudreaux also chooses soft plastics for flounder, reporting particularly good results with the Brown's Corky Devil. This suspended bait helped him land a 7 lb flounder just last week and confirmed this as his lure of choice.
"Those looking to catch flounder during the fall run should look at the Galveston Channel or Sea Wolf Park Flat," states Boudreaux. "Live baiters do very well using mud minnows and finger mullet on a Carolina rig."
An angler on the lower coast, Cody Stripling works the grassy structures and deep water-adjacent areas of the Lower Laguna Madre using a trolling motor when in search of flounder.
According to Stripling, flounder fishing is a little slower on the lower coast. "Flounder have been scattered lately but I expect when cooler weather reaches us down here we will see more on the move."
"Grassy points, guts, and drop offs along deeper water like the ICW are my primary focus during the run," states Stripling. "The water on the Lower Laguna Madre is very clear and it allows us to really see distinct areas adjacent to deeper water that really hold flounder. Pitch baits on the pockets and points along the edge and you will catch flounder."
"Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce lead heads work great for flounder," he recalls. "I work them with a bass retrieve by bumping it on the bottom and letting it sit for two or three seconds before jerking it again.
About the Author:
Captain Kyle Tomek is a Texas Gulf Coast fishing guide who submits featured fishing reports to Texas FishCast. You can submit fishing reports through your Facebook account to Texas FishCast. You can share pictures and videos and tag your fishing buddies for everyone to see.
0 comments:
Post a Comment