Winter Flounder Bait Small pieces of clam, mussel, or bloodworm are the preferred baits for flounder. Anytime I shuck clams, I keep the siphons and thread them on the hook as bait. Sandworms, bloodworms, and tapeworms can all be cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths.
What do you use to catch flounder in the winter?
Some will run a baited hook off the chum pot.
Equipment:
- Chum Pot, plunger, large mushroom type sinker, sash weight.
- Small Hooks size 8 or 9 ultra sharp hooks such as the Gamakatsu or Owner octopus series, etc tied into bottom rigs.
- Light sensitive fishing rod with line of 6 to 10 pound test.
- Sinkers.
- Bait.
- Chum.
What is the best bait for flounder fishing?
Best Baits and Lures for flounder: The best live baits for flounder are croaker or mullet. For strip baits, he likes bluefish, squid or the belly of a gray trout or croaker. When fishing artificials, his go-to list includes Berkley Gulp!, swimming mullets and spinnerbaits, such as the Strike King Redfish Magic.
How do you catch winter flounder from shore?
Natural baits like bloodworms – the king of winter flounder baits – and then sandworms, clam strips and mussels, if you can get them, are standard, proven offerings. Man-made equivalents, like Gulp! bloodworms and Fishbites also have their followers, and you can’t beat their convenience.
What size hooks for winter flounder?
Generally, a snelled Mustad size #6 Chestertown or Size #8 Mustad Long Shank Beak hook is sufficient to get into the small peanut mouth of the flounder, while having enough shank to thread a good piece of worm on.
What is the best month to catch flounder?
Flounder are an ambush predator, which will burrow into the mud bottom and lay in wait for other fish to swim within striking distance. The best time to catch flounder is during their fall migration to the Gulf, typically from October to December, in the channels and passes leading to the Gulf.
What is a flounders favorite food?
Larval and post-larval flounder feed on zooplankton (tiny floating animals) and small crustaceans. Juveniles eat crustaceans and fish. Adults are opportunistic feeders, eating whatever food is convenient at the time, and feed mostly on fish and crustaceans.
What time of day is best to catch flounder?
Flounder are the most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon offshore at sites like wrecks and reefs. Inshore, flounder are the most active swimming and feeding at high tide. You can find them searching for food near grasses, channels, flats, and at the mouths of feeder creeks.
What size hook is best for flounder?
Hooks can and usually should be a bit on the larger size for flounder fishing. They have large mouths full of sharp teeth, not something you really want to play with. I either use 3/0 to 5/0 circle hooks or a 2/0–4/0 worm hook for flounder fishing. Jig heads in the 1/4–3/8ths range are well suited to flounder fishing.
What is the easiest way to catch flounder?
Flounder respond well to live fish such as minnow, mullet and croakers. Sea worms and clams are also effective. Hook larger baitfish through the lips, and smaller baitfish through the eye. You can add some strips of fresh squid or live shrimp to vary the bait mix.
Can you fish with raw bacon?
But the best catfish bait I ever used is raw bacon. Yes, I know. Bacon is not the first thing you think of when you’re trying to figure out what bait to use for catfish. It wasn’t my first choice either, but neither was a chunk of raw hotdog.
Does flounder bite at night?
Yes, they do bite a night. You will find them on the edge of lights (ambush style). Most of your larger fish are caught during the day.
Can you use raw bacon to fish?
Yes, really, bacon. Many anglers would consider bacon too precious to use as bait, but this tasty breakfast staple does have a good track record with freshwater panfish. The key is to select pieces with mostly fat and only a small portion of lean meat, leave them uncooked, and fold it over twice on your hook.
What pound line should I use for flounder?
The best tackle for flounder is a 7 foot medium heavy rod coupled with a 3500 series spinning reel. You will want to spool your reel with 20 pound braided line and a 20 pound clear or pink mono filament leader.
Does chumming work for flounder?
In fact, chumming is often the best option when you are targeting minefields of structure that hold flounder but are so fraught with snags they would be a disaster to drop a line into.
How do you fish flounder from a pier?
When fishing for flounder from a pier, you’ll have more success if you do the opposite. Hold the rod so you can cast the bait and reel in slowly where the waves are breaking closer to shore. Start by casting straight out behind the furthest wave from shore, and continue working your way closer to shore on each cast.
Where do flounder go during the day?
Trout or snook will hunt down their prey, redfish will forage for their prey in the mud, but flounder just sit and wait for their meals to float by. They bury themselves in the mud or sand and, with their two eyes on top of their head, look for something to float by them.
Can you catch flounder in December?
Fishing for winter flounder can be just as productive as the spring and summer months as long as your timing and location is just right. Winter is spawning season for flounder, and you may have to go offshore to catch them during this time.
Can you catch flounder in the middle of the day?
During the middle of the day, you can still catch plenty of flounder as long as there is some moving water, but the middle of the day usually provides a slower bite than the morning and evening.
Will flounder eat cut bait?
Many serious flounder (fluke) anglers consider cut bait to be a must-have item when targeting flatties. Flounder (fluke) anglers like to use cut baits because of the amount of scent that cut baits put off. Cut bait is also typically easy to acquire year round and can used fresh or frozen.
How old is a 25 inch flounder?
7
Summer Flounder (Fluke)
| Age (years) | Length (inches) |
|---|---|
| 5 | 22 |
| 6 | 23.5 |
| 7 | 25 |
| 8 | 26 |