Gigging for flounder is typically done at night in the bay. Flounder gigging is most popular in the United States along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, the Atlantic Coast from Florida to the Carolinas, as well as the shore line of Australia and New Zealand.
What time of year is best for flounder gigging?
fall
The best time of the year for flounder gigging is during the fall flounder run and the spring flounder run. These two flounder runs mark the beginning and end of the warmer weather along the coast, and are well known for producing consistent limits of flounder.
Where can I gig flounder in Jacksonville FL?
Flounder Gigging Charters
- 2856 Sadler Rd.
- Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034.
- Phone: 904-556-0230.
- Price Range: $$$$ $45 or more.
Where can I gig flounder in Louisiana?
A few good locations include the many channels around Venice, the Grand Isle beaches around the state park side of the island, Sabine Lake and the Cameron ship channel. It is better to gig in clear water so you avoid stingrays.
Can you still gig flounder in Texas?
Technically Flounder are a year-round fish in Texas, but the best time to target them is during their fall migration to the Gulf. This usually takes place between October and December, and is also known as the “Flounder Run.” Visit during the Fall Flounder run, and leave with a bounty like this!
Can you gig flounder in the daytime?
Once successfully gigged, your Flounder doesn’t have much of a chance of surviving. Therefore, you only want to spear as many Flounders as you’re planning to eat later. All the action typically happens at night, although day trips are also possible.
Is a full moon Good for flounder gigging?
A new moon makes for a darker night, which allows the bright flounder gigging lights to blind them and leave them stationary because they can’t see you. A full moon allows their eyes to adjust, giving them a better opportunity to spot you in advance and move out before you have the opportunity to gig them.
Where is the best flounder in Florida?
The best places to find flounder in Florida are inlets; around docks; around tidal creek and river mouths that empty into salt water; sandy pot holes in grass flats and around near shore structure like piers, wrecks and reefs. Inlets are a great place to target flounder.
How many flounder Can you gig in Florida?
Florida Flounder Gigging Regulations
Florida Flounder Size Limit: Effective March 1st, 2021 the size limit is 14″. Florida Flounder Bag Limit: Effective March 1st, 2021 the bag limit is 5 per person per day.
Where is the best flounder fishing in Florida?
Top Florida flounder fishing spots
- Fernandina Beach.
- St Johns River in Jacksonville.
- Pensacola and Escambia Bay Pensacola.
- St Augustine rivers and inlet.
- Indian and Banana Rivers at Cape Canaveral.
- Choctawatchee Bay.
- Ft Pierce Inlet.
- Panama Bay.
How many flounder can you keep in Louisiana?
The possession limit (on land) is 10 southern flounders per day per licensed person for each consecutive day spent on the water. There is no minimum size limit on southern flounders in Louisiana.
What is the best rig to catch flounder?
Live Mullet on a Fishfinder Rig
More big flounder have been caught on a live mullet than any other rig. You can use ¼ oz. weight and fish it in 12” of water, or a 3 oz egg sinker and drop it forty feet. Slowly drag it across the bottom until a sharp thump stops it in its tracks.
Can you gig flounder at high tide?
The flounder can go just about anywhere when the tide is high. This means that you have to figure out where they will likely be set up to ambush prey items. The first thing that you are looking for are schools of fish. If you can find bait, then you are likely to find predators that want to eat them.
Why did Texas close flounder season?
Citing negative trends and large-scale declines in flounder populations over the past several decades, The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will suspend the year-round flounder season during a six-week period ending on Dec. 15.
What is the biggest flounder ever caught in Texas?
The state record of 13 pound was caught by Herbert Endicott of Groves in Sabine Lake in 1976. That’s 40 years of a standing record but I believe it will be beaten now that the regulations of the last eight years give more big flounder a chance to spawn.
What months Can you gig flounder in Texas?
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. Flounder may be caught using rod and reel but most people prefer gigs.
What color light is best for flounder gigging?
warm white light
A warm white light works best for muddy water and a cool white light works best for clear water. The Swamp Eye Lights offer the best color light for flounder gigging because they are adjustable from warm white to cool white for different water conditions.
Can you flounder gig in the winter?
You can also gig for flounder in the late winter and all the way through spring and summer.
Does flounder smell bait?
To those fish that make their living in stained to murky waters, smell is a critical component of their livelihood. Flounder are one of those species that uses its olfactory sense to locate food. Guide Bryan DeHart of Manteo, N.C., is a firm believer in using scented baits or adding attractants on his soft plastics.
Where do you aim when gigging?
To hit your target, slide the gig into the water above the fish to adjust for refraction, and then aim behind the eyes. “You want to penetrate the bony gill plate. If you hit farther back, it will flop off before you have a chance to swing it into the boat.” And once you find one fish, you usually find a lot more.
What time of day are flounder most active?
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.