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It’s Flounder Time
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By LARRY WILBURN
Flounder are one of the most popular game fish among coastal anglers that fish the saltwater of our Texas gulf coast. Whether by rod and reel by day or by gig at night, flounder are highly sought after.
Flounder are some strange creatures when compared to other fish. Of course they are flat with both eyes on the same side of their head. That’s where the strange part comes in. They do not start out that way. Baby flounder start out in life just like any other fish in usual fish form with one eye on each side of its head. Early in life, the right eye will migrate over to the left side of the head to where both eyes are on the same side as we usually see on the flounder.
There are several species of flounder: winter flounder, found along the northern United States eastern coast, summer flounder found along the mid eastern seaboard, gulf flounder found in the inshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the southern flounder, slightly larger than the gulf flounder but can be found in the same waters, halibut found in the pacific northwest and Alaska. Flounder can be either left handed or right handed. The majority of flounder are right handed but up to 30 percent can be left handed. Of course flounder do not have hands and the left hand right hand thing refers to which side of the fish faces up.
Here in the Galveston bay complex, flounder are widely distributed and common along the shallow flats of the bay system. Flounder are ambush hunters that bury themselves in the silt and sand of the bottom and lie in wait for prey to swim by. Flounder will always bed, facing the tide or current. Flounder have a unique feature in that they can change colors to imitate their surroundings. On mud bottom the flounder will get real dark. On shell reefs the fish will be spotted to look just like the shell bottom. This is not only a defense strategy but helps the fish to obtain food.
Through most of the year the flatfish will live in the bays and tributaries that feed into the bay system. However when the fall days start to cool the waters, the flounder will stage at various locations, preparing for a migration to the gulf. There are basically three outlets from the bay into the gulf, Rollover Pass, San Luis Pass, and the ship channel. These passes become travel corridors for the migrating fish and can offer some great fishing action in the fall but can be very crowded as anglers line up along the more productive areas trying their luck.
Over the years, there has been some change to the fall flounder fishing. Not all that long ago the fall run would be in October. Gradually, our fall and winters have become mild to the point that the normal fall patterns of fish have moved back on the calendar from four to six weeks. Normally at this time of the year the coastal water temperatures are in the 50’s. This week the beachfront temperatures are in the upper 60’s. That for the most part is not cool enough to cause the flounder to move out of the bay toward the Gulf of Mexico. That is a big plus for anglers as they have a much longer window of opportunity to fish for the flounder.
This is where we are at now with the warmer than average water temperatures. The water is just cool enough to get the flounder to their staging areas but they will not migrate until we get a real cold front.
Some particular good spots are over in the Bolivar and Galveston areas. Severs Cut is an opening in the land that separates East Bay from the inter-coastal canal that runs along the north side of the Bolivar Peninsula. A lot of flounder will concentrate in that area in the fall. Other good spots are around the Sea Wolf Park area and up around the Galveston Yacht Basin. The lighted pier at the Fort Anahuac Park is good as well as the mouth of the various bayous that lead into the bays.
The best baits to use for catching flounder are mud minnows or finger mullet. Live shrimp is commonly used but are not as effective as the live baits. All are usually available at bait camps this time of the year. A lot of flounder are caught on artificial baits. Small grub-like soft plastics or shrimp imitations are effective.
Flounder are not real aggressive by nature. They lie in wait for food to swim by close. They have small mouths for their size and that means that the fish may have to crush its food before swallowing. Often a flounder bite will be like that of a crab - just sort of a twinge or pulling of the line instead of a bumping or hard strike.
A lot of anglers will put away conventional fishing gear and go after the flounder at night with a light and gig. This is a lot of fun and can be very productive. You simply wade the shallow shore line sandbars and look for the bedded fish. The water has to be clear and the tide plays a big part in the success of the night crew. One of the best places to go flounder gigging is down in the Bolivar pocket.
Flounder are some strange creatures when compared to other fish. Of course they are flat with both eyes on the same side of their head. That’s where the strange part comes in. They do not start out that way. Baby flounder start out in life just like any other fish in usual fish form with one eye on each side of its head. Early in life, the right eye will migrate over to the left side of the head to where both eyes are on the same side as we usually see on the flounder.
There are several species of flounder: winter flounder, found along the northern United States eastern coast, summer flounder found along the mid eastern seaboard, gulf flounder found in the inshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the southern flounder, slightly larger than the gulf flounder but can be found in the same waters, halibut found in the pacific northwest and Alaska. Flounder can be either left handed or right handed. The majority of flounder are right handed but up to 30 percent can be left handed. Of course flounder do not have hands and the left hand right hand thing refers to which side of the fish faces up.
Here in the Galveston bay complex, flounder are widely distributed and common along the shallow flats of the bay system. Flounder are ambush hunters that bury themselves in the silt and sand of the bottom and lie in wait for prey to swim by. Flounder will always bed, facing the tide or current. Flounder have a unique feature in that they can change colors to imitate their surroundings. On mud bottom the flounder will get real dark. On shell reefs the fish will be spotted to look just like the shell bottom. This is not only a defense strategy but helps the fish to obtain food.
Through most of the year the flatfish will live in the bays and tributaries that feed into the bay system. However when the fall days start to cool the waters, the flounder will stage at various locations, preparing for a migration to the gulf. There are basically three outlets from the bay into the gulf, Rollover Pass, San Luis Pass, and the ship channel. These passes become travel corridors for the migrating fish and can offer some great fishing action in the fall but can be very crowded as anglers line up along the more productive areas trying their luck.
Over the years, there has been some change to the fall flounder fishing. Not all that long ago the fall run would be in October. Gradually, our fall and winters have become mild to the point that the normal fall patterns of fish have moved back on the calendar from four to six weeks. Normally at this time of the year the coastal water temperatures are in the 50’s. This week the beachfront temperatures are in the upper 60’s. That for the most part is not cool enough to cause the flounder to move out of the bay toward the Gulf of Mexico. That is a big plus for anglers as they have a much longer window of opportunity to fish for the flounder.
This is where we are at now with the warmer than average water temperatures. The water is just cool enough to get the flounder to their staging areas but they will not migrate until we get a real cold front.
Some particular good spots are over in the Bolivar and Galveston areas. Severs Cut is an opening in the land that separates East Bay from the inter-coastal canal that runs along the north side of the Bolivar Peninsula. A lot of flounder will concentrate in that area in the fall. Other good spots are around the Sea Wolf Park area and up around the Galveston Yacht Basin. The lighted pier at the Fort Anahuac Park is good as well as the mouth of the various bayous that lead into the bays.
The best baits to use for catching flounder are mud minnows or finger mullet. Live shrimp is commonly used but are not as effective as the live baits. All are usually available at bait camps this time of the year. A lot of flounder are caught on artificial baits. Small grub-like soft plastics or shrimp imitations are effective.
Flounder are not real aggressive by nature. They lie in wait for food to swim by close. They have small mouths for their size and that means that the fish may have to crush its food before swallowing. Often a flounder bite will be like that of a crab - just sort of a twinge or pulling of the line instead of a bumping or hard strike.
A lot of anglers will put away conventional fishing gear and go after the flounder at night with a light and gig. This is a lot of fun and can be very productive. You simply wade the shallow shore line sandbars and look for the bedded fish. The water has to be clear and the tide plays a big part in the success of the night crew. One of the best places to go flounder gigging is down in the Bolivar pocket.
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