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Advice for trying to catch flounder?

Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:17 pm
Posted by Tiger Prawn
Member since Dec 2016
21916 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:17 pm
Anybody got some tips and willing to share for how to target flounder in the marsh this time of year?
Posted by tigersownall
Thibodaux
Member since Sep 2011
15331 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:30 pm to
Every flounder I’ve ever caught was an accident.

Eta: I caught one off the bank in pac a few weeks ago. Didn’t even know he was hooked. Another time I had a buddy standing in about knee high water in waveland. On the phone. Cork just a few feet in front of him. Puts away phone. Picks up pole. Flounder is just hanging there. He didn’t even feel it.
This post was edited on 10/4/18 at 10:10 pm
Posted by WacoTiger
Waco, Texas
Member since Nov 2003
3673 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:33 pm to
Fish with a white (pearl) gulp or chartreuse gulp swimming minnow 3 inch or 4 inch. Put a piece of shrimp (frozen, but thawed) on the end of the lead head. It doesn't take much shrimp. Bump the lure along the bottom with the rod tip pointed down from the boat. Flounder are located on the bottom. Fish it slow. Flounder sometimes bump your lure, so make sure the fish takes it before setting the hook. Fish shell drop offs. Big Lake has a flounder run starting around the 2nd of week of November for about 2 weeks. Fish near the Cameron Ferry on the ship channel. I love to fish where the old ship channel flows into the new ship channel. I've caught flounder without tipping the lure with dead shrimp, but I've caught more tipping it. You can fish from the bank on the ship channel when the flounder are running. One of my favorite times of the year. Good luck.
Posted by Four Leaf Tayback
Member since Aug 2017
1621 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:34 pm to
Purple chartreuse tail soft plastic slow rolled on the bottom.

If the water isn’t too dirty and wind is light gigging on surfside of barrier islands.
Posted by Tiger Prawn
Member since Dec 2016
21916 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:49 pm to
quote:

surfside of barrier islands.

I’ll be fishing out of Venice area in a kayak so i think barrier islands are out of the question

Fishing a kayak tourney this weekend and its a 3 fish stringer cajun slam format. Getting a flounder is my main concern since the few times I’ve ever caught a flounder, its been accident while targeting reds
Posted by jimbeam
University of LSU
Member since Oct 2011
75703 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:52 pm to
quote:

old ship channel flows into the new ship channe
you mean the confluence of the Loop Pass and Calc ship channel?
Posted by bbvdd
Memphis, TN
Member since Jun 2009
25008 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 9:53 pm to
Cast net some finger mullet.

Flounder can not and will not pass one up.
Posted by baldona
Florida
Member since Feb 2016
20483 posts
Posted on 10/4/18 at 10:13 pm to
The best method is a small live bait on a slip weight with a kahle hook bumped slowly across the bottom. If you use live bait don't use a circle hook, don't work that well with flounder due to their mouth shape. Use a J or kahle.

Or your favorite jig or small fluke. Smaller the better IMO 3" body is what I prefer. Slow worked or at lease pause often. They will follow it and then hit it on the pause usually. They will often short strike, hold half the bait in their mouth before swallowing it. So using jigs you tend to miss a good bit of them in my experience. Or at least way more than trout and reds.
Posted by GATORGAR247
Member since Aug 2017
993 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 12:59 am to
Brought home 10 this morning. Char. Gulp tipped with flounder belly. Flounder are staging around marsh drains now. A couple good fronts and they will be in the channel. I like to fish the incoming tide during the run . I think they ride the outgoing and stop to eat and rest when the incoming starts.
Posted by LSUlefty
Youngsville, LA
Member since Dec 2007
26456 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 6:33 am to
Gulp or soft plastic off the bottom. Fish slow.
Posted by gumbo2176
Member since May 2018
15163 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 6:39 am to
I've not fished for flounder in a good while since most of my buds that once owned boats finally sold them and moved on, or died over the years.

My absolute best flounder trips found me catching them on the old standby I still have in my tackle box-----double shad rig with a bit of fresh shrimp hooked to it under a cork.

I've also had success gigging them in the gulf walking in the shallows with an old Coleman lantern on a pole and a gig. Just watch out for rays. My cousin took a barb in his calf one night and that ended that trip fishing and wound up with a hospital visit for his efforts.
Posted by Tigerhead
Member since Aug 2004
1176 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 7:05 am to
If I'm fishing the marsh, I always prefer the outgoing tide. But regardless, always remember that flounder are ambush feeders. They are going to position themselves in a spot where the tide is going to bring the bait to them. The down current side of points, cuts, or structure is always a good place to start.

Live shrimp or a shrimp looking lures can be very good right now because the shrimp are moving out of the marsh. Finger mullet is also "flounder candy" and is sometimes more effective in stained water.

Fish your lure or bait low and slow. Try to feel the bottom when you retrieve. If you aren't bumping bottom, your fishing too fast. When you get a thump, stop your retrieve, count to ten, then cross their eyes. They have a strong set of jaws and if you don't hit them hard you may not sink the barb. Good luck!
Posted by Tear It Up
The Deadening
Member since May 2005
13480 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 7:08 am to
quote:

Or your favorite jig or small fluke. Smaller the better IMO 3" body is what I prefer.


What size jig head do you like with 3" body? 1/8 or 1/4 oz?

I always used 4" Gulp swimming mullets, but I accidentally ordered 3" online. Most of my 1/4oz jig heads have hooks that seem too big for the 3" Gulps. The few "saltwater" 1/8oz heads still seem to have too big of a hook. I also don't know the castability of the 1/8oz heads with 12lb mono.
Posted by rsbd
banks of the Mississippi
Member since Jan 2007
22173 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 7:15 am to
Carolina rigged live minnows around sandbars, dropoffs, and points
Posted by LSU316
Rice and Easy Baby!!!
Member since Nov 2007
29311 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 7:32 am to
Ask Sebastian he caught that little bastard.
Posted by baldona
Florida
Member since Feb 2016
20483 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 10:38 am to
I don’t like wide gap jigs for flounder like I use for fishing flukes for redfish and trout because of the smaller mouth on a flounder. Outside of that I don’t think looks or size matter. In the fall run and winter when they school up to breed it’s more a matter of putting a bait in front of them worked slow enough for them to eat it.
Posted by MrLSU
Yellowstone, Val d'isere
Member since Jan 2004
25994 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 11:35 am to
Posted by Tiger Prawn
Member since Dec 2016
21916 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 2:14 pm to


Any idea how that spot would be affected by the river being a little higher than normal? Both on salinity level and the fish and any current to paddle upstream against on the return trip.
Posted by Tear It Up
The Deadening
Member since May 2005
13480 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 5:30 pm to
Has anyone had much success with the Chickenboy brand shrimp jigs?

I saw them mentioned on another forum about being great flounder lures. I bought a couple packs to try in November at Big Lake
Posted by fishfighter
RIP
Member since Apr 2008
40026 posts
Posted on 10/5/18 at 5:33 pm to
quote:

My absolute best flounder trips found me catching them on the old standby I still have in my tackle box-----double shad rig with a bit of fresh shrimp hooked to it under a cork.


Best with cut bait, no cork and just drag it along the bottom at marsh run outs.
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