Flounder??

[brianisoutside]

I've never fished for them or caught one for that matter. Generally speaking where could I go to fish for them? I am near Annapolis.

A little research I've done looks like 3" grubs or shrimp in jig heads works well. Any pointers?


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[J.A. Veil]

Not too many folks actively target flounder in the bay near Annapolis these days. In 1994, I took my neighbor and his two young boys out on my boat. We were fishing on Thomas Point bar using bottom rigs with some type of bait (probably squid or bloodworms). I rigged one rod, tossed the rig out, and handed it to the older boy. While I was rigging the second rod, he called out that he had something. I told him to wind it in. As the fish neared the surface I could see it was brown and wide. I assumed it was a ray but on closer looking, I realized it was a large flounder. We got the fish in the boat and took it to Marty's tackle shop (at that time the shop was still owned by the original Marty). The young man got a citation certificate from DNR for the 24"+ flounder. In December we were very surprised when he received a plaque from DNR telling him he had caught the largest flounder in the Maryland bay waters that year.

I also fished for flounder on Brickhouse Bar (off of Kent Island). Guides have fished for flounder on the dropoff west of Poplar Island and inside the hook at Bloody Pt (Hollicutt's Noose).

If you really want to target flounder you will have better luck traveling to the ocean side. I have caught flounder in the bay behind Ocean City and at Wachapreague, VA.

I once caught a flounder in Maynadier Creek, well up the Severn. That was a very unusual catch for that location.

[Mark]

I caught one on Rat-L-Trap casting to a sandy shoreline for stripers near Poplar Island.

They are frequent catches in Tampa with jigs and soft plastics. The target areas there are sandy bottoms.

I wonder why they are not caught more in our local waters? Has their population diminished in the Mid-Bay area in the past 20 years or so?

[yakscientist]

I caught one on Rat-L-Trap casting to a sandy shoreline for stripers near Poplar Island.

They are frequent catches in Tampa with jigs and soft plastics. The target areas there are sandy bottoms.

I wonder why they are not caught more in our local waters? Has their population diminished in the Mid-Bay area in the past 20 years or so?

I can't comment on the population, but I bet a lot of the reason they aren't caught more frequently, is that people simply aren't targeting them. I know I would never think to fish for them in the areas that I fish in, but I bet when it's warm enough, they're probably there. They were all over J-bay, and the water temps there were slightly colder than the Chesapeake, and I bet the food supply for them is similar between the 2 areas. I think you may get oyster toadcrackers, croaker, spot, perch, and other bottom fish when you target them, and the ratio may make you give up on them. I think this summer I'm going to devote 30-45 mins on almost every summer trip to trying to find them, can't hurt. In regards to tackle, based on what people told me, and what I used, fluoro leader (20lb is plenty) to a white bucktail jig (1/2-2oz depending on depth), and pink or chartreuse gulp curltail minnows are what you need. Just bounce it along the bottom, and drift.

[Slobber Bob]

I wonder why they are not caught more in our local waters?

I'd guess salinity levels aren't high enough to bring them further up the bay regularly in any great numbers.

[ronaultmtd]

In the Slower Lower we sometimes catch them...most are small, undersized and usually a by-catch while perch fishing- every now and then we get a legal keeper, but when we do, we generally keep it quiet

[Redfish12]

We used to catch keepers at the mouth of PLO along with some horse croakers. I am not sure if it is the gillnetters/commercial fishing guys that are the reason or if they simply aren't coming up the bay anymore. I think the commercial size limit in the Potomac is 14" (may have changed) but I assume they kill them all before they have a chance.

[AmberjackYakin]

I caught one on Rat-L-Trap casting to a sandy shoreline for stripers near Poplar Island.

They are frequent catches in Tampa with jigs and soft plastics. The target areas there are sandy bottoms.

I wonder why they are not caught more in our local waters? Has their population diminished in the Mid-Bay area in the past 20 years or so?

In 2015, I was catching a lot of flounders on the Honga River, last two years managed to catch only three while speckled trout fishing.

[Steve6902]

Someone could always setup a flounder M&G. I would be in for that.

[ronaultmtd]

For us to have a realistic chance of everyone getting into fish and possibility of some legal keepers, it would need to be around Ocean City or the Eastern Shore near the Virginia border...we get one every now and then around Point Lookout but it is rare and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on one...Like Redfish posted- the commercial guys have just about wiped out summer flounder in this region...and they are starting to wipe out other fisheries in the Gulf south...don't want to get on a political rant, but most state fisheries agencies are dominated by commercial watermen and very few, if any recreational fishermen...