Fall Flatfish
By: Mike Thompson
As the cool winds of autumn become more prevalent each day, some angler's attention is diverted toward the woods or the gridiron. The seasons are changing and with that change comes seasonal movement of fish and game.
If you are a hardcore inshore angler you may have set your sights on the fall speckled trout explosion. Those same hardcore fishermen also know fall is primetime for the annual run of flatfish.

Most anglers encounter flounder by accident when fishing for other inshore species. The odd, flat-shaped fish with both eyes on the same side of the head brings both puzzled looks and contented smiles as they come to the surface, usually in a circular motion.
The puzzled looks come from the faces of those who rarely encounter the fish, while the contented faces are the ones who know just how delicious and succulent the flounder is when on a plate.
Lest I forget, the flounder is quite an adversary on light tackle. From the strong, steady runs of a good-size flounder to the circular motion of the fish as it fights for freedom, the fish is definitely one of the more sporting inshore fish swimming.
Flounder vary in size from under a pound to fish in the double-digit range. The average-size fish caught is normally from a pound to 4 pounds in weight.
To consistently catch flounder, you first must understand the ways of the fish. This includes how it catches its meals and just where the best places are to target the flatfish.
HIDDEN PREDATORS
Unlike a lot of other inshore species that track bait and hunt down their forage, the flounder uses the element of surprise. Lying motionless on the bottom, hidden by its amazing ability to match its coloration to the bottom, flounder are the ultimate ambush predator.
Whether the bottom is mottled clay or sandy tan, flounder can change color to blend in with the surroundings. The ambush method makes the flounder a fish that waits for meals to come to them rather than roaming in search of food.
FEEDING LOCATIONS
Since flounder employ the ambush feeding tactics, the fish must seek out places that hold lots of food. Structure of any kind can be a magnet for small minnows and crustaceans that flounder feed on.
Bulkheads, jetties, gas rigs and large wooden channel markers can hold plenty of baitfish that will attract flounder. Flounder in schools small and large will stage around this structure waiting for an easy meal to swim by. When it does, the flounder darts out from its hiding place and scarfs up the unsuspecting meal.
After grabbing its prey, the flounder settles back down on the bottom to position its food for swallowing. It is because of this trait that many novice flounder anglers lose fish when they try and set the hook too soon.
Other locations that draw flounder are channels. Channels provide current that sweeps baits right to the waiting flounder. Setting up in a channel and putting out several lines can key you in as to which part of the channel the flatfish are using. Once this is established the fun really begins.
Finding channels can be as easy as looking at a depth finder for dropoffs. Some of the channels that hold flounder, however, can be quite shallow. A shallow channel of less than two feet can hold lots of bait and therefore lots of flounder.
To reaffirm the shallow channel theory, you only have to consult with a seasoned flounder gigger. They will tell you of very shallow channels or troughs where they have seen and gigged good numbers of flounders as they stage on the edges to feed.
I know firsthand about finding some of these shallow troughs at night while floundering. Once located, I would try and stick a branch or cane to mark the location during the day.
I would then return armed with a bucket of minnows and a fishing rod to take a few more flounders the common way. Trust me; this works.
THE SETUP
The way you set up to fish for flounder is very important. Most of the time flounder will face into the current waiting on baitfish. Knowing this, you should anchor your boat so you have ample opportunity to cast upcurrent.
You should also set your boat so that you can lob bait right behind any structure you fish. This is especially important when the current is swift.
Speaking of current, try and visualize what the flounder sees below. When the current is swift the flounder does best by hugging tight to the structure. This way it can take advantage of any baits that are swept into the structure and possibly hurt or disorganized.
When the current is weak the flatfish will be spread all around the structures waiting for
an unsuspecting baitfish to swim into the danger zone. This is where the flatfish does his work.
PATIENCE IS THE KEY
The hardest thing about flounder fishing is having the paitence and willpower to overcome the urge to set the hook at the first feel of the fish. As mentioned earlier, flounder first grab at the bait to control it. Next they position the bait for swallowing.
Using the huge teeth in the upper jaw to capture the bait, flounder then take their sweet time in swallowing it. Veteran flounder fishermen suggest a counting method before setting the hook. By counting slowly to ten you have given the fish time enough to get the bait and hook beyond the jaw area.
Before setting the hook, you slowly lift the rod tip to check for resistance. Often you feel the telltale movement of the fish attempting to engulf the bait.
If you do feel steady resistance, you should set the hook using a wrist action, avoiding the urge to do the Bill Dance, over-the-head hookset. You'll catch more flounder with the wrist-action method.
NATURAL BAITS
Flounder will hit a variety of natural baits. Live shrimp, small croakers, tiger minnows, finger mullet and bull minnows are all good flounder baits.
Let's start with shrimp. Sure, you can catch fish with live shrimp, but often you will be frustrated by the constant annoyance of small baitfish pecking away at your expensive shrimp.
Because flounder like minnow baits so much, it is one of the real advantages to using them. The other advantage is the lack of trash fish stealing or pestering your baits, but not all minnow baits are the same.
Croakers small enough to entice flounders are hard to come by. Finding smaller croakers is even tougher late in the season.
Finger mullet must be caught using a cast net. The mullet put off a lot of flash, but are sometimes hard to keep alive. Tiger minnows are quite lively, but not always available.
Bull minnows are hearty, available most of the time and are a flounder favorite. One of the best things about bull minnows is that they are durable.
Bull minnows are so tough that you can often catch two or more flounder on a single minnow. Now that's a tough bait right there!
ARTIFICIAL BAITS
There's no doubt that natural baits take the lion's share of flounder; however, there is a diehard segment of fishermen who love the prospect of fooling flounder with artificials.
Most of the artificials are minnow imitations. Some of the top producers are Saltwater Assassins, Berkley Power Baits and H & H Cocahoe Minnows and Sparkle Beetles.
All of these plastics are fished on a lead-head jig. Popular sizes of jig heads are quarter-ounce and three-eighths ounce. Sometimes the jigs are rigged in tandem, just like a speck rig.
Color choices are as varied as the anglers, but mainstay colors are smoke, root beer, chartreuse, clear glitter and pearl white.
One of the reasons catching flounder on artificials is so tough is something mentioned earlier. First a flounder grabs its prey before swallowing. If the bait doesn't feel or taste real, the flounder can easily spit it out.
Artificial-bait anglers don't have the luxury of counting to 10 and must make an instant decision. This results in lots of missed fish, but it's all in the game.
MAKING SENSE OF SCENTS
Because flounder are so prone to spit out or refuse artificial bait, anglers have tried numerous ways to make the artificials more real.
Many flounder fishermen take a small strip of the belly of the first flounder they catch and thread it on the jig hook for smell. This added smell sometimes fools the flounder into thinking he's got something alive in his mouth.
Other methods are the adding of scent such as menhaden oil to the plastic. Tackle manufacturers are also putting out various versions of scented artificials.
Pure Fishing, long a leader in scented baits, has recently introduced its Gulp series of baits. Made of 100 percent natural ingredients, Gulp baits are plastic-free.
What makes the baits so good is the scent dispersion. The scent is carried out in the water column better than live bait. It's then up to you to give it the live action.
Speaking of action, the company has come out with a specially designed blade-type jighead. The BladeDancer gives your lure flash and erratic motion that imitates a crippled baitfish. What will they think of next?
CLOSING THE DEAL
Whether you fish with live bait or artificial, there is that "moment-of-truth" time when you are about to land that really big flounder you've been dreaming of. Chances are you'll be pretty excited. And you should be. Right? Wrong!
When that really big flounder has finally shown himself, you have got to be at your calmest. If not, you probably will lose that flatfish.
At the net is where most really good flounder are lost. The No. 1 rule in netting any flounder is NEVER show him the net.
Try and withhold the net until the last possible moment. The reason is flounder often float right up to the surface in a state of confusion when hooked. Stick something down in the water that they can see, however, and they go crazy.
Another rule when netting a flounder is to always net the fish head-first.
Bumping the tale of a flounder with the net usually results in the fish leaping away at the first touch. Many a good flounder has been lost this way.
Finally, you should visually assess the quality of your hookup with the flounder. Often the fish, especially those hooked on an artificial bait, will only have the bait clamped between its jaws.
Once you see that the fish does not have a hook in the jaw, you must make a very quick but deliberate attempt to net the fish before it opens its mouth and swims away.
WRAPUP
The fall is a great time to target flounder on the Gulf Coast. Whether you use live baits or artificials, taking a cooler full of flounder is a possibility during their fall migration. So get out there this year and get you some of those flatfish.
You'll be glad you did!