Flounder, a breed of flat fish with an attitude not soon to be forgotten, are a prime catch for fishermen. Experts at hiding, they are so fast and stealthy that you may mistake them for a mere shadow. There are very few east coast fishermen who do not take pleasure in fishing for fluke. These flavorsome white fish are not only pleasing to the palate but also are tremendous fighters, creating a memorable fishing experience.
In the northeast you can find flounder near the shorelines as early as May. The warmer the water the more likely you are to find them hiding out seeking their favorite foods – sand eels, squid and other baitfish – and they can generally be found in shallow beach waters, bays and tidal river mouths. In the dead of summer, you can find flounder lurking as close as 30 feet from shore – or as far away as 120 feet. They like to stay in water temperatures that they are comfortable in but where food isn’t too far away. The cooler the temperatures, the closer to the shore they’ll be found. In the late fall, you’re going to find them making their annual trek down the coast towards the warmer waters on the Atlantic coast. Fluke are not fond of northeast winters.
As with many fishermen, you likely have your own unique approach to fishing for fluke, mainly depending on the depth of the water. When you are fishing during the earliest and latest parts of the season, fishing in the shallows is preferable, at a depth of around 20 feet or less. Most fishermen choose to use a standard tackle or a spinning rod. Rig your jigs with squid, and the best selections of squid are generally in the 1-4 oz range. Cast your rigs directly downwards from the boat, which ought to be drifting at this point. Make sure that your jig is weighted enough to sink into contact with the waterbed where the fluke will feed. Properly weighted, your jig will sink to the bottom to ensure a memorable fishing expedition.
How you work the jig is vital, and this should be done by using the boat’s drifting motion to signal when to raise and lower the jig. Typically, it should be raised and lowered a foot or two from the waterbed by simply adjusting the tip of your rod. Then, you can drop the jig gradually to draw the most attention.
Another effective method is to use the snap method. This is extremely helpful if you’re dealing with a school of lethargic fish as it gets their attention quickly. It is not complicated to use a snap method – simply wait until your line hits the bottom and snap it back – then allow it to go slack. Regardless of how lazy the fluke are feeling this will certainly get their attention.
Once you’ve found and caught a fluke, make note of where you are and what equipment was used successfully. Triangulation is an effectual means of pinpointing your location, but using a GPS system is the simplest method of notating the site. Keep in mind that GPS systems are also nearly indispensable when first trying to find the school of fluke.
Once the season starts to heat up, fluke will start wandering away from the shore line. In this instance, you’ll want to switch over to target fishing. This will require spinner rigs which are fun to design or you can but them in any good bait and tackle shop. Most people find that they would rather experiment with a number of different pre-made spinners until they find their preference. Once they find what they prefer, most fishermen want to make their own spinner rigs.
Spinner rigs are not complicated. They are primarily three eyes. The main eye connects to the main line, then a sinker is attached to the second eye, and the final eye holds a leader. For those who are trying to get the most of out of their spinners, beads and a spinner blade are placed above the hook. Favorite bait and sinkers help ensure that the line will stay in proximity to the waterbed and create not only a visual queue and a vibration that will get the attention of the laziest fluke. When your boat drifts, the spinner blade rotates ahead of your hook and creates this queue.
Deeper water rigs can be advantageous as the fluke begin to migrate toward the cooler waters later on in the season. These rigs let you more successfully catch fluke effortlessly and speedily even later in the year. When you are hoping to catch a large number of fluke, you can easily use a jumble of methods. Making use of these concise and trouble-free guidelines can guarantee that you will at least understand how to catch those delicious fluke.
In order to have a successful time fishing, you want to make sure you have the correct supplies. Some examples are Shimano Reels, Daiwa Reels, and Shimano Spinning Reels.