# Low Tide Flounder



## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

The last 4 nights of flounder gigging have been very good. Nice weather conditions and light winds prevailed over the weekend, very rare for spring-time around here, and the first nice weather to fall on a weekend in several months. Water clarity was excellent in most areas, but the larger fish seemed to prefer more off-color water. Very low tides and bright full moon made for some challenges, with lots of skittish fish and most fish buried deep in sand/mud bottom. Limits came easy some nights, and other nights we had to work hard for them. The size of the fish has been very good for this time of year, with a 17" average lately, and a few fish over the 20" mark. As we head into May, I expect the good action to continue, even on windy nights. If your looking to get a trip in this Summer, now is the time to get it booked, as dates are filling fast, especially weekends.

*4/26/2018*
I had the West M. group of 2 onboard tonight. Conditions were nice, with SE wind at 5mph and very low tide levels. We got a late start, leaving the dock at 9pm. Once we started gigging, we found plenty of active flounder over soft mud bottom in very shallow water. We were able to be picky on the size of fish we gigged, passing on many 14-16" fish. We ended with a 10 flounder limit plus 1 sheepshead. The guys were glad to limit out quick, as they had to wake up early for a morning fishing trip. All the flounder tonight were in the 16-19" range.

*4/27/2018*
I had the Bryan K. group of 5 onboard tonight. Conditions were nice, with South winds at 5mph and very low tides. We got off to a slow start, only gigging 8 flounder in the first 2 hours. We made a move, and found a large school of flounder on a deep outer sandbar, gigging 17 more in 1 hour. We ended with a 25 flounder limit plus 5 sheepshead.

*4/28/2018*
I had the Justin J. group of 6 onboard tonight. Conditions were fair, with SE wind at 10mph and very low tide levels. We got off to a very slow start, with only 2 fish in the first hour, and 15 by midnight. After making several moves, we dialed in on some fast action, gigging our last 15 fish for a limit in 45 minutes. We ended with a 30 flounder limit plus 4 sheepshead. The largest flounder tonight was 21".

*4/29/2018*
I had the Jim C. group of 3 onboard tonight. Conditions were marginal, with SE wind at 15mph and very low tide levels. Water clarity was much worse tonight, with lots of murky water around. We landed on the fish right away, quickly gigging our 15 flounder limit over hard sand bottom. After getting our flounder limit, we went looking for sheepshead and drum for the next hour. We saw plenty, but only got a few, as most were skittish of the boat in the bright moonlight. We ended with a 15 flounder limit plus 1 black drum and 2 sheepshead.

*Upcoming open dates:
April: 30
May: 6, 8, 9, 13-17, 20, 22-24
June: 5, 11-14, 17-19, 21, 26-28
July: 1, 5-13, 15-18, 22-24, 26-28, 30, 31*

I also do "late trips" if I finish quickly with my first group. Late trips usually leave the dock 10pm-1am. Please call for availability. This is the best way to get a trip on short notice when I am already booked.

Price: $450 for 2 people, $100 each additional person, up to 6 people

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, TX
 nightstalkerguideservice.com
361-229-6053

#floundergigging


----------

