# The flounder are back....



## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

The 2009 Fall flounder run was one for the record books, even though we could not gig during November and had lower limits(5). It seems as though the flounder had a very good year up and down the coast, as was evidenced by the strong run of large fish into late December. We think that the lower limits and gig closure during November is going to pay off in a big way in the next few years. These new regulations will likely make it much easier to find quality flounder during the spring and summer, and we are already starting to see the positive effects.....

After a month of not going gigging, we finally fired the boat up last night to see if any flounder have showed up in the back bays. It was a simple scouting trip to look for fish and see if recent rains have had any effect on water clarity in our usual springtime spots. In the past, these mid-February scouting trips have usually resulted in seeing many undersized flounder (non-spawners) with an occasional keeper fish.

We pulled up to our first spot of the night, and started the airmotor to get us the remaining 100 yards to shore. Before we made it to the bank we had seen 3 keeper size flounder and several fresh beds. As we made it into the shallow water near the bank, we realized we had stumbled on the motherload... There was a flounder about every 30 feet down the bank, with countless fresh beds all around. In the first 5 minutes, we saw approx 20 keeper flounder, with most being 16-18". *Since we were strictly scouting, we decided to not to gig anything, but just to look at potential areas for upcoming trips.* A few minutes later, we decided to leave the area to see if the same thing was happening in other locales. We made about a 20 minute boat ride to another shallow cove and pulled in on the bank. Here, we did not see any flounder for about 10 minutes, but the first one we came across was at least 25". We continued down the shoreline for another 15 minutes, seeing six more flounder that were all over 20" (no small flounder in sight!).

It was great seeing all those big flounder back in the bay doing there thing, and even better knowing that the population may be coming back in a big way...

(But, it was very hard to resist sticking a gig in them)

By the way, we have just finished construction of our new flounder boat. It offers the latest in customer comfort and safety, including: full interior LED lighting, swivel bucket seats with airRide, custom memory foam front seat with backrest, new handrails near console and rear seating areas, and a fully enclosed back deck. The boat is powered by a new 115 Evinrude E-tec and a new 20hp. Honda airmotor with a new quiet-tip prop and custom mufflers.

I will post pics of the new boat soon, we just completed it last week...

Capt. Bob Van and Capt. Rick Hammond
NightStalker Guide Service - Rockport, TX
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com
361-727-0045


----------



## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*Pictures of the new boat*

Below are some daytime pics of the new boat. It is a 2010 year model Weld-Craft 20' with additional 2 foot long sponsons added to the back. We run a new 2009 Evinrude E-tec 115 and a 2009 20hp Honda airmotor. Extra handrails were added near the rear seating areas and at the front of the boat. We had all of the aluminum work painted in black, no exposed aluminum on the boat (except for console grab rail). The back deck and all storage areas are covered, and all walking surfaces were covered with non-skid. The new airRide bucket seats are on the way, and we will put them on as soon as our old seats start to wear out.

We look forward to getting blood, mud, and slime all over the new rig...

By the way, Capt. Bob just had 2 groups call to cancel at the last minute for this Friday and Saturday night (19th and 20th). If you are in the Rockport area this weekend and want to give gigging a shot, give him a call at the number below.

Capt. Bob Van and Capt. Rick Hammond
NightStalker Guide Service - Rockport, TX
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com
361-727-0045


----------

