# Flounder by the hundreds!



## pipeliner345 (Mar 15, 2010)

We witnessed something today that I have never ever seen before. Flounder were jumping out of the water doing back flips like sharks ambushing seals by the hundreds! They were all over the bay doing it! They were everywhere! Never have I seen so many doing this. They were mauling the mullet schools. It was amazing at the shear numbers! ! And can you believe we only managed 3 keepers out of all that. It was indescribable. 
Coming in we were racing to the ramp to beat a storm. A 23' shoal water came in behind us and was following. I missed the gut by a long shot! . I just kept going with 4 on board I wasn't gonna let up. It was touch and go, got pretty Hairy. The shoalie didn't make it. I kept looking back to see if they might need help but they were able float it off. That hard sand almost got me today but once again the shallowsport saved my azzzz.
I still can't believe the numbers of flounder we seen today!


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## barronj (Sep 30, 2013)

pipeliner345 said:


> We witnessed something today that I have never ever seen before. Flounder were jumping out of the water doing back flips like sharks ambushing seals by the hundreds! They were all over the bay doing it! They were everywhere! Never have I seen so many doing this. They were mauling the mullet schools. It was amazing at the shear numbers! ! And can you believe we only managed 3 keepers out of all that. It was indescribable.
> Coming in we were racing to the ramp to beat a storm. A 23' shoal water came in behind us and was following. I missed the gut by a long shot! . I just kept going with 4 on board I wasn't gonna let up. It was touch and go, got pretty Hairy. The shoalie didn't make it. I kept looking back to see if they might need help but they were able float it off. That hard sand almost got me today but once again the shallowsport saved my azzzz.
> I still can't believe the numbers of flounder we seen today!


 What bay system?


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## Hook_It (Aug 11, 2012)

I saw that paddling in Coloma probably ten years back. Awesome sight! 


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## rugger (Jul 17, 2009)

Really cool. What'd you catch them on? Those are the times that topwaters will work for flounder!


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

barronj said:


> What bay system?


Shhh the giggers want to know....


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## cfulbright (Jun 24, 2009)

It happens every year about this time, its an awesome sight that most people don't even know about. 

I have chased this bite for about 5 years now. Normally they are chasing shad.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

This should have been in the Fishing Report, as those folks don't tell ya much either....Reminds me of an Alfred Hitchcock show. It leaves you "hangin".


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## SurfHippie (Apr 7, 2015)

^^^:rotfl:


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## pipeliner345 (Mar 15, 2010)

Sharing your experience on social media is one thing. Sharing your fishin hole on social media is another.  
We were using mullet. I did boat one on a top water. Still hard to imagine what we witnessed.


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## photofishin (Aug 7, 2009)

pipeliner345 said:


> Sharing your experience on social media is one thing. Sharing your fishin hole on social media is another.
> We were using mullet. I did boat one on a top water. Still hard to imagine what we witnessed.


 yeah because our bay systems are the size of small ponds so sharing that you saw them in Trinity or Galveston Bay is going to drive tens of millions of boats there with one post. /sarcasm


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## pipeliner345 (Mar 15, 2010)

Southern Galveston bay complex. Feel better?


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## barronj (Sep 30, 2013)

Yes, thanks!


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## chumy (Jul 13, 2012)

pipeliner345 said:


> Southern Galveston bay complex. Feel better?


 SLP, Yes!!!!!:dance:


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

I literally LOL when some of ya'll get butthurt that somebody doesn't hand you the gps coord. to their fishing hole.....If you don't want to put in the time to find your own fish then sell all your gear and buy tilapia.


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

something like this? Photo taken on the Louisiana shoreline of Sabine a few weeks back.


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## duckmania (Jun 3, 2014)

I ve seen them chase finger mullet but just a few fish, never hundreds of them. I will say I ve seen and caught more flounder in the several months than in the last few years. I think the new regs really helped.


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## SeaY'all (Jul 14, 2011)

I saw this a few weeks ago. Its a great sight watching those flatties break the water like that.


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## AlCapone (May 28, 2014)

Ripin' Lips said:


> something like this? Photo taken on the Louisiana shoreline of Sabine a few weeks back.


^^^ Guaranteed limit on Flounders !!!


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

rugger said:


> Really cool. What'd you catch them on? Those are the times that topwaters will work for flounder!


Clear SS Jr's ... every time. Sometimes those little bitty Zara Spooks will work too but the hooks are complete trash.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Amazing what happens, when they curtail flounder gigging in November, when the females are full of eggs, and trying to make it offshore to spawn.



duckmania said:


> I ve seen them chase finger mullet but just a few fish, never hundreds of them. I will say I ve seen and caught more flounder in the several months than in the last few years. I think the new regs really helped.


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## DCAVA (Aug 5, 2013)

Witnessed the same thing years ago in Port Aransas. My BIL is a welder and was living in an apartment right off the bay. We fished one afternoon and there were tons of shrimp in a cove and flounder everywhere going airborne to catch the shrimp. Blowups and acrobatics all around us. We netted some shrimp and freelined them, but couldn't get one flounder to bite???? We caught a couple good sized croaker though....


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

Trouthappy said:


> Amazing what happens, when they curtail flounder gigging in November, when the females are full of eggs, and trying to make it offshore to spawn.


more to it than that this year. This is the best flounder year I've seen for rod and reel catching. they're everywhere.

It can't be the new regulations from last year, unless the commercial and gigging take is way higher than TPW thinks it is. (shocking).


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## Im Headed South (Jun 28, 2006)

The major Flounder limit changes took effect in Sept 09 then just tweaked a little last year. A couple of cooler winters we're also huge in their come back.


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## bjones2571 (May 2, 2007)

Yep, I saw this on Father's Day. Was in my kayak and noticed some feeding action by a marsh drain. Paddled over and I see a large flounder jump 2 feet out of the water and I see his mullet victim go flying. Grabbed my rod with a chickenboy on it and waded closer and cast a few times at the area I assumed he'd launched from. On the sixth or seventh cast, fish on and a 22" flounder in da boat. Figured where there was one there would be more, and cast a few more times and caught a 16" fish. Nothing like sight casting (kind of) to flounder!


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## gman1772 (Jul 15, 2012)

pipeliner345 said:


> We witnessed something today that I have never ever seen before. Flounder were jumping out of the water doing back flips like sharks ambushing seals by the hundreds! They were all over the bay doing it! They were everywhere! Never have I seen so many doing this. They were mauling the mullet schools. It was amazing at the shear numbers! ! And can you believe we only managed 3 keepers out of all that. It was indescribable.
> Coming in we were racing to the ramp to beat a storm. A 23' shoal water came in behind us and was following. I missed the gut by a long shot! . I just kept going with 4 on board I wasn't gonna let up. It was touch and go, got pretty Hairy. The shoalie didn't make it. I kept looking back to see if they might need help but they were able float it off. That hard sand almost got me today but once again the shallowsport saved my azzzz.
> I still can't believe the numbers of flounder we seen today!


I've seen it twice. Make you wanna crank up a use the dip net. And yes. Shallow Sports are the chit. It may be an un ugly dated looking boat. But like a claw hammer, no other tool is better suited to the task.


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## SwineAssassiN (Jul 24, 2011)

I have seen this duck hunting the marsh during early teal season. Looked like white dinner plates coming out of the water


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## Blue Fin Charters (Mar 2, 2010)

Trouthappy said:


> Amazing what happens, when they curtail flounder gigging in November, when the females are full of eggs, and trying to make it offshore to
> 
> I doubt that's the biggest factor. Rod n reel fishing and Comercial floundering both account for more flounder harvested than gigging. I do agree reduced pressure in November is a good thing. They should close all flounder fishing in November or allow all recreational harvest.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

Trouthappy said:


> Amazing what happens, when they curtail flounder gigging in November, when the females are full of eggs, and trying to make it offshore to spawn.


How many giggers do think utilize each bay system?

Go to the battle ground park (Dick Dowlen) in Sabine Pass during November and tell me who is taking more fish.


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## GoneSouth (Jun 4, 2010)

Gigging is tough. I catch more on rod and reel than gigging. Good gigging is a rare thing. I take the kids gigging when I can, wind, moon and sufficient water clarity limit my trips. Just my actual experience. 


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Ripin' Lips said:


> something like this? Photo taken on the Louisiana shoreline of Sabine a few weeks back.


I saw this quite a few times at river/bayou mouths. Not hundreds, but dozens flipping out of 1 fow on outgoing tide.



Trouthappy said:


> Amazing what happens, when they curtail flounder gigging in November, when the females are full of eggs, and trying to make it offshore to spawn.


Do not forget stocking program and bycatch losses (which are probably accountable for most of the decline).



GoneSouth said:


> Gigging is tough. I catch more on rod and reel than gigging. Good gigging is a rare thing. I take the kids gigging when I can, wind, moon and sufficient water clarity limit my trips. Just my actual experience.


I dunno, it feels like once you figure them out it turns into a harvest -- gigging guides post limits quite often, esp. this year.


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*I found the exact same thing tonight while gigging*

I found the exact same thing tonight while gigging in Aransas Bay. See my report HERE

Flounder were jumping out of the water chasing bait in front of the boat while we were gigging tonight. This was one massive school of flounder, confined to about a 200 yard stretch of shoreline. Flounder of all sizes were racing past the boat in every direction, and it was total mayhem trying to keep up with gigging the keepers.

The flounder have actually been very hard to come by lately, with fresh water, river floods, and high winds. All of these factors have produced poor water clarity along the entire Texas coast for most of the last 2 months.

I attribute the recent rise in flounder numbers to favorable juvenile survival with several cold winters and recent increased fresh water inflows (more baitfish and shrimp). The November/December closure does have a minor positive effect on total numbers, but there are way more flounder in the bays than any fisherman or gigger could ever imagine. What you see while gigging and catch while fishing is just scratching the surface of the the sheer numbers of flounder in our bays. Flounder are very finicky, and when they decide to show themselves or school up, it is easy to realize that there is a lot going on that we still don't fully understand in regards to fish populations.

TPWD's random gill net fisheries sampling method (which is used as a parameter to set new regulations) doesn't work well for flounder (by their own admission - per Lance R.). Those who are on the water every day and night making a living can tell you more about the general health of the bay system and its creatures than any scientist or fisheries biologist.

The good thing is that the bays are the most healty I have seen in a long time. Crabs, shrimp, and seagrass are making a huge comeback with increased freshwater this year. Redfish, trout, and flounder are all very healthy this year and showing signs of a population boom. Recent decreased limits for flounder and trout are a good thing, as there will be more of these fish that survive despite ever increasing fishing pressure on our bay systems.

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, Texas
Flounder Gigging - Bay Fishing - Duck Hunting
361-727-0045
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com


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## hathatteras (Oct 14, 2013)

*Last Tuesday*

I was out last Tuesday evening and saw the same thing. I could only get one on a popping cork and a grub. I couldn't drag a plastic on the bottom because there was a shell bottom. The Reds were attacking the shad, too. My buddy stopped by on his way in and they had a cooler full. He was using mud minnows and finger mullet fishing with a Carolina rig. There was thousands of small shad jumping everywhere slapping the sides of my boat. I just got done working graveyards and it was my 1st half day off, so I didn't have the energy to stay out all night. I had to put on my goretex rain gear to keep the darn Mosquitos off. They were viscous!


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

There was one year that Tpwd said that approx 100 fin fish commercial license (commercial gigger) accounted for Nearly "HALF" the take on Texas flounder.....

This was per their counts and tracking........its why we saw commercial take cut in half, and gigging taken away during their spawning run.

The state was close to closing flounder for everyone - but we fought for the change with the least impact to the smallest group.....

We are seeing the flounder on the rebound......this is from regulation change.....

Restocking flounder is very little ....they are still trying to get it right, as it's not like trout and reds........only a few thousand flounder fingerlings are being released every year, compared to millions of reds and trout.


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

OR, we could get really crazy and make flounder a game fish. 

I like to gig too, but I have to say catching as many as I have this year has been a blast. Since may, me and my boys and guests on my boat have caught somewhere around 75 flounder.


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## photofishin (Aug 7, 2009)

saltwatersensations said:


> I literally LOL when some of ya'll get butthurt that somebody doesn't hand you the gps coord. to their fishing hole.....If you don't want to put in the time to find your own fish then sell all your gear and buy tilapia.


and I LOL when someone thinks by posting the body of water, that 300,000 boats will find the exact spot in Trinity Bay where this occurred. (or West Bay or Galveston Bay etc)


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## Micheletti (Feb 14, 2012)

*MAKES ME WANT TO GIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

:ac550::ac550::ac550::ac550::ac550:


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## whalerguy28 (Jun 3, 2009)

photofishin said:


> saltwatersensations said:
> 
> 
> > I literally LOL when some of ya'll get butthurt that somebody doesn't hand you the gps coord. to their fishing hole.....If you don't want to put in the time to find your own fish then sell all your gear and buy tilapia.
> ...


Oh yeah ask any Sabine regular how many boats showed up a couple years ago when people started posting pics of big boxes. It didn't take people long to find where they were being caught by the sheer number of boats in this certain cove. I know of people who have never been to Sabine before and asking people at the ramp where the cove was because of social media reports. Trust me bubba bent pole brigade is a sharp bunch.


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## Blue Fin Charters (Mar 2, 2010)

You can no longer obtain a new fin fish permit. You would have to buy one from somebody that wants out. TPWL will buy them back also. You will not see an increase in commercial gigging. If anything there will be decrease.


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## photofishin (Aug 7, 2009)

whalerguy28 said:


> Oh yeah ask any Sabine regular how many boats showed up a couple years ago when people started posting pics of big boxes. It didn't take people long to find where they were being caught by the sheer number of boats in this certain cove. I know of people who have never been to Sabine before and asking people at the ramp where the cove was because of social media reports. Trust me bubba bent pole brigade is a sharp bunch.


 so how many of those people caught fish? How many of the people who posted reports STOPPED catching fish?
I see your point here...however I've aw first hand at a small 1500 acre lake Fayette County where I posted reports for years that it didn't matter one iota. I was able to regularly put clients on fish regardless of people who I had told specific spots to, what baits worked when, what time of day etc. You can't tell me that Trinity, the Sabine, Calcasieu or any other local bay is fished more heavily than Fayette in the spring.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

whalerguy28 said:


> Oh yeah ask any Sabine regular how many boats showed up a couple years ago when people started posting pics of big boxes. It didn't take people long to find where they were being caught by the sheer number of boats in this certain cove. I know of people who have never been to Sabine before and asking people at the ramp where the cove was because of social media reports. Trust me bubba bent pole brigade is a sharp bunch.


That was the worst mistake I ever made. Not realizing the power of a detailed internet report and the main reason I am the way I am today about posting reports with locations or backgrounds in photos that give away the area. I could not believe there was a huge group of people that scour the internet for idiots like me to give away a spot like that.
Any one who thinks internet potlicking is not dangerous is a fool! I will never make that mistake again. People even look for embedded GPS coordinates on pictures taken with phones that do not have their location services turned off. It is a real problem and has busted up some great fishing and ruined some areas all together.


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## Porky (Nov 1, 2006)

Another possibility is a Jubilee brought on by the dead zone. I will never forget my 1st trip to Matagorda Island(late 70's) right after they opened it up to the public and my cousin and I were gigging between lighthouse cove and the airstrip harbor and fighting the crabs off of us and our flounder on stringers, whenever we stopped to let the lanterns cool off we had to throw the flounder in the marsh grass to keep the crabs off of them.


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## pipeliner345 (Mar 15, 2010)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> That was the worst mistake I ever made. Not realizing the power of a detailed internet report and the main reason I am the way I am today about posting reports with locations or backgrounds in photos that give away the area. I could not believe there was a huge group of people that scour the internet for idiots like me to give away a spot like that.
> Any one who thinks internet potlicking is not dangerous is a fool! I will never make that mistake again. People even look for embedded GPS coordinates on pictures taken with phones that do not have their location services turned off. It is a real problem and has busted up some great fishing and ruined some areas all together.


Exactly! This right here. ! I learned my lesson to.


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## Marshman (Jul 24, 2008)

*learned this too*



pipeliner345 said:


> Exactly! This right here. ! I learned my lesson to.





Smackdaddy53 said:


> That was the worst mistake I ever made. Not realizing the power of a detailed internet report and the main reason I am the way I am today about posting reports with locations or backgrounds in photos that give away the area. I could not believe there was a huge group of people that scour the internet for idiots like me to give away a spot like that.
> Any one who thinks internet potlicking is not dangerous is a fool! I will never make that mistake again. People even look for embedded GPS coordinates on pictures taken with phones that do not have their location services turned off. It is a real problem and has busted up some great fishing and ruined some areas all together.


Yes, learned this too - I have a couple spots for flounder in the fall, that I don't even fish until afternoons, after most of the crowd has went back to the dock. And pictures there, aren't happening either, these are already spots that more than a boat or two on, will be unfishable.

On the other hand - it has made me a better fisherman. I have learned to ask myself "why are these fish here?" and "Where else might they be, that is like this?" and I have found, that there are fish there too, and sometimes less traffic, less people.

Found this in a most pleasant way, from a friend that has passed on. I happened by him one day in the middle of 150 boats on a popular ( at that time, has changed since then ) reef in big lake. He there his rod down and said

"Man, what are you doing here! I'm here because I have to be" _ points to clients.

I thought about it, troll motored out of the crowd, went way away, found a bunch of birds and worked one set for hours, caught 50+ fish, all over 3, some to 5 pounds, kept 5-6, hooked too deep to release. Lesson learned.

OP, sorry for the derailment - have seen this a lot last couple years, is a nice improvement. These jumpers can be hard to catch though, needs a small bait, looking like a shad or glass minnow. Have done OK with small split tail gulp,in white with chartreuse tail. Fly rod from a kayak too, although, I am tempted to try these guys at night soon and beat the heat. I'll report success if found.


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## DMC (Apr 2, 2006)

Stick'em with a hook or with a gig, a limit is a limit and not a lot of people are C&R flounder.


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## pipeliner345 (Mar 15, 2010)

Marshman said:


> Yes, learned this too - I have a couple spots for flounder in the fall, that I don't even fish until afternoons, after most of the crowd has went back to the dock. And pictures there, aren't happening either, these are already spots that more than a boat or two on, will be unfishable.
> 
> On the other hand - it has made me a better fisherman. I have learned to ask myself "why are these fish here?" and "Where else might they be, that is like this?" and I have found, that there are fish there too, and sometimes less traffic, less people.
> 
> ...


No problem. I hope everyone catches fish. But ya just can't vomit your fishin hole on social media! It'll be covered up in just days.


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

photofishin said:


> so how many of those people caught fish? How many of the people who posted reports STOPPED catching fish?
> I see your point here...however I've aw first hand at a small 1500 acre lake Fayette County where I posted reports for years that it didn't matter one iota.


No one cares about black bass -- try posting about limit of crappies at Fayette. ;-)


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## Aggieangler (May 28, 2004)

I would love to see this multi-flounder flop sometime, even if I don't have a rod with me. Can anyone get some pics of it, without compromising their location? It would just be cool to see.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

I saw it around this time last year while kayaking a big back lake on the middle coast. Flounder were smashing schools of shad and finger mullet. I caught a few on a mirrodine and gigged a limit that evening before the sun was below the horizon.


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## barronj (Sep 30, 2013)

I experienced it yesterday in Carlos and Mesquite bays. I slowed down my retrieve and just started bumping across the bottom (chicken boy trout king), felt the thump, waited, and caught it. They were all around me in both bay systems. I only witnessed a few busting the surface, flying through the air, but the swirls they were making all around me were unique and when they would get close to the surface, their brown & spots became visible. Very off color, fresh water. Caught two before switching back to a faster retrieve.


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## charlie23 (Jan 11, 2005)

ok folks, just so some of you know, bay system does NOT equal to gps or exactly honey hole location. So chill out and realize it's ok to say yeah i caught 'em in west bay, east bay, freeport, etc.... without jeopardizing "your" holes.


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## mertz09 (Nov 15, 2009)

charlie23 said:


> ok folks, just so some of you know, bay system does NOT equal to gps or exactly honey hole location. So chill out and realize it's ok to say yeah i caught 'em in west bay, east bay, freeport, etc.... without jeopardizing "your" holes.


Thanks


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

charlie23 said:


> ok folks, just so some of you know, bay system does NOT equal to gps or exactly honey hole location. So chill out and realize it's ok to say yeah i caught 'em in west bay, east bay, freeport, etc.... without jeopardizing "your" holes.


No one is required to post any of that information. Lots of folks think they are entitled to know where fish were caught. The most important information is how they were caught and under what conditions.


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## gman1772 (Jul 15, 2012)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> No one is required to post any of that information. Lots of folks think they are entitled to know where fish were caught. The most important information is how they were caught and under what conditions.


Let it go Smack.

Pearl White 3" Gulp Alive Shrimp in any area of shallow moving water will induce a Flounder bite. The bait is Flounder crack & the area is where they usually do their business.

Presentation and patience are key. I prefer a "jigging motion" A short pull and taking up of the slack on retrieve. The key is moving water. Flounder are ambush predators. They wait for something to come by to kill and eat. They push off of the bottom and chomp their prey. With that small mouth they wait until the prey is lifeless and swallow it. That's where the patience part comes to play and why the Gulp is the bait of choice. That initial bite is a stun bite. The Flounder never lets go. It's making sure it's victim can't get away before it starts eating. Gulp, while having a revolting smell to most of us, are apparently quite tasty to Flounder. If you feel a bump in Flounder territory, STOP JACKING WITH YOUR RIG. Open the bail, hit the cast bar. Bottom line give your line slack. You are letting the Flounder feel comfortable in chomping down that that bait. The wait is usually anywhere from 5 seconds to a minute. Don't ask me how I know because I don't know. Pop the bail or set the cast bar and left your tip of the rod. If you have weight you got a Flounder on.

Ever lose a Flounder at the boat? It was never hooked. The Flounder is the Pit Bull of the bay. If it liked what you threw it won't let go. I guaranty everybody on this board got a Flounder bite and dismissed it as hitting an oyster bed, etc. the bite is that subtle. And you jerked that bait out of it's teeth to keep it out of the shell.


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## tigerhead (Jun 17, 2005)

I use to keep a black spoon in my box for the times when I would see the flounder jumping on the flats. You can reel that black spoon right on the surface and the flounder will launch themselves clean out of the water to grab it as it goes over. Works best in about a foot of water. The silhouette thrown by that black spoon will get them to strike better than any lure I've ever tried.


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## charlie23 (Jan 11, 2005)

dont think i said anything about what anyone is "required" to do and who's feeling "entitled" , but then that's just your ASSumption. Folks ask a simple question, dont wanna answer it, just politely decline, not very difficult.


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## dolch (Aug 19, 2005)

flounder are just like the trout this year. They are stacked up due to the rain and run off. 
If you find them, they are everywhere. If you can't find trout in Galveston this year, you probably should take up golf for a hobby.


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