# The Spring Flounder run is on!! - Rockport



## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

Flounder numbers are steadily building on the flats, and the Spring flounder run is in full swing. The last 3 nights of gigging have been very good, even with some marginal weather conditions. Warmer than normal temps and rising tides have pushed many flounder into the bays early this year, making for great gigging opportunities before winds increase in April and May. Just this week, I am seeing lots of returning spawning fish, evidenced by their large shriveled egg sacks when cleaning them. Flounder numbers will continue to build through April, but now is the time to take advantage of nice weather and good water clarity before the high winds of late Spring kick in. The fish are all in the 14-19" range right now, but I expect to start seeing a few fish over 20" any day now...

*2/25/2017 - Double Trip*
For the first trip tonight I had the Waylon F. group of 5 onboard. Conditions were fair, with East winds at 10-15mph and slightly low tide levels. We found the fish holding shallow over oyster shell and mud bottom. The water clarity was poor, due to strong North winds earlier in the day. We ended with a 25 flounder limit by 9pm, with most of the fish at 16-17".

For the second trip tonight, I had the Glen C. group of 3, and we departed the dock at 11pm. Winds were now NE at 10-15mph, and tides were much higher, 6-8" more water than the first trip. With the hard incoming tide and return to NE wind, the water clarity was very poor, and the fish were more skittish. After a couple moves, we got things dialed in over hard sand and grass bottom on windblown shorelines. We ended with a 15 flounder limit after 2 hours of gigging on the late trip.

*2/26/2017*
I had the Glen C. group of 2 onboard, for their second night in a row. Conditions were poor, with South wind at 15-25mph and slightly high tide levels. The fast rising tide over the last 24 hours made water clarity suffer tonight, and even protected areas were stained and dirty. We managed to find some marginal water along hard sand and oyster shorelines, but the fish were few and far between. We worked hard at it, and made several moves, ending with a 10 flounder limit by 10pm.

*2/27/2017*
I had the Charlie E. group of 2 onboard tonight. Conditions were nice, with SE wind at 10-15mph and normal tide levels. We got on the fish right away over mud and grass bottom. The fish were tightly schooled tonight, and when you found one, there were always several others in the immediate vicinity. Water clarity was very good tonight, the best I have seen in 2 weeks. We ended with a 10 flounder limit plus 1 sheepshead by 8:30pm.

*I have plenty of open dates coming up this Spring, and I also do late trips on request. Late trips are the best way to get a trip on short notice when I am already booked, just call and ask...*

*Upcoming open dates:
March: 3-7, 9, 14-16, 19-23, 26-29, 31*

Visit my Facebook page for daily reports and pictures.

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, Texas
Flounder Gigging Trips
361-229-6053
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*Windy night limits*

*2/28/2017*
I had the Walter F. group of 2 onboard tonight. Conditions were bad, with South winds at 20-25mph with gusts to 30mph. Despite the wind, we were actually able to find some very clear water in protected areas, but the flounder were not so eager to play along tonight. We covered a ton of shoreline, only finding a few widely scattered fish. Areas that were full of fish and bait the last 3 nights were devoid of life tonight, making for a lot of moving around to find the fish. With winds gusting to 30mph, surface ripples and boat control were tough to overcome, but we ground it out and made it happen. We ended with a 10 flounder limit plus 1 sheepshead by 9:30pm, and the flounder were in the 15-19" range.

*Upcoming open dates:
March: 3-7, 9, 15, 16, 19-23, 26-29, 31*

Visit my Facebook page for daily reports and pictures.

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, Texas
Flounder Gigging Trips
361-229-6053
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*Post cold front limits*

*3/2/2017*
I had the Les W. group of 6 onboard tonight, all the way from Montana just for the trip. Conditions were marginal, with NE wind at 10-15mph and low tide levels. With high winds from the North and East most of the day, water clarity was poor in many areas, leaving only a few spots to work. We got off to a fast start, gigging 17 large flounder in the first 1 1/2 hours over hard sand and mud bottom. Things got slow for the next couple hours, and we made several moves, only finding a few scattered smaller flounder here and there. We finally made a long 30 minute run in the opposite direction, and it payed off, gigging our last 8 fish in 20 minutes over hard oyster bottom. We ended with a 30 flounder limit by 11:40pm. The fish tonight were much larger than usual for this time of year, with most in the 17-20" range.

*Upcoming open dates:*
*March 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 16, 19-23, 26-29, 31*

I also do "late trips" after I finish with my first group, and this is the best way to get a trip in on short notice on a night I am already booked, just call and ask.

Visit my Facebook page for daily reports and pictures.

Capt. Rick Hammond
Night Stalker Guide Service - Rockport, Texas
Flounder Gigging Trips
361-229-6053
www.nightstalkerguideservice.com


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