# Flounder gigging slowing down, but still getting limits every night



## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

The last 6 nights of flounder gigging have been tough, but we are still getting limits each night. The gigging action has been up and down this week, with one night very good and slow the next night. I have been covering a ton of ground looking for fish, and they have been hard to pattern from one night to the next. Very hot sunny weather, lack of rain/clouds, persistent low tides, and decaying seagrass are taking a toll on the flats. These factors are combining to make for super-heated stagnant water in the shallows and very low dissolved oxygen levels. I am seeing a few distressed shad and mullet swimming in circles some nights due to low oxygen levels and minor brown/red tide algae blooms starting in some of the more stagnant areas. I suspect the hot water and low oxygen are keeping the flounder in deeper areas, or just not as active or hungry as usual. Right now it doesn't matter what bay you are in or what the winds are doing, the fish are hard to come by, requiring a lot of patience and grinding to get a limit each night. These kind of conditions are typical of mid to late August, and usually don't last for more than a couple weeks. The short term forecast for the coming week doesn't look good, with hot/sunny weather and South winds at 15-30mph, and even lower tide levels. The break in this cycle will come as soon as we get higher tides, rainy/cloudy days, or tropical weather. Even with poor conditions, my customers are still having a blast and enjoying the cool nights while gigging, and getting limits of tasty flounder. In the meantime, I will be out there every night making it happen for my customers, and hopefully things improve soon.

*8/7/2017*
I had the Bob M. group of 4 onboard tonight. Conditions were fair with SE wind at 10-15mph and normal tide levels. We ended with a 20 flounder limit plus 2 sheepshead by 1am (4 hours 15 minutes of gigging). The largest flounder tonight was 22".

*8/8/2017*
I had the David S. group of 4 onboard tonight. Conditions were nice with SE wind  at 5-10mph and normal tide levels. We ended with a 20 flounder limit by 1am (4 hours 15 minutes of gigging). The largest flounder tonight was 23".

*8/9/2017*
I had the Bob M. group of 7 onboard tonight (only 6 fishing). Conditions were fair with SE wind at 10-15mph and low tide levels. We ended with a 30 flounder limit plus 1 sheepshead by midnight (3 hours 15 minutes of gigging). The largest flounder tonight was 22".

*8/10/2017 - Double trip*
For the first trip tonight, I had the Steve Y. group of 2 onboard. Conditions were nice with SE wind at 10mph and slightly low tide levels. We ended with a 10 flounder limit plus 1 sheepshead by 10:30pm (1 hour 45 minutes of gigging). The largest flounder on this trip was 23".

For the late trip tonight, I had the Taylor group of 3, leaving the dock at 11:30pm. The action was very slow, and we covered a ton of ground, only finding a few fish here and there, with lots of "dead water" in between. The guys ground it out all night with me, until just before sunrise. We ended 1 short of a limit, with 14 flounder and 1 sheepshead by 5:45am (6 hours of gigging). The largest flounder on this trip was 23".

*8/11/2017*
I had the Marco R. group of 6 onboard tonight. Conditions were marginal, with South wind at 10-20mph and low tide levels. We ended with a 30 flounder limit plus 1 sheepshead by midnight (3 hours 15 minutes of gigging).

*8/12/2017*
I had the Bobby T. group of 2 onboard tonight. Conditions were poor, with South wind at 15-25mph and very low tide levels. We ended with a 10 flounder limit by 11:40pm (3 hours of gigging). The largest fish tonight was 21".

*My remaining dates for 2017 are going fast, so book soon if you want to get in on the action, please see list of open dates below.*

*Upcoming open dates:
August: 28, 29
September: 7, 9, 10-13, 17-21, 24-26
October: 1-5, 9, 12, 22-24
November: closed season
December: 11-14, 16, 18-23, 27-31*

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

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


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*more pictures*

more pics...


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*Good action on very windy night*

*8/13/2017*
I had the Dennis R. group of 5 onboard tonight. Conditions were horrible, with South winds at 20-30mph and very low tide levels. After a rough and wet boat ride out, we found some good clear water over soft mud and grass bottom. The fish were scattered early, but the action picked up around 10:30pm. We ended with a 25 flounder limit by 12:15am (3 hours 30 minutes of gigging).

* Due to a cancellation, I now have Saturday September 9th open. This is my last available weekend night until late December.*

*Upcoming open dates:*
*August: 28, 29
September: 7, 9, 10-13, 17-21, 24-26
October: 1-5, 9, 12, 22-24
November: closed season
December: 11-14, 16, 18-23, 27-31*

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

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


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## Redfish Rick (Aug 27, 2004)

*Good action again in high winds*

*8/14/2017*
I had the Dennis R. group of 4 onboard tonight for his third trip in 2 weeks and second night in a row!! Tonight he brought his two grand-kids, and they put a whooping on the flounder, gigging all the fish in very tough conditions. Conditions were poor, with SSE wind at 15-25mph and very low tide levels. After a long rough/wet boat ride out, we found plenty of clear water, but very little bait or flounder activity. Things started very slow, with only 3 flounder in the first two hours. After making a couple of moves, we dialed in on some solid fish over grass and hard sand bottom. We ended with a 20 flounder limit by 12:30am (4 hours of gigging). The largest flounder tonight was 20". Check out the pictures, the smiles say it all...

*Upcoming open dates:
August: 28, 29
September: 7, 10-13, 17-21, 24-26
October: 1-5, 9, 12, 22-24
November: closed season
December: 12-14, 18-22, 27-31*

*Capt. Rick Hammond
361-229-6053
*


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