# Fluke Or Flounder?



## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

Do you really know your flounder, or is it just a fluke?

Flukes and flounders are two different bottom-dwelling flatfish that inhabit the North Atlantic Ocean. Although they look similar at first glance, you can distinguish between the two by noting which side of their body bears the eyes. Flukes have eyes on the left side of their bodies, while flounders have eyes on the right side of their bodies.

All Fluke Are Flounder but Not All Flounder Are Fluke
Generally speaking, left-side up flounder are flukes, and right-side up flounders are called flounders. That sounds easy enough to remember, but it gets worse. Flukes are also called â€œsummer flounder,â€ and flounder, or right-side fish, are called â€œwinter flounder.â€

Eye position is the easiest way to distinguish flukes from flounders, but you also can examine their mouths. Flounders have very small mouths, while flukes have large mouths with numerous sharp teeth. Additionally, while a flukeâ€™s mouth extends farther than its eyes do, the mouths of flounders do not. Flukes also are called summer flounders, because they are commonly caught in warm months of the year. Conversely, flounders are called winter flounders because they are more commonly caught in the winter.

Fluke...










Flounder...


----------



## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

So this is a fluke and a flounder? Got em at seawolf monday


----------



## Alwaysinshorts (Jun 14, 2012)

Is this for real or a joke?


----------



## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

dbarham said:


> So this is a fluke and a flounder? Got em at seawolf monday


 From everything I've read on the net, it is a fluke...


----------



## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

Alwaysinshorts said:


> Is this for real or a joke?


http://fishing.answers.com/fish-typ...he-differences-between-a-fluke-and-a-flounder

*Structure of Mouth and Teeth*

The fluke has a larger mouth than the flounder. Since the mouth of a flounder extends to barely one inch, the teeth of a flounder are hard to see. The teeth of a fluke are easily visible.


----------



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

So which does Texas have more of? Are most of the fall caught Flounder/Fluke really Summer Flounder or Winter Flounder?


----------



## oceankayaker84 (Dec 16, 2007)

*Fluke*

Here is picture of a fluke and southern flounder that I caught last year in Galveston.

The fluke is the one on the left and the southern flounder that we typically catch is on the right. Notice the positioning of the gills and eyes for each. Thats the easiest way to distinguish the two. I usually catch at least 1 fluke in Galveston every year, and most of them are small.


----------



## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

oceankayaker84 said:


> Here is picture of a fluke and southern flounder that I caught last year in Galveston.
> 
> The fluke is the one on the left and the southern flounder that we typically catch is on the right. Notice the positioning of the gills and eyes for each. Thats the easiest way to distinguish the two. I usually catch at least 1 fluke in Galveston every year, and most of them are small.


 The literature says that is backwards...

Flukes have eyes on the left side of their bodies, while flounders have eyes on the right side of their bodies


----------



## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

I'm just sharing what I've discovered recently. I will still call them flounder also whether it is just a fluke...LOL. What would you call this....


----------



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

If that girl is with you, I'd call that a fluke.


----------



## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

Dick Hanks said:


> If that girl is with you, I'd call that a fluke.


  :rotfl: I've been done with blondes for a long time...LOL :wink:


----------



## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Dick Hanks said:


> If that girl is with you, I'd call that a fluke.


Lol. Winner


----------



## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

Pretty sure this is a FLUKE...


----------



## Bob Keyes (Mar 16, 2011)

And the point is? Is there a difference in seasons or limits between fluke and flounder that can be used as a defense when you are standing in front of a game warden or judge with more than 2 of these fish in your cooler in November?


----------



## seacer (Dec 9, 2012)

So Nice! You killing Us


----------



## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Dick Hanks said:


> If that girl is with you, I'd call that a fluke.


If you catch them accidentally,...they're all flukes. .... that includes girls. LOL.


----------



## Cudkilla (Nov 5, 2004)

Dick Hanks said:


> If that girl is with you, I'd call that a fluke.


Lol! Good one!

So if it's a fluke and not a flounder, does the limit not apply?


----------



## colbyntx (Jul 18, 2013)

Dick Hanks said:


> If that girl is with you, I'd call that a fluke.


That's great Hanks!


----------



## 1MOFISH (Mar 13, 2014)

Fluke or Flounder â€“ What is the Difference
G. Stephen Jones â€¢ September 15, 2011 â€¢ 7 Comments
Fluke or Flounder

Whatâ€™s the Difference Between a Fluke and a Flounder?

One of the fun adventures my girls had on our vacation this year was going sea fishing on the commercial fishing boat Miss Avalon out of Avalon, NJ. My wife was in charge of this particular outing as I am strictly a bay fisherman â€“ I leave the surging swells to those with cast iron stomachs. Turns out, my wife doesnâ€™t have one either, but thatâ€™s another story! You can read about their adventure at My Daughtersâ€™ Catch of the Day

Both the girls caught fish out on the Miss Avalon. My older daughter Nellâ€™s fish was large enough to capture second place in the boatâ€™s pool. First prize was cash, and Nell got a free fishing excursion to go along with her one pound sea bass. Maddie, who was the driving force behind the deep sea fishing trip in the first place, ended up with a 3/4 pound flounder. Or was it a fluke? Either way, if youâ€™ve never seen one up close and alive, it is a mostâ€¦unfortunate-looking fish.

Early Life

Flukes and flounders are types of flatfish. That means that, while they started life swimming upright, during the larval stage, they lay on either their left or right side and the eye facing towards the bottom migrated to be top-facing.

So, some flat fish are right-side-up (their left eye migrated to the right side) and some are left-side-up, meaning that their right eye migrated to the left side. What makes a particular fish turn into a left-side or a right-side fish? And what makes a â€œnormalâ€ fish evolve into a flat fish? I honestly have no idea about the former, but Iâ€™m sure the latter adaptation was for camouflage while hunting for food.

The top side of flat fish are mottled and dark, making them blend in well on the ocean bottoms. And as they are bottom dwellers, this is a very good thing as they can surprise their unsuspecting prey.




All Fluke Are Flounder but Not All Flounder Are Fluke

Generally speaking, left-side up flounder are flukes, and right-side up flounders are called flounders. That sounds easy enough to remember, but it gets worse. Flukes are also called â€œsummer flounder,â€ and flounder, or right-side fish, are called â€œwinter flounder.â€

It also turns out that, of the 500 plus flatfish species, there are five species that are all called flounder. Itâ€™s good to know that there is a difference, but I would be hard pressed to taste the difference between a fluke or a flounder.

Four of the five flounder species are found in the Atlantic: summer flounder (left-side up flukes), winter flounder, southern flounder and European flounder. The fifth, the Japanese flounder, is found in the Pacific Ocean.

Unless you are studying fish biology, and Iâ€™m certainly not, I think the main thing to remember is that all flukes are flounders but not all flounders are flukes. And all flounder is tasty.

Fluke & Flounder Fun Facts

I did find out some kind of fun facts about flounder and fluke, though, no matter what name you call them. Because they are so flat, large flounder and fluke (at least 8-10 pounds) are sometimes referred to as doormats or snow shoes. Finally, something about these fish that actually makes sense!

Another fun fact is that summer flounder and winter flounder are aptly named. Summer flounder (fluke) winter off of the continental shelf and only come into the bay (to be caught) in the summer. Winter flounder come into the bay in the fall and stay through the winter until the spring. Sounds to me like fluke and flounder donâ€™t like to stay around each other very much. It could be because fluke have teeth and winter flounder donâ€™t, but donâ€™t quote me on that.

As to the kind of weird names: I usually think of a fluke as a freak occurrence and flounder as a verb meaning wobbling about without a way to steer. One of the possible root words of fluke is the old German word flah, meaning flat. Iâ€™m still not sure how something flat can also be a freak occurrence, but I donâ€™t guess itâ€™s every day that a fishâ€™s eyes migrate from one side of its head to the other.

As to the name flounder, it comes from the Dutch word flodderen, which means â€œto flop about.â€ Using that definition, all fish pretty much flounder when caught, but flounders can flop about on the bottom of the ocean, kicking up sand to cover themselves, kind of like how rays do. Also, because they swim sideways, it can look like they donâ€™t have a very good way to steer themselves.

No matter how they look or swim, they are very tasty when simply cooked. Hereâ€™s a recipe for broiled flounder in lemon butter and be sure to check out Pan Fried Flounder with Potatoes and Parsley. This is how my mom prepared fresh flounder for us as kids.

Print
Broiled Flounder in Lemon Butter
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients

For the fish

4-6 flounder fillets

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

For serving

2-3 very thinly sliced lemon rounds per fillet

fresh Italian or curly parsley, minced

How To Prepare At Home

Rinse and pat dry the fillets. Arrange in on a baking tray.

Combine the melted butter and lemon juice and drizzle evenly over the fish, reserving about 1 tablespoon.

Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Broil the fish on the highest rack until the fish is white and is just starting to flake, about 5-7 minutes.

To serve, drizzle on the last tablespoon of lemon butter. Arrange lemon slices on each fillet and sprinkle with the freshly chopped herbs.





Whichever they are, they are both pretty dang tasty. Tenfo?


----------



## bmccle (Jun 10, 2012)

*Fluke*



Blk Jck 224 said:


> From everything I've read on the net, it is a fluke...


If she is with you....when are you taking me fishing?


----------



## hookset4 (Nov 8, 2004)

The southern flounder (what we catch 99.9% of the time) has eyes on the left side of it's head.

-hook


----------



## hookset4 (Nov 8, 2004)

dbarham said:


> So this is a fluke and a flounder? Got em at seawolf monday


Those are both southern flounder. Post #7 by oceankayaker84 has them identified correctly.

-hook


----------



## ComeFrom? (May 21, 2004)

Just to add do-do to the corn flakes...the plural for Flounder is Flounder and not Flounders. The same for Trout. "I caught 5 nice Trouts!" I think I'm getting sea-sick. :slimer:


----------



## Southernflounder (Dec 19, 2013)

the southern flounder which is what we catch here in Texas the most is a left facing fish.


----------



## JakeNeil (Nov 10, 2012)

Well, she looks to be holding a fluke or a flounder...

But she, herself, looks like one hell of a fluk.

I hope none of you are in my Sunday School class.


----------



## NOCREEK (Jan 18, 2012)

I know I've caught flounder on a weedless fluke Lol!


----------



## mertz09 (Nov 15, 2009)

Blk Jck 224 said:


> I'm just sharing what I've discovered recently. I will still call them flounder also whether it is just a fluke...LOL. What would you call this....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## RedXCross (Aug 7, 2005)

I would call both of them VERY plentiful right now. The one up above my post not so much!


----------



## Oceola (Mar 25, 2007)

Here is a 12lb, 27" Fluke, "summer flounder" I caught in 1947.
.


----------



## txteltech (Jul 6, 2012)

Blk Jck 224 said:


> I'm just sharing what I've discovered recently. I will still call them flounder also whether it is just a fluke...LOL. What would you call this....


I call this lunch


----------



## surf_ox (Jul 8, 2008)

Some people it's a fluke they catch any flounder.


----------



## Shady Walls (Feb 20, 2014)

Which one taste better? Lol


----------



## Dnlstvns (Jul 1, 2013)

Flounder but bearded clam is more fun to eat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SmithFamilyTackle (Nov 10, 2013)

Haha jajaja haha, Alsome 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## OnedayScratch (May 23, 2012)

Flattie schmatty.....


----------



## cloudfishing (May 8, 2005)

Do Game wardens know this, are they all considered flounder according to Texas law?


----------



## flounderchaser (Aug 20, 2005)

Thats called a lucky guy!


----------



## Gary J (May 21, 2004)

oceankayaker84 said:


> Here is picture of a fluke and southern flounder that I caught last year in Galveston.
> 
> The fluke is the one on the left and the southern flounder that we typically catch is on the right. Notice the positioning of the gills and eyes for each. Thats the easiest way to distinguish the two. I usually catch at least 1 fluke in Galveston every year, and most of them are small.


Au contraire. He has them backwards. Blk Jck 24, who started this thread, states "Flukes have eyes on the left side of their bodies, while flounders have eyes on the right side of their bodies." The article http://fishing.answers.com/fish-typ...he-differences-between-a-fluke-and-a-flounder and http://www.screanews.us/LongIsland/Fluke.htm states the same. Fluke with eyes on the left side and larger mouth, flounder with eyes on the right side an smaller mouth. So the 1st picture below, the one on the left (eyes on the right and smaller mouth) is a flounder, and the one on the right (eyes on the left side and larger mouth) is a fluke. That means the second picture below, dbarham catch on Monday, are both Fluke.

All articles I looked at say that Fluke, Flounder, Halibut, etc are all in the species that are called flat-fish, of which there are about 500 subspecies. According to TPWD, the regulations for Flounder says "All species, their hybrids and subspecies". So if you have a Fluke or a Flounder, I would say you better not have more than 2 per person in your boat in November if you fish Texas waters.


----------



## ChampT22 (Mar 7, 2011)

Left, no no no, I mean the other left.


----------

