# Flounder Gigging In The Surf?



## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Has anyone ever been flounder gigging in the surf when it gets real calm and the water is clear. I know people catch them in the surf just not sure if anyone has ever gone gigging in the surf. I don't even know if it would be any good.


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## Won Mo Kasst (Mar 27, 2008)

highly unlikely


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## apslp (Jul 1, 2008)

I have done it around San Luis Pass in the surf but it is a bit more difficult than in the bays.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

I figured it would not be very likely because I have never heard of anyone doing it before. I don't know if it is mostly because of the conditions or because flounder in the surf behave differently than flounder in the bays.


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

Big Willy said:


> I figured it would not be very likely because I have never heard of anyone doing it before. I don't know if it is mostly because of the conditions or because flounder in the surf behave differently than flounder in the bays.


But, if the conditions ARE right, you can Hammer them-been there ,done that!

they will pile up in the first gut and it is WAY cool!


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## frank n texas (Aug 11, 2004)

Floundering in the Gulf can be very productive along the beach from Gulfport to Biloxi, Mississippi...No surf to be bothered with along that shoreline of the Gulf


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## Charlie2 (Aug 21, 2004)

*Surf Floundering*

Floundering in the surf can be and is done here on the Gulf Coast.

On a fairly flat surf, take a Coleman lantern and wade slowly along the edge of the water. Flounder will lie there to catch whatever washes out or swims along..

Look for their eyes. You can sometimes see only a faint outline of the fish lying there. If they've been lying there for some time, they will be completely covered in sand with only their eyes showing.

I also use an underwater light with a battery in a washtub or large cooler pulled behind. It makes it convenient to put the fish. A porous bag can be carried overt the shoulder or take along a partner. Wiser anyhow.

A word of extreme caution: Sting Rays also like to lie along the surf to eat. Watch for them as they can be hard to see. I just nudge them with the gig if they don't move away on their own.

You can often see other species of fish; mostly whiting or mullet. If you're fast, you can gig one.

A single prong gig works best, IMHO, because it penetrates better and doesn't tear up the fish. I don't use a barb on the gig. I hold them down with the gig and put my hand inder it then grab it in the gills.

I hope that this post helps. Long one. C2


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Ok...see if I can discribe it correctly. If the first gut is large enough to trap lots of little baitfish so that when the low tide is out enough, the first sandbar to be almost exposed, flounder will be in the shallow water outside the first sandbar. Look for areas where seagulls and terns are standing on the first sandbar and looking back toward the beach, into the gut. BOTH are nailing these bait fish trapped in the gut as they(the baitfish) try to escape over the first sandbar back into the gulf. 

That is the spot. Now the trick to be there when it is lowtide and nighttime are at the same time. (whewww) So much is said about the birds helping trout fisherman, they a can also be helpful to the flounder gigger on occassions.

Hope this came out clear enough to be helpful.


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## Harbormaster (May 26, 2000)

Charlie2 said:


> A word of extreme caution: Sting Rays also like to lie along the surf to eat. Watch for them as they can be hard to see. I just nudge them with the gig if they don't move away on their own.


I nudge them with a Glock 17! :biggrin:


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

:cheers: Sweet, now I am getting excited. My wife loves, I repeat LOVES to go flounder gigging. In the future, if anyone ever needs a someone to go with on a boat, me and the wife will gladly go if she is off and you don't mind the extra person on board. She is pretty good at seeing them and she always goes for the head shot. 

We go almost every time we are in Port Lavaca and we have had some great trips recently. Well, with the surf being so cooperative lately she asked if I thought we could do any gigging in the surf since a lot of our trips are afternoon trips. She wants to go surf fishing in the afternoon, head in and grab a bite to eat along the seawall somewhere and then go out and do some gigging. It sounds like a great time to me. I think I will try the gigging down toward SLP since I know if the water is a little tore up in the surf I can always gig the bay side and pick up a few.


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## Mike B Fishin (Aug 11, 2006)

frank n texas said:


> Floundering in the Gulf can be very productive along the beach from Gulfport to Biloxi, Mississippi...No surf to be bothered with along that shoreline of the Gulf


Back in the 50s & 60s, if the moon and tide was right, Biloxi beach would be almost covered with giggers using Coleman lanterns. I have not tried it in 40 years, I still have the reflector/grip for the lantern, May try it again soon. As I remember the flounder would come in with the tide. If the water was clear we would stay out in 18 to 24" depth. Sometimes you could see where a flounder had lleft a bed and moved closer to the beach with the tide. You could follow the trail and stick him. Look for the faint outline of a flounder and the two eyes.

In Miss. you can only use a gig with one spike and no barb so you have to wade and you have to pin the gig through the flounder and into the sand until you can get your hand under the flounder and flip the gig over and get him on a stringer.

That took both hands so you would have the lantern on a sling over your shoulder/neck. You always wore cutoff jeans and kept them wet so the lantern would not burn your butt when you used both hands to get the flounder off the gig.

Fun stuff and a long time ago, i think most folks use an LED waterproof flashlight on a stick now days.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Notice that 5 of the 8 members responding to this are 56 to 86 yrs old, self included. Tells you how big gigging was in our generation. Started by the Carauncua Indians, a spear and a torch....in the dark....hunting........ Awesome!!!!


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

Several years ago I saw people gigging at night in Biloxi.


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

I have gigged flounder in the surf at San Luis Pass, Folletts Beach, Surfside Beach, Quintana Beach & Bryan Beach. No wind night, low tide, all it takes is some walking, coleman lantern, gig & stringer.


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

Timemachine said:


> Notice that 5 of the 8 members responding to this are 56 to 86 yrs old, self included. Tells you how big gigging was in our generation. Started by the Carauncua Indians, a spear and a torch....in the dark....hunting........ Awesome!!!!


Uh, 45 to 86!


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## Charlie2 (Aug 21, 2004)

*Gigging*

Gigging in the Summertime was always a major activity in our family.

Any fishing trip was an experience. we called then expeditions with the entire family acting as a safari with designated duties.

We wade fished for flounder with one light man who manned the light, another who was net man who manned the long handled crab net, the gig man, and general duty personnel who handled food, drinks and other essentials including mosquito repellent. They would alternate duties from time to time. I say 'man' but there were 3 girls and 2 boys.

Mom and Pop were the designated drivers, supervisors and referees.

We would fish until the little ones started getting tired when we would pack up and go home.

They would all eat(again), take a bath then go to bed while Pop got to clean the fish and put away the gear. Precious Memories. The kids still talk about some of our excursions. C2​


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## DawnPatrol (May 2, 2006)

*Head Shot*



Big Willy said:


> She is pretty good at seeing them and she always goes for the head shot. :work:


Willy, that sounds like a little added incentive for you to walk the straight-and-narrow path, LOL!


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

catchysumfishy said:


> Uh, 45 to 86!


Ahhhh.....the need to be included. Not to worry, I always read your post and it's always good stuff. You're welcome in our boat anytime.


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

Timemachine said:


> Ahhhh.....the need to be included. Not to worry, I always read your post and it's always good stuff. You're welcome in our boat anytime.


Lol ! :biggrin:


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

I have but not in a long time.....
It has to be extremely calm, and clear, not just calm and sandy green.
Just because you can catch trout in it, does it mean its good enough to flounder.
But the times we did catch it right, we were highly rewarded.


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

Warning though, if it isn't perfect you'll get yerself a headache from eye strain! :biggrin:


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## frank n texas (Aug 11, 2004)

When Dad and I floundered the 20 plus mile stretch of the Biloxi/Gulfport shore line we could not afford Coleman lanterns so we use a home made rig for light...

Pole with coffee can mounted on very top...petcock on bottom of coffee can connected to small copper tube that dripped down onto a round ball of asbestos cord about the size of a coconut...fill coffee can with kero, turn on petcock, let asbestos ball get soaked with kero, light with match and get to the business of floundering...

Tie washtub to belt with rope and then throw flounders and blue crabs in tub until it would almost sink....

Ahhhh..the good old days..:rotfl::rotfl:

Lets see ya top this one Dano....


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

frank n texas said:


> When Dad and I floundered the 20 plus mile stretch of the Biloxi/Gulfport shore line we could not afford Coleman lanterns so we use a home made rig for light...
> 
> Pole with coffee can mounted on very top...petcock on bottom of coffee can connected to small copper tube that dripped down onto a round ball of asbestos cord about the size of a coconut...fill coffee can with kero, turn on petcock, let asbestos ball get soaked with kero, light with match and get to the business of floundering...
> 
> ...


No can do Frank,...
I was told you helped invent fire just to sharpen sticks,..:biggrin:


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## WestEndAngler (Jan 30, 2007)

I've seen flounder and rays on calm conditions in the surf, crab too its an exciting event when the conditions are right  Coleman lantern will work well use a shield so you don't blind yourself or use aluminum foil and blackout the side that will be facing you.


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## fwoodwader (Jul 18, 2008)

Man that sounds awesome. 

You do it on the seawall one night and folks riding walking buy would think there are a bunch of crazies in the water looking for keys or something. I want to try this now...


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## htalamant (Mar 31, 2009)

If anyone cares to tag along with me, I plan to go in a few days down to Copano Bay. I have an extra halogen underwater light (crafted by moi and gives you 10'-15' of light) and a fully charged battery that I tote behind me on my trusty inner tube. All you have to do is bring your own gig and we're set!!! Leave me a PM....


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

It's like others have mentioned , it can be succesfully done. The conditions required are very uncommon so it would be exceedingly difficult to plan for. If it happens while you're there great . Just don't book a weekend and expect it to happen.


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

*I have never floundered in the surf, but....*

I had a cousin that had one of the first houses at Sea Isle. We always floundered the bayside. But one week he was there by himself, and was fishing right before dark. If I remember right, it was in the fall. As he waded out, right at dark, he was seeing flounder everywhere. Went back to the house, got the lantern, gig and stringer, and filled the stringer up with nice flounder. He said it was like picking dewberries. He didnt walk more than 50 yds back and forth on the gulf side of the 1st bar. He said must have been the fall migration.

In 55 yrs of fishing I have never seen more than 2 or 3 flounder wading the surf. But yeah, it can be done.

Later
R3F


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