# Flounder Sightcasting



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Seems like this year in my search of various shorelines for redfish, I've come across a lot of flounder getting airborne after bait in and near the cordgrass. Anyone else seeing this flounder breaching behavior? I've seen it in years past, but not in the frequency that I've seen this summer. 

Last time out I saw at least 6 separate flounder do this. I brought 3 to hand. My strategy is to carpet bomb the immediate vicinity where the flounder made its appearance with usually redfish crackish, lightly weighted, type of offering. 

Flounder may not offer the pull that a red does, but they are still fun to catch and have amazing net avoiding talents. They give a good thump when they nail the fly. And they make really good dinner guests.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

A coupl of photos from last time out.


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

Ive seen it several times in the past few years. here is a pic.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Ripin' Lips said:


> Ive seen it several times in the past few years. here is a pic.


Nice timing on the photo! Do you ignore them in search of reds and other fish or do you try and get them to take a fly? The last time out, the flounder ran from 15"-18". The bigger fish are pretty strong and do a lot of interesting things when they get close to the rod. So far, I haven't had to do any long counts before setting the hook. Feel the thump, set the hook. The near instant hook set cuts against some of the things you might read on flounder fishing, but maybe they can better inhale something light weight like a fly vs a heavy lead head jig and large plastic tail.


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## lil ole red (Jun 25, 2007)

Ripin' Lips said:


> Ive seen it several times in the past few years. here is a pic.


That is a sweet pic!!

The last time my partner and i were out in poc, we saw a flounder breeching the water and it took a couple of times to realize that we really were seeing a flounder! lol... we tried the above mention tactic of "carpet bombing" the area, but we didn't have any luck with getting them to take.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

lil ole red said:


> That is a sweet pic!!
> 
> The last time my partner and i were out in poc, we saw a flounder breeching the water and it took a couple of times to realize that we really were seeing a flounder! lol... we tried the above mention tactic of "carpet bombing" the area, but we didn't have any luck with getting them to take.


I have found I do better with flounder using a slower strip with a little more of a pause in between the strips. Seems like they eat at the end of the fall of the fly.


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

thanks! It took me about 100 photos to get this one. I dhavent specifically targeted the flapper goos but i wont pass one up either. If i happen to see the tell tale signs them im going to throw whatever is in my hands. The last two times ive seen this ive been wade fishing and havent had my fly rod in hand but ive been able to pick up on flounder on a topwater and one on a jerk bait. We have sight cast to flounder in the marsh but you dont see those fish at all. Typically all you see is a faint patch of mud in the water column where the flounder has bedded down or you see bubbles rising from the bottom. Of course those signs could be other fish but i'm still throwing at those tell tale signs.


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## lil ole red (Jun 25, 2007)

karstopo said:


> I have found I do better with flounder using a slower strip with a little more of a pause in between the strips. Seems like they eat at the end of the fall of the fly.


Awesome. i will have to try that. My partner and i are just beginners and have yet to hook up on a red, but that don't stop us from trying like hell! lol... i have however caught two bonefish in belize this summer on my fly rod, and several bass and perch around ponds.... Im sure t would help if we were set up for it too. we are fishing off the front of my 23 haynie cat... not exactly an ideal set up, but still fun nonetheless.

anyhow, not trying to highjack the thread...

i will definitely give your advice a run on our next outing


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

karstopo said:


> I have found I do better with flounder using a slower strip with a little more of a pause in between the strips. Seems like they eat at the end of the fall of the fly.


Yep, same here. I want to "hit'em on the head" with my fly, or lure. However, when they are crushing bait on the surface then you need to be fishing the entire water column. Not just the surface or just the bottom. Those fish may bed back down after they have come to the surface to eat the baitfish so its wise to fish the top, middle and bottom. And if you cant get an eat, change the fly or change the retrieve. And i usually strip set as soon as i feel the eat. Like i said i havent targeted them much on fly but the ones ove caught seem to take the fly well and quickly so i dont think there is a need to wait on the set.

The one flounder i caught on the jerk bait was busting bait near the surface but the flounder never breached the surface so i didnt know that it was a flounder till it saw it on the end of my line. I was fishing a soft plastic and carpet bombed the area and no luck. Giving that the fish was feeding right below the surface i decided to switch it up and tie on the jerk bait and it worked.


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## lil ole red (Jun 25, 2007)

yall are making me want to quit my job and come back home.... there is nowhere to fish in midland, we have tried all the creeks and so called rivers but there is nothing here


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

They almost always bed back up right where they jumped and get ready to strike again. I have done well on them on bead chain weighted clouser minnow in chart/white or all white. Just fish it slow and keep it close to the bottom. They are not up swimming on the top or in the middle, they are laying on bottom and ambushing whatever swims by above them. Make it easy on them and put it right in their face.

From the time I was little and first started fishing many years ago I remember seeing flounder jump when feeding. We called it "flipping" when I was a kid. Flounder flip, because the way they jump when they feed they flip over. Anyway, when you see several down a shoreline flipping it is a pretty sure thing on catching a mess of them if you are patient enough.


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## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

Great pics and awesome information. It seems to me that most species will hit and take the fly quicker than conventional lures but they will also spit them out quicker. So a quick hook-set appears to be the best method. Flounder can be very aggressive feeders and the action and slower (relative to conventional) retrieve of the fly lends itself to being a good way to fish for them. The only bad thing is landing them with a nine foot rod, they are hard enough on a seven footer and they never seem to go the right way.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

If you don't have what they don't want it can be very frustrating ...

All mine have come on missed cast to Reds .....


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Fishsurfer said:


> Great pics and awesome information. It seems to me that most species will hit and take the fly quicker than conventional lures but they will also spit them out quicker. So a quick hook-set appears to be the best method. Flounder can be very aggressive feeders and the action and slower (relative to conventional) retrieve of the fly lends itself to being a good way to fish for them. The only bad thing is landing them with a nine foot rod, they are hard enough on a seven footer and they never seem to go the right way.


True about the 9' rod. Another reason I like my 7'6" CGR.


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## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

Yea a shorter rod sounds like it would be the ticket. The cool thing about flounder is that you don't need a long cast but you may have to punch through a little wind and shorter rod will do just that. Great idea.


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

I've seen them breach and have caught them on fly before










But I don't ever target flounder on fly. I prefer doing it the easy way.


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## wiznut (Jun 10, 2013)

Flounder sight casting:


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