# How would you rate this past Flounder Season?



## Dynamic (Oct 3, 2007)

Just wondering how y'all felt the floundering was this year?.....I didn't get to go much this year. So it's hard for me to say. The 8 or so trips I made were just average. 
Thanks
Miles


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## bigworm78 (Oct 6, 2011)

Fellow Members if you don't want to see flounder become a Game Fish you might want to watch how you answer this post!!! We dont need to give the State anymore Ammunition!!


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## flounderslayerman (Jun 3, 2011)

The best season in years. The shear numbers of undersize fish showed me that flounder had a great spawn the last season or two. So the fishery looks really healthy for the future.


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## damnifino3 (Sep 23, 2012)

I only went 5 times had some good nights and a few goose eggs.

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## TRG (Jun 30, 2012)

I made over 100 trips this year in Escambia and Blackwater :thumbdown:
but still had fun and seen lots of stuff I wouldn't have seen from the couch


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## daylate (Feb 22, 2012)

I just started gigging again after not having been for 20+ years. This year I saw a very healthy flounder population with fish from 25" down to first year juveniles and big numbers of fish. It was my best season ever.


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## bamafan611 (Mar 1, 2010)

Very good season and like flounderslayerman said the juvenile fish show a positive future. More 12 and under fish than I've seen in 6 years. If you let those 12 inch fish go they will be 18 the next season. Quality of fish this year was best I've seen since 2009. 2009 was a banner year for big fish. The fish migrated this year earlier than I have have ever seen them go and this usually take the water temp to reach 62 degrees. When it reached 66 they were on their way.


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## Faithnfishin (Dec 5, 2010)

Waders were still taking fish last week (6 on Monday and all good size), even saw a couple that obviously were headed back in. Very long season with many fish available, this fishery is certainly healthy and doing well. I have tried to go for 15" or larger, but see small ones being taken often.


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## bamafan611 (Mar 1, 2010)

YOU GO FAITH, anything smaller than 14 won't make a sandwich.


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## Death From Above (Sep 28, 2007)

Numbers were up. 3.4K lbs this year and probably stuck 300lbs of 12-13 inchers for personal use. Plenty more than a sandwich on a 12 incher and they fry up crisp.


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## Faithnfishin (Dec 5, 2010)

It does not bother me that other's stick smaller ones, just my preference and seems to be wise practice for the future of the stock, but I may be totally wrong. And if I am going to clean fish I would prefer more meat for the effort. Just my 2 cents which is worth about 1 cent these days. Merry Christmas to all and may God allow us to enjoy another season of fishing in this paradise of ours.


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## bamafan611 (Mar 1, 2010)

You are absolutely right Faith. It's a real shame not everyone understands WISE PRACTICE.
My Father always told me A WORD TO THE WISE wont do a dumb azz any good at all.


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## LopeAlong (May 23, 2011)

This was my first year gigging. We changed our light set up 4 times and after that we were good to go. We definitely put our time in on the bow and saw the sun come up more than once. But nothing was more rewarding than hitting our first double limit and having a beautiful sunrise as a backdrop


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## Flounder9.75 (Sep 28, 2007)

Overall I would say it was a good yr over on this side of Bama also. I had some real good nights and few not so good one too. 
Now the big ? is when to start back chasin them again?


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## Death From Above (Sep 28, 2007)

bamafan611 said:


> You are absolutely right Faith. It's a real shame not everyone understands WISE PRACTICE.
> My Father always told me A WORD TO THE WISE wont do a dumb azz any good at all.


A "dumb azz" is someone who thinks flounders grow from 12" to 18" in one year. If passing 12s was such a "WISE PRACTICE" the FL, AL and LA biologist would have recommended a 14" minimum size to the law makers.


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## flounderslayerman (Jun 3, 2011)

So I guess the marine biologist who's studying flounder for AL marine resources is a dumb azz because that's where the info came from. I don't think so. They can grow that fast in the first couple of years. It's just smart practice to let the little guys live to be big enough to get some meat off of them. I'm sure dfa hasn't been accused of that. Being smart that is.


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## bamafan611 (Mar 1, 2010)

Your exactly right flouderslayerman. AL marine resources studies their growth and that information came exactly from them.I personally provided samples this year for their study and it was interresting info to say the least. A 12 inch fish does not weigh much more than a pound and DFA states he took 300 lbs of 12to 13 inch fish. 300 fish that had the potential to be very nice fish this coming year.I realize a 12 inch fish is legal and personally could have probably have harvested that many myself. but I personally would like to see them grow for a better quality fish for everyone to take. Also by letting them grow, you have a mature breeding stock when they do head out.I'll let everyone judge for themselves who the DA is.


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## Death From Above (Sep 28, 2007)

I you guys really want to see the flounder numbers explode go after the gulf shrimpers. The fleet kills millions of juvenile flounder in just one season as bycatch that's dumped for the the bonito, jacks and gulls to eat. When compared to shrimpers, commercial/recreational giggers and fisherman don't even put a small dent in the potential flounder population.


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## daylate (Feb 22, 2012)

Not to stir the pot but personally as long as the law is obeyed and people show courtesy to each other, I don't care what size fish someone prefers to take. I like to pass on the small ones and go for larger fish because there are much nicer fillets on the larger fish, and let's face it, they are a lot more satisfying to see and take. That being said, which, if either, would hurt the fishery more: taking 10 small male fish or 10 roe-laden large females? I don't know the answer.


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## TRG (Jun 30, 2012)

Death From Above said:


> I you guys really want to see the flounder numbers explode go after the gulf shrimpers. The fleet kills millions of juvenile flounder in just one season as bycatch that's dumped for the the bonito, jacks and gulls to eat. When compared to shrimpers, commercial/recreational giggers and fisherman don't even put a small dent in the potential flounder population.


You are right. I've seen hundreds of them in just one pull of their nets, but if I love these fish why wouldn't I do my part and leave all these 12" (one year old) fish to grow? We were all raised different and all have different opinions. Mine is 
let them grow. Please and Thank You.


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## flounderslayerman (Jun 3, 2011)

TRG said:


> but if I love these fish why wouldn't I do my part and leave all these 12" (one year old) fish to grow? Mine is
> let them grow. Please and Thank You.


TRG that's my point let the fish grow and give them a chance to spawn at least once.


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## bamafan611 (Mar 1, 2010)

DFA is absolutely right about the bycatch with the shrimpers. They probably kill more juveniles in one set than all of us gigg in a season. I don't know a fix or expect this will ever be fixed. Can you imagine the fishery if this wasn't happening.


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## damnifino3 (Sep 23, 2012)

I really try not to take anything less than 15". I have on occasion taken a couple of 12's due to visibility. I personally would like to see everyone get their limit and only the limit of nice big doormats. My last outing gigged some fat females full of roe...had I known I would have passed them up.

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## Beginner's Luck (Aug 23, 2012)

Great year! I gig the east coast over here in Jacksonville, and we were overwhelmed with a juvenile bloom as well, I'd see 30-60 shorts most nights, so the coming seasons should be a blast! I typically start in June, looking for a minimum 13-14" fish and by the time the season gets going, I'm looking for a min 14-15" fish. I won't look down on somebody for harvesting a legal fish, especially if its less than 10% of their catch. For me though, I'd rather have 20 pounds out of a limit of fish than 10!


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