# Flounder in surf



## ca14

My neighbor and I went fishing early yesterday morning (Tuesday). We probably caught ten , but wound up keeping only four. I caught a very small whiting and when I threw him back, that big bird you see in the background, caught him at waters edge, and ate him. That bird followed me for almost four hours. Last summer, Chris V., at Sam's Tackle Shop, helped me learn how to catch these flounder. I have since spent many mornings doing this. It is beautiful on the beach at first light, and to also catch fish is really great. I found that small surf board floating at waters edge and did a little surfing too!


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## GROUPERKING

Very nice ! Fred will only hang out with you if he thinks you have skills as a fishermen. Lol.... Fred is the bird by the way.


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## Chris V

Great report Buck! Keep at it, you're getting it down for sure.


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## RandyGuy

What was your bait of choice?


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## ca14

Caught one on the 3" Tsunami Swim Shad. The rest of my fish were caught on double rigs with 1/8 or 1/4 oz. jig heads and paddle tail or twister tail grubs. My favorite grub currently is the Redfish Magic 4" Glass Minnow (paddle tail). I have caught over twenty flounder on one bait without it being torn up. I always put a couple drops of super glue on the jig near the barb before pushing the grub up. You can get many bites and catch several fish without the bait being pulled down. My friend always uses Gulp on a double rig.


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## DAWGONIT

Very nice. Especially like the boogie board 
catch 'em up.


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## osborne311

Never caught Flounder in surf before. Awesome report. Are you casting and jigging back or letting the tide/surf work it?


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## tips n tails

Must be casting out past the sand bar into the drop and bottom bouncing back in I assume?


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## SurfFishingMeister

Great job!!! I have never ever ever caught a flounder on a rod and reel. You make it look easy!


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## ca14

I do not cast past the sand bar. I stand on the beach in ankle deep water. Most bites come within 25 Ft. of where I am standing. Many within 10 Ft. Some days the flounder will be so close to the shore that you can see them grab your bait in 1 Ft. or less. They will actually swim over that lip right at the shoreline into 4 inches of water chasing the bait! (I wish Chris V would make another reply to this post to verify what I am saying). I continuously make short twitches with my rod tip while slowly turning the handle.


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## Chris V

Bucky, I've turned you into a monster! Lol!!!

Flounder fishing the beach is very simple and is best done with light, inshore tackle, not surf rods. If you want to, use the search function up top to see my past reports and postings on surf fishing for Flounder and other fish. I've included enough info in those posts to get you bit for sure.

His explanation in the above post is pretty much perfect with how you approach catching flounder from the beach. Find nearshore troughs and runouts. Even if the water is only slightly deeper, its enough to hold flounder. They love to hold to the edges of the drops although they often follow the lure a ways before eating. Let your jig hit bottom and just use very short twitches of the rod tip (keep rod tip low) and turn the handle just fast enough to take the small amount of slack out of the line before the next twitch. If you're doing this at an optimal speed you're only moving the lure about 2-3 inches per twitch and the handle fully rotates in about 3-4 seconds. The lure stays tight to the bottom but maintains an erratic action.

I've caught over 40 Flounder in a day doing this (over 50 with friends/customers). It's very effective. Just be reasonable with how many you keep and at what size. Flounder have been beat up pretty bad over the last few years and I rarely keep more than a few for dinner. That of course is your choice but I wanted to add that.


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## osborne311

Guys - is this all times of the day/evening or early morning? I have always heard they move out into deeper water during mid-day but have not fished for them enough to be able to confirm that hearsay. 

Thanks again for the great report.


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## Chris V

osborne311 said:


> Guys - is this all times of the day/evening or early morning? I have always heard they move out into deeper water during mid-day but have not fished for them enough to be able to confirm that hearsay.
> 
> Thanks again for the great report.


I have caught them throughout the day on many occasions. The main reason I don't fish for them mid day is the amount of swimmers in some areas. Regardless of time, a good moving tide is essential for success.


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## Tbattle

What is the best time of year for flounder in the surf? Does it help to be near the pass? Thanks for the report and all the good info. I tried your technique this morning at Ft. Pickens and caught only one. Maybe I was doing something wrong? 13.5"


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## ca14

Tbattle said:


> What is the best time of year for flounder in the surf? Does it help to be near the pass? Thanks for the report and all the good info. I tried your technique this morning at Ft. Pickens and caught only one. Maybe I was doing something wrong? 13.5"


 I have heard Chris say to start when the water temp reaches 72 degrees. Last year I fished through September and caught flounder. Fishing may be good later than that,I just don't know. After Sept. I started fishing with a friend from a boat. I have fished several stretches of beach from Orange Beach all the way to Ft. Morgan. It can all be good at times. The bottom constantly changes. You may catch them in one spot today but catch nothing next week. You may cover a mile of beach but only catch them in a couple of spots. I make 5 or 6 casts in one spot then move about 100 feet and repeat. Always be on the lookout for troughs or any deeper water. Any darker colored water means deeper. The deeper water spot doesn't have to be large. It only needs to be a few inches deeper. If you caught one you must be doing something right. Probably just didn't find a good spot. Like any fishing you don't catch them every day. With practice you gain confidence and start to get a feel for what you are doing. I have always started fishing at daylight and fish about 4 hours. I have never tried later in the day.


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## Tbattle

Thanks! That's what I was hoping to find out. I've heard there's a migration in the fall out to sea. Just wanted to know if there were certain months where i'd just be wasting my time trying to catch them in the surf.


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## fishin for pompanos

Fantastic report and pic's there ca14....Well done!


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## DuneGoon

Thanks for this thread, I am going to have a go at this a few times for sure.


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## TNmatt

Are both jigs tied to the main line, or is the top jog tied to a dropper?


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## ca14

TNmatt said:


> Are both jigs tied to the main line, or is the top jog tied to a dropper?


 It's one continuous piece of line. I'm fairly new to this. This is just how I have been doing it. I'm sure there are better ways. I'm open to suggestions. I always believe there is a better way! I went this morning and tried something a little different. Hope to make a new post tomorrow on what I tried this morning.


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## Wyknot

This video is from a different area but relevant, check out his surf fishing for flounder videos too. His rig is slightly different, not sure if it's better, equal, or worse than any other rig.


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## Croaker Chris

All this information is awesome. Thanks so much for sharing.


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## OHenry

Great post!


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