# Flounder report from Dauphin Island on 7/3



## Ruger7mmmag

Well, headed to the west end about 9pm only to crank up my new flounder light and find out the battery I just bought was a dud. (Was supposed to be charged by the shop I bought it from). Then I only had my energizer head lights I use for hunting, however they were plenty bright to do damage though I had to go slow. ONly problem? Didn't see or even spook one. Worked all over the place ending up by the DI bridge flats. Saw some others out there and talked to some walkers. Most I saw were two. So about 3am and frustrated, I decided to throw in the towel and grabbed my cast net and caught some finger mullet which were few and far between. After about 2 hours, I had enough to feel comfortable to make a run to a few spots. Funny thing, only thing I caught at daybreak? Sharks! including having a 10' bull shark hit a ladyfish i caught/threw back out there. Needless to say, didn't boat him. SO I headed to the bridge to a spot I usually have no problem catching a handful, usually 20" plus flatties with big bull reds. STRUCK OUT AGAIN!

With the sun rising along with the temp, at about 8:30 I decided to shoot to Billy Goat hole to go home. Only, I had too much bait left so I went back to where I started the morning, only tried a spot on the other side of the rig (in the shade) and then all hell broke loose! Every time the bait hit the water I hooked up. At one point I took off a flattie, laid the rod down with a little bait hanging over the side and a friggin fish came out of the water, hit what was left of the finger mullet and yanked my brand new rod (only had casted it out 5 times) over board. Had I not hooked that huge bull shark that morning at that spot, I would've dove in to get it, but decided against it. Anyway, in little over an hour I did the damage below. For reference, the big speck is 26".










This afternoon, we went out to sand island to do some swimming and I told the family I wanted to do a quick stop at that spot again to see if they were still there and sure enough, didn't take long and I boated an 18" flattie, but we didn't have the bait to do much more than that in the few minutes we had to spend there. 

Anyway, still hoping to figure out the gigging here in Alabama, but until then, keep going after them with the rod n reel I guess...


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## leeroy87

i want to catch some flounder so bad, seems thats the only fish i go after and never get.... great job. you fry your flounder? or grill/bake?


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## Ruger7mmmag

Every way you can imagine really. That's what I like about Flounder. Most of the time the wife uses a little salt/pepper with some sort of herbs and bakes it in the oven served with roasted red potatoes and onions. Cheese grits also go great with them. Frying is always the way we eat them with the grits. We've also had some pretty awesome fish tacos with them as well and lemon pepper flounder always is one of my favorites. Can't really go wrong. A sushi chef here locally told me if I brought some by, he'd make some sushi that is out of this world. 

Anyone ever had flounder sushi?


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## sjcorbin32

*flounder sushi*

Made a mean flounder ceviche night before with the recipe below......just substitute flounder for the tuna......wonderful dish:thumbup:

http://userealbutter.com/2010/07/05/tuna-ceviche-recipe/


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## wareagle22

I believe that I was on the rig you were fishing under. I won't say which one and give away your spot but I watched a guy tearing them up on the 3rd. There was a ton of bait around your boat and you were on the southwest end of the platform? Nice mess of fish regardless!!

I've talked to a bunch of guys at BGH that were going out or coming in from gigging and it seems like now most of them are on up in the bay around the mouths of the rivers now. I know they gig the shite outta them around DI in the spring and fall.


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## Ruger7mmmag

wareagle22 said:


> I believe that I was on the rig you were fishing under. I won't say which one and give away your spot but I watched a guy tearing them up on the 3rd. There was a ton of bait around your boat and you were on the southwest end of the platform? Nice mess of fish regardless!!
> 
> I've talked to a bunch of guys at BGH that were going out or coming in from gigging and it seems like now most of them are on up in the bay around the mouths of the rivers now. I know they gig the shite outta them around DI in the spring and fall.


That place is always loaded, but if it was a 18' powder blue sea pro, then that was me. I saw a boat up on the NW corner who was HAMMERING them as well. Group of 4 guys and one had a pretty long white pole off the back and was slaying them. Looked like specks and reds with a few rays mixed in.

Speaking of Rays, I gigged a massive cow nose ray yesterday afternoon, cut off the wings and took them to my buddy's house who is a chef. We cooked them three different ways to see if they were worth messing with and though edible and with the right cream sauces they can be eaten, I frankly don't think I'll mess with them again. It's a shame as I'd like to obliterate them for what they do to our oyster beds (a school can eat 60k oysters in a single night), but have a hard time just killing and leaving them.

If you don't want to give out too much info, just PM me and we'll catch up some more and compare notes.


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## jsh1904

We tried the Island on the 5th but the wind didn't cooperate with us. I did manage a nice limit from the Causeway earlier in the week. Glad you got on em either way!


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## Flounder9.75

I hit the Island on the 3rd also and with wind and the real low tide it sucked


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## Ruger7mmmag

Flounder9.75 said:


> I hit the Island on the 3rd also and with wind and the real low tide it sucked


I have to say, ever since the oil spill, the flounder fishing appears to really taken a hit. There were spots I used to go to before the spill where it was nothing to boat 5-10 and all of them be over 20" this time of year. I've been to that spot I don't know how many times since then and am lucky to pull one keeper out of there and even then, it won't be a monster. I don't know if you guys feel the same or they just "moved" out of those spots, but before the spill for years those spots were money.


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## jsh1904

To be honest, I think they have just moved. Flounder is about the only fish I am good at "catching" limits of on a rod & reel and I have done better since the oil spill than before. A couple of my hot spots that constantly produced have shut down for the past two years...had to find new honey holes.


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## Flounder9.75

Well I've been chasin them around that Island and surrounding areas for more than 20yrs and have had my "Hot Spots" change more times than I can count or it could be like Fishin and Huntin sometimes their there and sometimes there not.


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## bamafan611

Well said Mark. Alot better results this year than last year in both numbers and size. Talked to a commercial fisherman that had a 82 fish night last week. A little skeptical till I talked to where he sold them. I am friends with the owner of the fish market and he confirmed the night.Alot of small fish last year and have seen more fish over 20 inches this year than in the last couple of years. Looking forward to Fall.


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## Flounder9.75

Terry let's hope we have better weather this fall than we did last year. I had a few and I heard of some good nights around the Island before the "June Blow"


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## flounderslayerman

I sure hope for some good weather this fall to.


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## Ruger7mmmag

Have any of you seen any triple tail this summer? That's something I've always wanted to catch, but never have seen one.


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## below me

i have struck out gigging at the island more times than i'd like to admit.

go get your rod! how deep is the water where the fish took it?


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## wareagle22

I saw a triple tail a couple weeks ago drifting along under a log that was floating. I was on the rig you were fishing under. We usually see quite a few this time of year but that's the only one so far.


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## Ruger7mmmag

below me said:


> i have struck out gigging at the island more times than i'd like to admit.
> 
> go get your rod! how deep is the water where the fish took it?


I seem to catch most of my flounder between 12-14' of water whether it be at the island, bridge, rigs or even the canals like industrial or fowl river. However, I've got a friend who catches them at the mouth of Dog River in some really shallow water out of a small, small boat, but I've tried the same area and done nothing.


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## Ruger7mmmag

wareagle22 said:


> I saw a triple tail a couple weeks ago drifting along under a log that was floating. I was on the rig you were fishing under. We usually see quite a few this time of year but that's the only one so far.


You ever caught one or how would you rig for one?

I've heard the following:

treble hook-30lb leader-barrell swivel-cork-------------line to reel-----


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## grey ghost

wareagle22, damn tha flatties and triple tails, ITS THA PROFILE PIC I LIKE!!! LOL


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## Ruger7mmmag

grey ghost said:


> wareagle22, damn tha flatties and triple tails, ITS THA PROFILE PIC I LIKE!!! LOL


Those are definitely not flatties...


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## grey ghost

Ruger7mmmag said:


> Those are definitely not flatties...


 Trust me i no those aint flatties, but the thread is about flounder="flatties" and he mentioned triple tails, I just saw wareagle"s profile pic and promoted it! LOL ten4?:thumbup:


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## Ruger7mmmag

lol Grey, I know, i was just having some fun as well...


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## Kman308

Ruger,
I had some questions for you regarding some gigging. I've been in Mobile for 8 years, and I'm just now trying to get into the wade gigging action. The forum isn't allowing me to PM anyone, so I was waiting on that to ask you a few questions. The more important thing was some productive areas around Carillon Beach / PC since I'll soon be there for a week and wanted to take some family that hasn't done the giggeration before... Was looking like years ago Philip's Inlet / Powell Lake was a honey hole, but I'm reading now that it's gotten too fresh (water) to hold many flatties...


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## Ruger7mmmag

Kman308 said:


> Ruger,
> I had some questions for you regarding some gigging. I've been in Mobile for 8 years, and I'm just now trying to get into the wade gigging action. The forum isn't allowing me to PM anyone, so I was waiting on that to ask you a few questions. The more important thing was some productive areas around Carillon Beach / PC since I'll soon be there for a week and wanted to take some family that hasn't done the giggeration before... Was looking like years ago Philip's Inlet / Powell Lake was a honey hole, but I'm reading now that it's gotten too fresh (water) to hold many flatties...


Sent you a PM. This is the first time in forever I've been on the board thanks to your post. hope to be back more often.


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