If you've ever fished for flounder, no doubt you've discovered that these flat fish with lots of teeth have an attitude that is well known. These fish are masters of camouflage and they are as quick as lightening. There are very few east coast fish that are as sought after as the summer flounder. The reason for this is two-fold first, they fight like mad and second their tasty while filets are pleasing to nearly any palate.
Summer flounder start to appear on the shorelines of the northeast generally sometime in May. Warmer water means they will follow their food (squid, sand eels and other baitfish) into bays, tidal river mouths and shallow beach waters. During the warmest days of summer, flounder can be found as close to thirty feet to as many as one hundred and twenty feet from shore. This allows them to lurk in the water that has a temperature they are comfortable in. This means that fall weather will find the close to shore as they are in late spring. During late fall the fluke will again migrate back to the deeper waters of the Atlantic so they can find warmer water to live out the Northeast winter.
Fishing for fluke takes some various approaches dictated by where you're fishing. Let's first discuss shallow water fishing which is preferable early and late in the season. Depending on your location you may want to start in twenty feet or less of water, near the beach. The ideal tackle for these conditions can be either a conventional or spinning rod. Jigs in the one to four ounce range are usually best and can be tipped with squid. You should deploy your jigs straight down from the side of your drifting boat. Make sure that your jig is heavy enough that your line stays vertical. This will ensure that the line is in contact with the waterbed where the fluke are most likely to be located. If the jig is too light chances are that it will lose not come close enough to the bottom to allow a successful fishing expedition.
Work your jig by raising and lowering it as the boat drifts. The rule of thumb is one to two feet from the bottom. Do this by lifting your rod tip and try to not raise it more than two feet. When lowering the jig back to the bottom, do so slowly. The other option of course if you're dealing with slightly lethargic fish is the snap method. This is actually quite simple to do once your line hits bottom, snap it back quickly and allow it to fall slack. This usually will grab the attention of a lazy fluke.
After hooking and landing the fluke make sure you find a way to pinpoint your location whether via GPS or triangulation. Chances are that there are more fluke in that location and repositioning your boat will allow you to make the same pass. This is when a GPS becomes invaluable.
As the season progresses the water near the shore becomes too warm for fluke. This is when you'll want to wander out to areas that are forty to one hundred twenty feet. Target fishing will be the most beneficial to you at these depths. Most fluke rigs are now spinner rigs they are the most common. Your local bait and tackle shop will likely carry a variety of fluke spinner rigs. Experiment until you find which one you prefer and then you can begin designing your own based on your individual preferences and success.
A spinner rig consists of three eyes the first connects to the main line, the second for connecting a sinker and finally the last eye holds a leader. To get the most out of your spinner rig, place a series of colored beads and spinner blade just above your hook. Add your favorite bait to your hook and use a large enough sinker to ensure that you will be in contact with the bottom of the water bed and still have a vertical line. As your boat drifts, the spinner rig will create vibrations and a visual queue to get the attention of the fluke. This is caused when your boat is drifting with the current and the spinner blade is rotating ahead of your hook.
Using a combination of techniques for shallow water jigging can help you catch more fluke than you could hope for. The deeper water spinner rigs ensure that even as they move out to cooler waters, you'll still be able to quickly and easily find some of the best tasting fish you can catch. Tipping your spinner rigs and jigs with squid strips helps you be more successful and it's readily available in most bait shops.
James Swift is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys writing informative and educational articles on fishing. He has writen a wide variety of articles on the web including information on fishing supplies such as Shimano Reels , Daiwa Reels , and Shimano Spinning Reels .
After troll fishing for striped bass,an early morning fish,i'd wait until the sun came up and then just sit and jig for flute and flounder,some so big they would be called 'doormats'!Flute and flounder fishing always made me seasick as one would just sit rather than troll and the rolling of the boat made me so sick that the only thing that helped was the thought that I might soon die!Paul Schroeder
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