For the uninitiated, a flounder may revive ogre-like remembrances of particularly disturbing nightmares.
With its double-eyed upward stare and thin, football-shaped body that's all top and bottom, even the more generous amongst us will admit that it's at least 50 yards shy of being handsome.
Though a flounder is certainly one of Mother Nature's more bizarre-appearing critters, it's nevertheless a worthy focus for anglers, giggers, and gourmands, particularly on Florida's Gulf Coast from Pensacola to Key West where they are usually plentiful and fishermen-friendly.
Of the more than 200 known species worldwide, the southern flounder is the one most pursued by Gulf anglers. The smaller gulf flounder rarely attains the 11 inches required to become a legal catch in Florida.
Despite being excellent table fare and a worthy light-tackle quarry, a majority of flounder captured by Gulf Coast anglers are caught more by accident than design since they often inhabit the same waters as trout, redfish, and snook.
Oh, sure, a few folks living on Florida's west coast specialize in bagging this evolutionary oddball. But, just ask yourself: "How many times have I ever gone flounder fishing?" Chances are the answer is "not many."
However, you're probably missing a good...and certainly some delicious dinner entrees...by not taking this fish more seriously.
Though frequently caught by grouper, snapper, and scamp fishermen in offshore depths of 100 feet or more, most flounder activity by giggers takes place in knee-deep waters, particularly throughout Florida's panhandle down to the Homossassa River area, while hook-and-liners throughout the state work in depths ranging from a few inches to 30 feet.
For some, gigging provides an exciting, inexpensive, and rewarding nocturnal activity combining the challenge of hunting with the thrill of fishing with an ultimate goal of placing some superbly edible meals on a dinner table.
A giggers' equipment needs are simple: A battery-operated head lamp, a gasoline mantle-type light with an aluminum dishpan reflector, or a sealed-beam auto head lamp mounted on a float or a boat's bow are used to spot flounder lying on the bottom in shallow water at night. Plus, a one-pronged gig that enables a hunter/fisherman to pin it to the bottom long enough to pick it up and place it on a stringer. The gig itself should have a sturdy, eight-inch or longer prong mounted on a strong shaft measuring three to four feet in length.
Old clothes, sneakers, a stringer and, perhaps, insect repellent rounds out what a normally less-than-well-dressed flounderer might require.
Although these flatfish half-bury themselves in sand or mud and, like chameleons, change colors to blend with backgrounds, a wader with some practice and experience can soon learn to see and stick them like veterans.
Giggers plying shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico are usually well served to search around islands, points, jetties, and shorelines near channels, cuts, and the mouths of bayous where there is a tidal current. Other likely places include sandy, shallow spits or shelves adjacent to, surrounded by, or near deeper waters.
While "hunting," there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, most experienced flounder seekers agree that a dark night with little or no wind is far preferable to full moon evenings and a breeze that creates a ripple or chop on the water.
A general rule is that a rising, full, or nearly full tide is better than an outgoing or low tide. Also, for the Gulf side of Florida, early April through late October are the best months.
Always move against a prevailing current in order to continually confront clear water while sauntering forward. Work slowly and move your light back and forth, left to right, in an arc. Instead of looking for a fish lying in sand, look for its outline. And shuffle, rather than step, across the bottom to avoid a possible unpleasant encounter with a stingray.
When seeing a flounder, move to it quietly but without hesitation until getting into a position to thrust a gig downward with sufficient force to drive it through the fish and into the mud, sand, or shell bottom.
Beginners are well advised to aim for the largest part of the fish in order to assure a solid hit. Later, after experience and practice, they may try for head shots or a spot just behind the gills to help eliminate meat destruction.
Those working unfamiliar shorelines should be cautious about becoming stranded on a flat distant from shorelines on a rising tide. Best advice here is to stick close to shore until learning the landscape and tidal situation.
When flounder fishing with hook and line, many anglers prefer using a jig with a plastic tail that resembles a shrimp or minnow. Live or cut bait can also be utilized with a jig head, as can an effective additive such as Cotee's Tippit or Bait Shapes product. Some prefer a weighted live shrimp or baitfish.
Because they are bottom feeders, it's logical that a flounderer should use something that can be fished on the bottom with a slow, stop-and-go action. Even though it can put up a stiff battle when hooked, light tackle is the order of the day when targeting this fish.
The most practical outfit in this situation is probably the same spinning rod already being used for trout. Certainly six- to 10-pound test line is sufficient providing the reel's drag system is set properly. If using live or cut bait without a jig, a 1/0 hook is sufficient.
Anglers might also consider using a short piece of leader material between the line and hook because the fish has a comparatively large mouth containing two rows of sharp teeth.
And, since bottom habitat might contain coarse sand, shells, rocks, barnacles, or other obstructions, a regular inspection for line abrasions is advised.
Even though fishing techniques are rudimentary, a flounder's feeding habits are not.
First and foremost remember that it is a predator that lays in wait to savagely and swiftly ambush a meal before settling again to the bottom and awaiting its next victim. Because they are likely to be spread about over a fairly wide area, boaters are generally better off to drift the mouths of inlets, bayous, rivers, and the edges of channels rather than anchoring. Other likely haunts include piers, bridges, channel markers, and various fixed objects where the bottom may stir up bait fish due to current alterations.
Old-timers used to draw flounder to anchored boats by churning the bottom with a dragging anchor, long poles, or clam rakes. Others spelled success by chumming.
Few try these techniques any more, at least in Gulf waters, and we might be missing a good bet by not dusting off this "ancient" methodology.
Here again, rodmen will learn that doormats are apt to be found in shallow waters during an incoming tide and in deeper waters during the ebb.
Spawned in offshore waters, flounder hatch from eggs which drift into estuaries. After emerging from the egg, the tiny fry swim upright and have a "normal" eye on each side of the head.
Within a short time, however, one eye "migrates" to the opposite side as it rapidly assumes an attitude of a flatfish with both eyes atop its head.
It's thought that flounder leave bays and sounds in early winter when shallows cool to about 72 degrees and invade the deeper, warmer Gulf waters, only to return the following spring.
Some "cousins" of the southern flounder, such as the Pacific halibut, grow to 350 or more pounds. But, those found in the Gulf's backcountry areas range in weight from two to five pounds on average.
Nobody claims that flounder rival tarpon, redfish, or snook for heart-stopping excitement.
But, during the hot months when some fish pull out for cooler haunts or become lethargic, flounder can be a steady and welcome addition to any fishing scene.
And, on a dinner table, it's second-to-none.
Copyright (c) 1996 Herb Allen. All rights reserved.
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