With the days growing shorter and the mercury gradually dropping, flounder are on the move. With the approach of autumn, southern flounder begin to make their way out of the shallows, with crowds of these fish making their way through every available route to the deeper waters of the gulf. Yes, the flounder spawning season is upon us once again according to the latest fishing reports. Anglers who enjoy fishing for the saddle blanket flounder are already enjoying an action packed Texas fishing season this fall.
Captain Skip James counts himself one of these flounder fanatics. A longtime guide, Captain James prefers Sabine Lake for his angling. For many years, he's been following the movements of these fish and using telemetry to study the patterns of the fall flounder run. He tends to base his patterns on the movements of the larger females, since as he knows, there are always plenty of males right behind her, eagerly anticipating the drop of the female's eggs.
James, as good a source of flounder fishing reports as any we've found tells us that the flounder run is already well underway. "The run starts slow around mid-September and winds down by mid-December, with the peak being late September to late October." During the migration to the gulf, Texas fishing enthusiasts like James have it easy. "I've been using just a 4" bayside speck grub; that's it. We've been catching flounder as big as 6 lbs - if the run keeps up like it has been, I'll be more than happy with the fall season.", reports James.
Galveston native, Phil Ortiz states that the cold snap that everyone is waiting for is not the only time to pursue flounder. "Flounder know it is time to start migrating when the days become shorter," he says. "We are catching plenty of flounder now but the first solid shot of cold we get will have them moving in mass."
As far as his lures go, Ortiz uses artificial lures for flounder, including of course his own invention the "Flounder Pounder".
Jeff Boudreaux is a Galveston angler who is among the rare breed who pursue flounder all year. Boudreaux tends to do his autumn flounder angling using the pitching methods many use for stick beds when bass fishing. Reports Boudreaux, beaming widely "It's just as good with flounder as it is with bass. I feel for that initial thump and I set the hook right away."
Boudreaux also chooses soft plastics for flounder, reporting particularly good results with the Brown's Corky Devil. This suspended bait helped him land a 7 lb flounder just last week and confirmed this as his lure of choice.
"When you're looking at autumn Texas fishing, you can't do better for flounder than the Galveston Channel or Sea World Park Flat," says Boudreaux. He adds that live bait anglers will probably want to use mid minnows or finger mullet on a Carolina jig for the flounder run.
Cody Stripling has spent many autumns on the lower coast angling in areas near deep water and the grassy structures on the Lower Laguna Madre. While fishing for flounder, Stripling prefers to use a trolling motor.
Like other Texas fishing enthusiasts in the area, he tells us that things are slow in the Lower Laguna Madre right now, but he expects that things will take off quickly once the weather turns a little cooler.
"During the flounder run, I go for drop offs near deeper waters and grassy points. We've got very clear water here along the Lower Laguna Madre, so we can get a good look at those deep water adjacent areas where the flounder tend to hang out. All you need to do is pitch baits along the edge and you'll be able to land all the flounder you could want," says Stripling.
"Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce lead heads work great for flounder," he recalls. "I work them with a bass retrieve by bumping it on the bottom and letting it sit for two or three seconds before jerking it again.
Captain Skip James counts himself one of these flounder fanatics. A longtime guide, Captain James prefers Sabine Lake for his angling. For many years, he's been following the movements of these fish and using telemetry to study the patterns of the fall flounder run. He tends to base his patterns on the movements of the larger females, since as he knows, there are always plenty of males right behind her, eagerly anticipating the drop of the female's eggs.
James, as good a source of flounder fishing reports as any we've found tells us that the flounder run is already well underway. "The run starts slow around mid-September and winds down by mid-December, with the peak being late September to late October." During the migration to the gulf, Texas fishing enthusiasts like James have it easy. "I've been using just a 4" bayside speck grub; that's it. We've been catching flounder as big as 6 lbs - if the run keeps up like it has been, I'll be more than happy with the fall season.", reports James.
Galveston native, Phil Ortiz states that the cold snap that everyone is waiting for is not the only time to pursue flounder. "Flounder know it is time to start migrating when the days become shorter," he says. "We are catching plenty of flounder now but the first solid shot of cold we get will have them moving in mass."
As far as his lures go, Ortiz uses artificial lures for flounder, including of course his own invention the "Flounder Pounder".
Jeff Boudreaux is a Galveston angler who is among the rare breed who pursue flounder all year. Boudreaux tends to do his autumn flounder angling using the pitching methods many use for stick beds when bass fishing. Reports Boudreaux, beaming widely "It's just as good with flounder as it is with bass. I feel for that initial thump and I set the hook right away."
Boudreaux also chooses soft plastics for flounder, reporting particularly good results with the Brown's Corky Devil. This suspended bait helped him land a 7 lb flounder just last week and confirmed this as his lure of choice.
"When you're looking at autumn Texas fishing, you can't do better for flounder than the Galveston Channel or Sea World Park Flat," says Boudreaux. He adds that live bait anglers will probably want to use mid minnows or finger mullet on a Carolina jig for the flounder run.
Cody Stripling has spent many autumns on the lower coast angling in areas near deep water and the grassy structures on the Lower Laguna Madre. While fishing for flounder, Stripling prefers to use a trolling motor.
Like other Texas fishing enthusiasts in the area, he tells us that things are slow in the Lower Laguna Madre right now, but he expects that things will take off quickly once the weather turns a little cooler.
"During the flounder run, I go for drop offs near deeper waters and grassy points. We've got very clear water here along the Lower Laguna Madre, so we can get a good look at those deep water adjacent areas where the flounder tend to hang out. All you need to do is pitch baits along the edge and you'll be able to land all the flounder you could want," says Stripling.
"Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce lead heads work great for flounder," he recalls. "I work them with a bass retrieve by bumping it on the bottom and letting it sit for two or three seconds before jerking it again.
About the Author:
Captain Kyle Tomek is a Texas fishing guide who submits featured texas fishing report to Texas FishCast. You can submit texas fishing report through your Facebook account to Texas FishCast. You can share pictures and videos and tag your fishing buddies for everyone to see.
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