What is a flounder?

  📚Submitted by:  🎣 www.facebook.com/groups/1478392040080778/  

What is a flounder?

Flounder are flatfish that live on the seafloor and blend in with sand or mud. Both eyes sit on one side of their head, letting them ambush prey from below.

They’re known for:

• 🫥 Incredible camouflage

• 🐟 Lying flat on the bottom

• 💥 Sudden strikes when food passes by

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Where do flounder live?

📍 Habitats

• Coastal bays & estuaries

• Sandy or muddy bottoms

• Channels, inlets, and drop-offs

• Near docks, bridges, and tidal currents

🌊 Found along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts (species vary by region).

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How are flounder caught?

🎣 1. Rod & Reel (Most Common)

Flounder often grab bait and hold it, so patience is key.

Best baits:

• Live minnows

• Mud minnows

• Shrimp

• Strips of fish (cut bait)

✔ Use light to medium tackle
✔ Let the fish take the bait before setting the hook

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🧲 2. Jigs & Soft Plastics

• Bucktail jigs

• Soft plastics bounced along the bottom

✔ Keep lure on or near the bottom
✔ Slow hops work best

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🎣 3. Drift Fishing

• Drift bait naturally with the current

• Very effective in channels and passes

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Best time to catch flounder

📅 Season:

• Spring through fall (varies by region)

🕒 Time of day:

• Moving tides (incoming or outgoing)

🌊 Conditions:

• Clean water

• Moderate current

🔥 Peak fishing often happens during fall migration when flounder move toward offshore spawning grounds.

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Are flounder good to eat?

😋 Excellent

• Mild, flaky white meat

• Popular fried, baked, or grilled

• One of the most prized table fish

⚠️ Always check local size & bag limits.

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Why flounder matter

🌱 Important predator on the seafloor
🎣 Popular recreational & commercial fish
💰 High market value
🌊 Indicator of healthy estuaries

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Quick facts

• Can change color to match the bottom

• Often lie buried with only eyes showing

• Bite feels like extra weight, not a sharp hit

• Patience = more fish