It’s spring and anglers are catching flounder!

“I want to catch some flounder. I have a boat and need to know
about early season flounder. “

This season of 2005 is starting off well with flounder. Anglers
aren’t catching them every day or every tide, but there’s been a lot of
smiles from the anglers that are out there “working” the waters. The first
thing to know about “early season flounder” is that they don’t always follow
the rules.

Two hours before and after high tide is usually the best time to go. But in
the spring, flounder tend to bite when the water is the warmest. The
incoming water is generally colder than the outgoing, so many of the early
flounder are caught on the outgoing part of this 4-hour scenario. Be sure
to go during this 4-hour time frame, but if they don’t bite for the first
two hours, don’t go home. Wait for the beginning of the outgoing!

Low, outgoing tide, which is a terrible tide in the heat of the summer can
be an excellent time to take a flounder drift in the spring. The very
beginning of the incoming tide, before the water gets too cold, can also be
productive. In the spring, the “flounder bite” can happen in a short “window
of time.” When the fish are biting, fish hard, as they can stop as fast as
they start!

In the heat of the summer, flounder tend to bite in the deepest channels. In
the spring of the year, flounder tend to feed in shallower water. Many
people call this shallower water “the flats,” water that is anywhere from 4
to 6 feet. The areas that anglers do especially well are these “flats” north
of the Thorofare and drifting towards Route 90 Bridge. There are also
“flats” in the bay behind Assateague from buoys #10 south towards the
Verrazano Bridge. The waters are usually warmer in these shallower “back
bay” areas. When you fillet your catch you will also see another reason
these fish are in these shallow water areas. They are full of grass shrimp!
Grass shrimp love to skit along the bottom of shallow water where the sun
has warmed the bay.

(Fishing the “flats” in the spring is most effective on the high tide. If
you fish low tide, you will be better off in the deeper channels.)

Thus comes the other “early season phenomenon.” Flounder usually ALWAYS take
a big bull minnow and a long strip of squid on a big hook with a long
leader. And they still will. BUT, they will also take smaller baits in the
spring with rigs on shorter leaders. Anglers find they are doing just fine
with frozen shiners and little strips of squid on all kinds of top and
bottom type rigs. Besides the traditional high/low crappie type rig, anglers
use one quarter ounce spec rigs, large Sabiki type rigs and rigs with
plastic squids. We tried a rig called a P-Line Farallon feather rig in a
#5/0 hook size last week. It is very similar to the larger Sabiki rig. This
rig is a high/low rig with fairly short leads. A feather and some Mylar are
tied to the hooks. We baited up with shiners and squid strips, attached a
sinker to the bottom swivel, and bounced it up and down off the bottom in
the shallow water and did very well with the flounder.

“Do these Spec Rigs, Sabiki Rigs, and P-line rigs work all the time?”

Personally, I only like these rigs when working the “flats” or fishing
around the Rt. 90 Bridge where the water is relatively shallow and not
running strong. When fishing areas like the Main East Channel, the deep part
of the Thorofare, and near the Inlet, I like to use a more traditional
flounder rig with longer leaders. The reason for this is two-fold. The fish
are usually feeding on larger baits in the deeper water. One also needs to
use more sinker weight in the deeper channels. The spec rig, Sibiki rig, and
P-Line rigs do not present the baits as well in the deep water as they do in
the “flats.” For deep channel fishing, I like to use either a top and bottom
type rig with at least 12-inch leadered hooks, or a single long leadered
hook at least 30-inches long.

Aqua-clear rigs make excellent flounder rigs. They last a long time,
especially if you buy the ones that are made with the stainless hooks. You
can buy them with plain hooks; white, chartreuse, pink, or yellow hair; or
with pearl spinners and beads. The later is a big favorite of some of our
good flounder fishermen we know in Ocean Pines.

I like to make up my own flounder rigs using a simple long leadered hook. I
use Fluorocarbon leader about 25 or 30-pound test. I tie on a simple Octopus
or Wide Gap style hook (I always use a super-sharp or Lazer-sharp type of
hook), and slide on a white, chartreuse, or pink bucktailed skirt with
Mylar. Sometimes I add some beads and spinner blades. Sometimes I don’t.
Chartreuse spinner blades are my all time favorite when I do. Beads can be
either chartreuse or red.

Many anglers tie this 30-inch leadered hook to a 3-way swivel with a snap
for the sinker. This is fine and very easy. Most pre-made single flounder
rigs come with the 3-way swivel and a snap because it is so easy to use. If
you use this, always tie a good snap swivel to the end of your line to cut
down on line twist.

I personally, do not use the 3-way swivel with a snap. I like to use a fish
finder rig. The reason for this is three-fold. First, the fish finder rig
eliminates line twist. Second, if a big fish picks up the bait, it does not
feel the sinker right away. Third, if you use the inexpensive fish finder
rigs (the 3 for a dollar variety), and are fishing in an area where there
are snags, (Main East Channel near 1st Street, near the Route50 Bridge, or
the Inlet), the sinker will snag, the plastic piece will break, and you’ll
get your rig back (minus the sinker of course.)

“How do you use a fish finder rig? Why can’t I buy one already made up?”

You can’t buy it already made up because you have to attach the find finder
rig directly to the line coming off your reel. How do you set up a fish
finder rig? 1) Feed your line directly from your reel through all your
guides and tip and then through the plastic sleeve of the fish finder rig.
2) Attach a snap swivel or a barrel swivel to the very end of your line. 3)
Attach you single leadered rig to the barrel swivel or snap swivel 4) Attach
a sinker to the sinker clip part of the fish finder rig.







Some people also use an egg sinker rig to make a single-leadered flounder
rig that does not foul up. We also call this rig a “drop-back rig,” because
it works well when “dropping back” to a flounder. I like to use this rig if
I am using a conventional type fishing rod and reel. To make one of these
flounder rigs, take a piece of leader material 20 to 30 pound test and about
12-inches long. Slide an egg sinker in the middle of the leader and tie a
barrel swivel to each end. Then attach your long leadered hook or single
long leadered flounder rig to one of the barrel swivels. Attach the other
barrel swivel to the end of your fishing line. (The fish finder rig and the
egg sinker rig also works for live eels.)

Flounder fishing is fun any time of the year. But there’s nothing like
spring flounder fishing when you catch those first flounder of the season.
Enjoy…

Good fishing…