Drifting Easy by Sue Foster

"Summer's coming to a close. Will there still be
flounder fishing in Ocean City, Maryland? How do you
fish for flounder in the late summer and fall season?"

We have flounder right into the month of November.
The flounder run generally peaks during the first
two weeks of October, and then deteriorates, as the weather
becomes inclement.


"Should we keep our boat in the water?"

Absolutely! The late summer and fall months are wonderful times to go
fishing. Watch the weather and enjoy those Indian Summer days out
on the water with no crowds and little boat traffic. The most important
thing to remember about late summer flounder fishing is that you must fish
the tides! The later into the season you fish, the more important the tides
will be.

"What tide should you fish?"

For most of the late summer season, you want to fish
the last two hours of the incoming tide, the high flood tide itself, and
the first hour of the outgoing tide. The largest flounder will be taken
when the tide is just barely moving. When the water temperatures start
to drop in the later part of October and the beginning of November,
the low tide can be productive, as the water temperatures are warmer then.
One hour either side of low tide will catch you some late season flounder.

"Where should we fish?"

It is important to fish the main channels for flounder
this time of year. The East channel generally sees more flounder than
the West channel. From the Convention Hall Channel (around buoy #9)
down to the draw of the Route 50 Bridge is good in the fall. The area
from 6th Street to the draw of the Bridge becomes "hot" the first
couple weeks of October as flounder leave the bay for the last time. It
is almost as if the flounder "stack up" next to the Bridge as they try
to find their way out of the bay.

The inlet area is also good for flounder this time
of year. Drift through the inlet and also drift the area from the inlet
to the Route 50 Bridge. On nice days you can even go outside the inlet
and fish the South side of the South Jetty or go one to three miles
offshore of the coast of Assateague. If you are going offshore of
Indian River, flounder fishing is even better. One to three miles
offshore of the mouth of the Indian River Inlet produces catches of
flounder, trout, blues, and stripers.

"What is the best bait for flounder this time
of year?"

The usual frozen shiner or live minnow with a
squid strip will always work. A whole finger mullet (fresh or frozen) hooked
the eyes,a live spot, a fresh strip of spot or bluefish fillet,
or live bunker,perch minnow, or finger mullet will all catch you a
big one. Some days anglers spend all day catching some fresh live bait
to go fishing for one or two hours of the premium high tide. The
reward of this hunt are often worth the efforts!

"What kind of rigs should we use this time of year?"

I like a single long-leadered hook this time
of year. You can dress it up with a bucktail skirt or a chartreuse spinner
blade and a couple beads if you like. Keep the leader 24 to 36
inches long so as not to spook the big flounder. If you are using large
live bait or larger dead finger mullet it is a must to have a long leader
and a slightly larger hook. We use #2/0 to #3/0 wide gap or wide bend
hooks this time of year. A larger finger mullet will spin on the
rig if the hook is not big enough!

Be sure to carry heavier sinkers this time of
year, as the best flounder fishing is in the main channel. When the
current is running you often need 3 ounces of weight to hold the bottom
when drifting. The inlet and slightly offshore sometimes demands even
more. You need to be on the bottom to catch big flounder.

"The crabs are eating my large baits."

Again, if you are using larger baits than normal
such as whole finger mullet or a fat slab of bluefish fillet, you want to
be fishing in deep water on the good tide. If the tide isn't right yet,
don't waste the good baits. Use smaller baits until the tide starts
to slow down. If the tide becomes totally slack and the boat is not
moving with a breeze, do a slow troll along the channel to keep your bait
moving. Some boaters bump their boat in and out of gear to do
this. You will be surprised what a difference this can make.

You can also bounce your sinker up and down off the
bottom, or cast out away from the boat and then reel in towards you. If you
cast from the boat cast towards the deepest water in the channel. (Be
careful not to tangle with anglers in another boat or anglers fishing
from the Route 50 Bridge.)

"How about the Thorofare?"

The Thorofare can be good in September, but as the
season progresses, the Thorofare flounder fishing can totally die out.
You would be better off fishing some of the deeper holes in the bay behind
Assateague. These places hold some nice flounder as well as gray and
speckled trout.

"We don't have a boat! What is our best bet during
September and October?"

I would stick to areas that are closest to the inlet.
The 9th Street Pier, the bulkhead along 2nd through 4th Streets, the
Homer Gudelsky Park, the Oceanic Pier, the Ocean Pier, and the Route 50
Bridge. The Route 50 Bridge is one of the best places to go because you
can cast to all the good spots that the boaters are drifting over.
The east channel close to the draw of the Bridge offers some excellent
fishing in the off season. There are some fish in the West channel,
but if you are not successful there, move to the east channel.

"How do I get the fish up?"

You should invest in a bridge net if you plan to
fish the Bridge often. Be sure to have at least 50 foot of rope on
the net so you have ample rope to maneuver the net in the current. Be
sure not to lift the fish out of the water when netting a big one. Let the
net drift beneath the fish. Take your time. If you get too excited or
in a hurry, you may lose the big one! If you do not have a net, make
friends with someone that does have one.

"How about the surf?"

The surf can be quite productive on flounder in the
fall. Cast out with strips of squid, mullet, or spot and reel in slow
along the bottom. I like to catch a fresh fish such as a spot or
bluefish and cut a fresh strip of bait from it. Fresh mullet is usually
available this time of year. A whole side of a finger mullet makes
excellent flounder and trout bait. (I do like to scale the baitfish
before using it.) Do not ball your bait up when fishing for flounder in
the surf. Always use it in a strip.

Some anglers even use live minnows in the fall and
catch flounder. For this, you need a quick "drop-off." A whole finger
mullet on a mullet hook also catches a surprising number of flounder.
Just keep it moving a little.

Flounder fishing in the late summer and fall.
They are there!

Good fishing…