"Can we catch flounder in the surf?"

There are many ways to work the surf besides the
traditional surf rigs with floats and strips or chunks of
cut bait. When the water is clean and clear and you are
casting near a good drop-off, you may want to try flounder
fishing. You will find a surprising number of flounder in
the surf this time of year. Anglers catch them accidentally
when fishing for blues or stripers. If you target the
flounder, you will catch even more.

"How do I do it?"

Do it just like you would in the bay. Fish with a top and
bottom type flounder rig, or a single rig about 30 inches
long. I like to use a fish finder rig so my hook does not
twist up when casting in and out of the surf. If you use a
top and bottom type rig, stick with a simple wire top and
bottom rig with two 12-inch leadered hooks. Do not use surf
floats! This is the trick to flounder fishing. The
flounder are right on the bottom and are more likely to bite
if you keep your bait there as well. Because of the
troublesome crabs in the surf, you need to keep your bait
moving. Cast out and then reel back in slowly towards the
shore.

"Can I use spinner hooks instead of plain hooks?"

Sure. You can use any type of hook you would also use in
the bay to attract flounder. If the water is dirty or murky
than I would try the silver spinner blades. If the water is
clear, I would try the chartreuse spinner blades and/or a
white bucktailed skirt.


"What kind of sinker should I use?"

If you are fishing during one of those blue bird days in
calm surf, you can get away with a two or three-ounce bank
sinker. If the rig starts to wash in faster than you can
retrieve it in, it is time to switch to a pyramid type
sinker in the 3-ounce range. I always try to get away with
the lightest sinker I can use so I can feel the fish bites.
Sometimes I like to use a two-ounce hurricane sinker on my
shorter rods, though it does dig in a little more than a
3-ounce pyramid sinker. Switch your sinkers around and come
up with the best one for you under the current conditions.

"What should I use for bait?"

You can use a shiner and squid strip combination just like
you do in the bay. Some anglers even use live minnows, but
I much prefer the frozen shiner. The shiner is more natural
to the surf environment and attracts many other species of
fish as well including trout and snapper blues. Be sure to
use the squid strip on the same hook as the shiner. Put the
shiner on first hooking it through the eyes. Then attach a
good two-inch squid strip. The squid helps keep the shiner
on the hook and if the crabs do get biting, the squid bait
will last longer than the delicate shiner.

The surf is a great place to use strips of bait to fish for
flounder. Fresh or salted spot strips, mullet strips, or
mackerel strips all work well. If you have any kind of
fresh fish in the cooler, you can cut it into strips for
flounder. You can use trout, bluefish, or other flounder.
Just be sure to keep the remains of the fish so it counts
towards your creel limits. Remember to cast out and retrieve
in slow. Always cut your bait into a strip, hooking it
once, and let it trail off the hook.

"My shiners fly off during the cast!"

This means you are casting too hard. You need to cast easy
to throw a shiner. If you just can't do it, switch over to
less delicate bait such as a squid or mullet strip. Salted
bait is always very tough and stays on the hook longer.

"What kind of rod and reel should I use for this kind of
fishing?"

Flounder fishing in the surf cries for a lightweight 7 to 9
foot surf rod with a reel lined with 12 to 15 pound test.
Since you are holding the rod constantly while casting and
retrieving, it helps to have a rod that is light in the
hand. The Daiwa Sea-line-X series of surf rods in the 8 to 9
foot lengths is perfect for cast and retrieving in the surf.
The new Penn Newport series is similar and also very nice.
Match either one of these rods with a reel such as the Penn
Powergraph 4000, the Daiwa 4000ZT, or Shimano 6000 size reel
and you will be ready to fish for flounder or throw lures in
the surf as well.

"I'm not catching anything where I am fishing."

Whether you are casting and retrieving bait or lures, it
often becomes necessary to move up and down the beach and
try different spots. When fishing tournaments we see one
person bringing in fish after fish in one location, and
anglers catching nothing in another location. The bottom
structure can be slightly different in a spot 20 yards away.
Study the beach closely and look for drop-offs, sloughs, or
a little rough water amidst quiet water. I like to fish
where I see a lot of sand fleas scurrying back into the
water. Fish like to eat these, and you can usually catch
fish where you see a number of sand fleas.

Anglers look for cuts in the outer bar where clean water
slips in on the incoming tide. If you see a spot of clean
water amidst cloudy water, this is where you want to cast.
If you see porpoises jumping about just offshore, get ready.
They often chase in fish towards the shore.

"How far should I cast?"

As long as you get beyond the crest of the wave, you are
fine. When fishing for flounder, you will find that they
will follow the bait back towards the shore. When you start
to bring the bait up that final incline is when they will
often bite. I like to fish with my rod tip "down" when
working for flounder in the surf. You will also be
surprised to catch trout in this same manner.

"Should I use wire hooks if bluefish are around?"

No. If you are moving your bait it is unlikely that a
snapper blue will bite off your hook. A monofilament
leadered hook looks more natural in the water and will
attract more flounder, trout, and even stripers than a wire
hook.

"Should I fish the tide for flounder?"

Yes, just like in the bay, fish for flounder two hours
before and after high tide. The slough that runs up and down
Ocean City and Assateague is deeper during the higher tide.
The water is usually cleaner and the fish are feeding. Time
of day is also important in the surf. Early in the morning
and the time frame between 4 P.M. and dusk is always a great
time to fish. I find that sea trout especially bite good
during this latter time frame.

Sometimes it is fun to change your techniques when surf
fishing. Instead of sitting watching your rod tip sway in
the sand spike, try cast and retrieving for flounder for an
hour or two. You can also cast lures in the surf if the
water is clean. Many anglers carry two surf rods to the
beach, one for bait and another lighter one for cast and
retrieving.

You never know what you may come up with.


Good fishing….