Last week we talked about "what to put in a surf box." So this week,
we'll talk about, what to put in a "flounder box!"


 Putting together a flounder tackle box for drifting in the bay or
fishing from the shore is relatively easy.  First of all, choose a box
with plenty of room.  A two or three tray box is good, or one of those
big boxes with slide out trays will work.  The more you fish, the
bigger the box you should choose.





 The most important things you want in your tackle box is sinkers. If
you don't get to the bottom where the flounder are swimming and stay
there, you won't catch flounder. It's as simple as that.  If you are
drifting, you want your sinker to glide over the bottom floor.  Many
anglers in boats use bass cast (or dipsey) type sinkers.  These
sinkers are bell shaped and are molded with a barrel swivel for the
eye.  This extra swivel on the sinker helps keep your line from
twisting. Anglers should have a wide array of sizes from   1 to
5-ounces. Many of these sinkers come in half-ounce sizes, so be sure
to grab some of those also, especially the 1-½ ounce size.  You want
to use the least amount of sinker you can get away with, so you want
to change your sinker often during the day as the tide and winds
shift.


 Anglers also use egg sinkers to make a sliding flounder rig (also
called a "drop-back rig". (These are also used when striper fishing in
the inlet.)  You should have a range of egg sinkers from 1 to 3
ounces.




 To make an egg sinker rig,
 take a long leadered hook and attach a
barrel swivel to the end loop (or simply tie it on.)  This should be
approximately 30 to 36 inches long.  Then tie on a short piece of
leader material to the barrel swivel, about 8 inches or so, and slip
on a plastic bead and an egg sinker. Then slide on another plastic
bead and tie on another barrel swivel.  Now the sinker can slide free
on the line. The beads keep the egg sinker from rubbing against your
knot. This rig works especially well when you are drifting with a
conventional type reel.  When you feel the flounder nibbling, you
"drop back" to the flounder before setting the hook. Thus you call it
a "drop back" rig!


 It you are fishing from a pier, bridge, or other structure, you don't
want your sinker to roll.  For flounder fishing from structure, you
are better off with bank type sinkers. Put several sizes in your box
from 1 1/2 to 5-ounces.  Your best flounder tide is when it is slowing
down, and then you will be using 1-½ to 3-ounces of weight, but if you
want to continue to fish when the tide is moving hard, you will need
the heavier weights.

 The next most important thing you need in your tackle box, is of
course, flounder rigs!  There are hundreds of brands and varieties of
flounder rigs. Buy the ones that suit your fancy, but be sure to have
enough of them. Running out of rigs with a boat full of kids can be
disconcerting!






 Basically, there are two kinds of flounder rigs. There are single
hook flounder rigs made with a 30 to 36 inch leader, and two hook rigs
(sometimes called high/low rigs.)  For anglers drifting in boats,
either one of these rigs is fine. There are many variations of these
rigs. Some have bucktail on a brass rivet, plastic squids, Spin N'
Glows, spinner blades, and/or colored plastic beads. Colors that work
well all the time are white, chartreuse, and clear glitter. Bucktail
with a little Mylar tied in for flash is very effective. Flounder are
site feeders and these extra-added attractions can help you catch more
fish. Some colors such as yellow, red, or pink may be offensive on
some days, but "hot-hot-hot" on another day, so it is always a good
idea to have everyone on the boat try a different rig to find out what
is working.  (And remember, some days the fish just want a plain hook
and a plain minnow!)


 When you buy your rigs, try to buy rigs that are "ready-to-fish."
Make sure they have a snap for the sinker and a swivel to attach to
your snap swivel at the end of your line.  If not, make sure you have
barrel swivels, and three way swivels with a duel lock snap attached
in your tackle box.  It's always a good idea to have a couple extra of
these anyway, along with some "easy to open" snap swivels.





 Always carry some basic top and bottom rigs (either wire or
monofilament) and some extra packs of hooks so you can make a quick
rig.  Flounder hooks are basically #1/0 wide gap type hooks.  Have
some other kinds of hooks available to, such as some long leadered
#4/0 Octopus hooks for stripers. You may also want to have these
larger hooks to "live bait" a small lizardfish or "just legal"
bluefish for a big flounder. You may decide to pick up some live eels
and go striper fishing.  You'll be glad you had those   larger hooks
along!


If you are fishing from the Route 50 Bridge for flounder, you will
also want to have a couple spreader bars in your box and some large
plastic or balsam wood floats. Anglers place a 2-ounce bank sinker to
the center of the spreader bar and attach two leadered hooks to the
snaps at each end of the spreader bar.  They then estimate the depth
of the water, and position the float.  The Bridge angler uses the
float to drift the spreader rig with baited hooks out with the tide.
This way, the angler can cover more territory than casting. It is a
very effective way to catch flounder from the Route 50 Bridge!


 Always have a pack of small hooks in your box as well. I make sure I
always have a pack of Bear Paw Brand #6 spinner hooks on hand in case
the spot, croaker, or blowfish start biting.


 Steel leaders!  Always have a pack of steel leaders in your box in
case the bluefish come whipping though. It is also a good idea to
always keep a few lures in your box such as ½ to ¾ ounce bucktails,
some 4 and 6 inch white plastic curltail worms, a red and white
MirrOlure and a silver and black Rattletrap.  A spoon or two will also
never hurt.  If you are not fishing out of a boat but fishing from the
shore, add a couple Got-cha Plugs in as well.





 If you like to make your own rigs on the boat, be sure to have all
the components you need to make the rigs in your box including some
good leader material such as 25 pound test Fluorocarbon leader.   Make
sure you have some clippers or scissors to cut your line, a little
stone to sharpen your hooks, and a pair of pliers.  I like to keep
some zip-lock rig bags in my box, to put extra rigs in, once they have
been ripped out of the package.


 When you buy components to make flounder rigs out of, make sure you
have everything you need and always keep them in your tackle box in a
zip-lock bag.  When you buy your spinner blades, be sure to also pick
up the clevises.  The spinner blade hangs on this clevis that makes it
flicker correctly.  If you use spinner blades, you also need beads to
position it correctly on your rig. Usually you tie on the hook, then
add 3 beads, then the spinner blade with clevis, and then add another
bead.  If you attach a bucktail skirt tied on a brass sleeve, put it
directly next to the hook.  If you use the plastic squids, some people
like to put one bead right in the head of the plastic squid. (Some
people add spinner blades and more beads, while others use the plastic
squids alone.)