Most people catch flounder while fishing for redfish, speckled trout, or something else.
But these odd fish can provide great sport and delicious meals, particularly when stuffed with Gulf Coast crabs.
Southern flounder, the most common in Mississippi waters, show irregular white splotches on their brown sides. They average about one to three pounds, but Karen A. Good set the state record with a 10-pound, 4.66-ounce fish.
Twice each year, flounder migrate from the bays and estuaries to the Gulf of Mexico and back, although some flounder stay in inshore waters all year long. As waters cool in the fall, most flounder head to the deep waters of the gulf where they spawn and spend the winter. In the spring they return to inshore waters.
When flounder return to the bays, marshes and estuaries in about April, look for them along shallow weedy shorelines. Focus on little coves or grassy pockets where they can use their superior camouflage to hide from prey. They frequently bury themselves in silt with only their eyes protruding to look into the tidal flow. They wait to ambush anything irresistible that flows over them. Then, they explode from their lair to snatch it.
A live shrimp under a float offers a great way to catch flounder. Toss it along a weedy shoreline and let the current carry the bait naturally. Occasionally, pop the cork to make a surface commotion that mimics a fish striking bait. Live minnows also make great flounder baits, either fished under a cork or on the bottom. Flounder might also hit other natural baits.
“Live bull minnows are one of the best flounder baits around,” Mike Adams with Goin’ Coastal Charters (228-697-4808, goincoastalcharters.com) in Ocean Springs said. “Throw it close to the points or any marsh grass and work it slowly back to the boat by just dragging it on the bottom.”
Most Mississippi sportsmen fish for flounder with natural baits. However, flatfish sometimes strike artificial temptations that imitate shrimp or small baitfish. Anything that might entice a speckled trout or redfish could interest a flounder.
The shorelines along Bayou Caddy and Heron Bay are tough to beat for flounder. The marshes in the back of Bay St. Louis are great places to fish. Even in the bays, some of the pilings in the marinas and under the bridges can hold flounder.
Mississippi anglers might catch flounder all along the coast from the river deltas to the barrier islands. Flounder even venture into fresh water and regularly appear in streams miles from the coast. Many people fish the marshes from Bayou Caddy near Waveland to the Pearl River delta.
“The shorelines along Bayou Caddy and Heron Bay are tough to beat for flounder,” Sonny Schindler with Shore Thing Fishing Charters (228-342-2206, shorethingcharters.com) in Bay St. Louis said. “The marshes in the back of Bay St. Louis are great places to fish. Even in the bays, some of the pilings in the marinas and under the bridges can hold flounder.”
Farther east, several rivers flow into Back Bay, also called Biloxi Bay. Grassy islands and flats in the bay often attract flounder. The marshes by Old Fort Bayou near Ocean Springs can also produce good flounder action. The Pascagoula River also creates a rich delta that holds flounder.
