| The tasty flounder is a great sport fish you can | | | | a simple green squid and a spinner blade works |
| target in Rhode Island waters. Every day during the | | | | pretty well. Catching colors can change, and size of |
| summer hundreds of boats are out there targeting | | | | the spinner blade. But a bare hook doesn't always |
| this great fish. By following a few tips you can | | | | work that well. Of course, we always put bait on the |
| become a better flounder fisherman. Summer | | | | hook. It might be squid, smelts, peanut bunker, or |
| flounder are a funny-looking brownish fish with a | | | | strips of flounder belly. Depends on what is working |
| totally white underside. They have two eyes on one | | | | that day. Squid is usually a good bet to bring. Cut it |
| side of their head and swim with the eyes upward, | | | | into long strips and hook it a couple times before |
| tending to cruise along the bottom, not moving to | | | | putting it down. Now, as for sinker weight, use the |
| far away from it. They cruise about 1-3 feet off the | | | | smallest sinker that will keep your rig on the bottom, |
| bottom looking for something to eat, usually using | | | | so you can jig it. The rig should always be jigged, |
| the current from the tides to cover ground. Often | | | | never let it drag on the bottom. A gentle jigging, |
| they will spook some small life form as they | | | | lifting the rod tip no more than 12" and back down till |
| approach, and a small puff of mud or motion is sent | | | | you feel the sinker hit the bottom. Down below, |
| into the water which attracts the flounder to that | | | | what happens is your rig is moving as the boat |
| area and he will pounce on the poor creature. This | | | | moves along, and each time the sinker hits the |
| habit is the one we exploit when fishing for them. | | | | bottom, it makes a noise and a puff of sand or mud. |
| Ok, so you want to find some flounder. Well, they | | | | This noise and puff of mud attracts the attention of |
| aren't always in the same place. As the season | | | | the flounder, and the bait on the hook tastes good. |
| progresses, you have to go deeper and deeper to | | | | This is what brings them in. |
| find them. Sometimes they move east or west with | | | | Now, on to hooking the fish. The big mistake I see |
| the tide. They prefer sandy bottoms, so these are | | | | here is everyone wants to haul back quickly as soon |
| where you want to be and you always drift for | | | | as they feel a hit. This is a bad idea, as the flounder |
| them. Never spend more than 15 minutes on a drift | | | | typically grabs the end of the bait away from the |
| when searching, that is the point many anglers don't | | | | hook. So when you jerk the rod, it pulls the bait out |
| understand, keep moving until you find a good drift | | | | of his mouth, or off the hook. The trick is to lift the |
| where you catch 4 or more fish. Then keep doing | | | | rod tip slowly until he is hooked or lets go of the bait. |
| that drift until it no longer produces well. Sometimes I | | | | Once he is hooked, then you can proceed with |
| may move 10 times before finding them. If the drift | | | | reeling him in. Use a light tip rod, a rod with a heavy |
| is slow, the flounder fishing will be slow. If the drift is | | | | tip makes it hard to feel the hits and hard to tell |
| too fast, either slow the boat down with a drift sock | | | | when you've hooked the fish. Put two anglers |
| or sea anchor, or give it up. | | | | side-by-side, one with a heavy rod, and the other |
| Onward to rigs and methods. A typical flounder rig | | | | with a light rod. The angler with the light rod will out |
| uses a 3-way swivel with sinker snap and a 30" | | | | fish the one with the heavier rod every time, given |
| leader with some kind of fluke rig attached. It can be | | | | the same level of skill. |
| as simple as a bare hook, or very elaborate with | | | | If you want to catch big ones, put on a big bait and |
| spinners, small squids and beads, etc. The sinker is | | | | be patient. |
| important, as you need to have your rig on the | | | | So if you follow some of these points you'll be |
| bottom to catch these fish. The rig itself, well usually | | | | rewarded with more flounder in the boat. |