Flounder Run Is Near

As my wife kindly encourages me to forget about the preseason football game on tv and get my butt out of my chair and help her retrieve all the fall decorations that she loves to put out on Labor Day of each year, I realize that even though the temps are still in the mid nineties, fall is on the doorstep and will be here soon.

I am anticipating another fall run of Flounder in the lower Galveston Bay area. The annual migration of these flat fish takes place starting around the last of October through the month of November. It seems to peak the week or two before Thanksgiving. The tactics for targeting these fish are simple. Find an area that goes from shallow marshy areas to the open Gulf. Channels around passes are ideal, even better if there is some sort of man made or natural structure for them to use as an ambush cover during their migration. Rock piles, dock pilings, bulkheads and depth contours are the ticket to success.



The Galveston Ship Channel will more than likely be ground zero for my focus this year as well as some areas along the Bolivar Peninsula as well. Live shrimp dangled in front of them will certainly get bit but, the hook up on this fish is different than others. You have to let flounder take the bait and wait, I usually count to 30 or so after feeling the slight bump-bump-bump from them grabbing my offering. Flounder like to roll the bait around in their teeth for a while before taking it into the mouth. If you pull too soon, you'll end up reeling in half of a bait and nothing more. After the 30 second wait, I pull on the rod as if I were going to drag the bait a foot or so, if there is a little resistance, BAM! set the hook.

Here are some photos of last seasons catch.

Dave, Roger and Greg with a mornings catch.



Roger in the water bringing the one to the box.



Greg with a 6.5 lber caught on a red flake w/white tip Saltwater Assasin.



Dave doing his impersonation of Dolly Parton.