It seems like it’s just barely become cold, and already spring is nearly here. For us anglers, that’s a great thing. Debate global warming all you like, the bottom line on the fishing front is the same: the “winter” of ’07 was full of hot action and bent rods. And thanks to that warm winter, we’re on the cusp of an early and very, very hot spring—it’s flounder time! Looking North
For the New York and Jersey guys, the mild winter means the marsh creeks and bays have little if any ice, and winter flounder are on the feed. Catching them is quite different from targeting fluke—summer flounder—and the fish are smaller, but they’re quite tasty and fun to catch. Anchor up, and chum with clam and bloodworm bits. One trick old-timers use is to smash the chum into tiny bits, and load it into a soda bottle. Weight down the bottle with some lead, use a screwdriver or knife to punch it full of holes, and lower it to the bottom. Some also say it’s productive to drop a sash weight and bounce it off the bottom now and again, to stir up the muck and get tiny bits of naturally occurring food swirling around. Yet others believe chumming with corn helps.
Use small bloodworm bits, clam bits, or grass shrimp for bait, and remember to scale down your hooks (#6 is a good choice) because these flatties have very small mouths, compared to fluke. Also bear in mind that these fish aren’t fans of especially deep water. Mud flats in the 10’ to 20’ zone are usually the most productive. Concentrate your efforts during the last hour of the tide, the period of change, and the first hour of the next tide.
If you’re out on Long Island, consider hitting spots like the muddy edges just inside Shinnecock Inlet (such as hotspot NYB 4 on p. 17 of Rudow’s Guide to Fishing the Mid Atlantic.) Jersey guys should think about fishing areas like Barnegat Bay and the creeks and rivers feeding it. The muddy bottom at the mouths of the Forked River and Cedar Creek, for example, provide good territory (NJB12 and 13, on p. 39 of the Guide). Shark River is a traditional winter flounder hotspot and although some think commercial fishermen take a toll on the population here, there are still plenty of fish to be found; try the flat on the north side of Shark River Island.
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Running South
Anglers from Delaware south are more likely to have summer flounder on the mind. And with that warm winter, prospects are good for an early start to the run. The usual flounder techniques will prove effective in the early spring. Dragging fluke killer rigs baited with bull minnow or squid is the norm; many anglers like to combine the two on one hook. But this time of year also presents a unique opportunity: shallow water flounder-pounding.
On a flood and rising tide you’ll want to move up out of the channels, and fish in just a couple feet of water. These early season flounder like the warmth of the sunlight, and they’ll move up out of the channels to enjoy the shallow, sun-warmed bay water. In this situation, plastic body twister or paddle tail jigs in the four-inch range and bucktails of the same size dressed with minnow or squid strips are great lures. Chartreuse is a top color choice but when it comes to flounder, at times, white seems to hold a slight edge. In off-colored water yellow may be the ticket, and in low-light conditions purple sometimes out-catches all other choices.
Wachapreague, Virginia, is without question the early season flounder capitol of the east coast. One of the top hotspots for shallow water floundering is on the flats at Swash Bay, especially if you cast up near one of the oyster reefs (such as the one marked by VAI8 on p. 71 of the Guide) and retrieve your lure by bouncing it along the bottom. When the tide drops and the shallows drain off, move over to the channels (at VAI9 and 10 on the p.71 chart) and fish along the deep edges.
One problem with Wachapreague: often it gets quite crowded here. The area is well known for flounder, and trailer boaters will stream in from several different states during this time frame. If the crowds have got you down, shuffle a little farther south to Quinby. (It’s just another five or six miles down Rt. 13; turn left at Rt. 182.) Though the area sees far less pressure, the fishing action is usually very similar to what you’ll find at Wachapreague. Shallow water hotspots include the mouths of Revel Creek and the Straits (detailed on p. 73, VAI12) and good deep water action can be found at the junction of Sloop and the main channels, easily found by looking for the green #161 marker.
In the deeper water, many anglers will switch over to fluke-killer rigs, baited with that minnow-squid combo. No doubt, it’s effective. But there should be two other tactics in your mind: vertical jigging, and trolling. When it comes to sheer numbers of flounder caught from the deep channel edges, trollers probably have the edge. The down-side? To effectively troll for flounder you’ll need to pack much heavier gear. You’ll need a lot of weight and sometimes even wire line or braid to keep your baits right on bottom, where they belong. You’ll also encounter more snags and break-offs. The best way to rig up for slow trolling is to run a 15’ leader behind a four to eight ounce drop sinker (the stronger the current and the deeper the edge, the more lead you’ll need,) with a one half to one ounce bucktail on the end. Dress the bucktail with a minnow, a squid strip, both, or pork rind. Keep your trolling speed at the absolute minimum—walking speed is too fast—and drag a five-gallon bucket from a stern cleat if necessary, to slow yourself down.
If vertical jigging is more to your liking, stick with bucktails and plastic jigs rigged on leadheads. If you use relatively thin diameter braided line (6-lb diameter/15-lb test is a good choice) an ounce or two will be enough to hold bottom on all but the windiest days. Bounce your offering with a lot of zest; flounder like vertically-jigged baits to be very active.
Good-bye winter, hello spring. Get your gear ready, guys, it’s time to launch the attack on flatfish!
**Bonus Fluke Tip: The day before you go fishing cut up your squid strips, and use an ice pick to punch them full of holes. Then place them in a Tupperwear container filled with shedder oil, and let them percolate overnight—yummy.
**Bonus Winter Flounder Tip: Bloodworms can be hard to come by at this time of year, but Fishbites artificial bloodworms seem to work every bit as well. Plus, they stay on the hook longer, cost less, and aren’t quite as messy.
***You can find more specific Atlantic coast, bay and ocean hotspots and how-to/where-to fishing information in Rudow’s Guide to Fishing the Mid Atlantic. It features 38 custom-marked charts which detail over 300 hotspots from New York to North Carolina and includes chapters on specific game fish, tackle, tactics, and techniques for coastal bay, inlet, and blue water fishing. Geared Up Publication’s newest book, Offshore Pursuit (by professional mate John Unkart,) a hard-core how-to offshore book, is also now available. Check them out at www.getgup.com.
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