Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs
One of the best fishing lures for flounder are white bucktail jigs. Another one of the best things about targeting flounder is that you do not need a tackle box full of colorful lures because white and chartreuse are what they like the best. A white bucktail jig or a white and chartreuse bucktail jig of varying sizes will catch you all of the flounder that you want to catch. Just fish them slow and keep them within a foot of the bottom.
Flounder are one of those fish that are just about everywhere. If you bring an assortment of bucktail jigs, then you can catch them wherever you are.
Flounder are fun to target and they make delicious table fare. That is why they are such a popular fish that are targeted by so many fishermen. Flounder pounders all over the Southern part of the United States still use bucktail jigs to get flounders in the boat and you should too.
The bucktail jig has been catching flounders for 50 years and it will continue to catch them for another 50 years. This simple lure is one of the best lures that you can use to target flounders.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats and oyster bars all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about catching flounder with bucktail jigs.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more flounder with bucktail jigs.
One of the best fishing lures for flounder are white bucktail jigs. Another one of the best things about targeting flounder is that you do not need a tackle box full of colorful lures because white and chartreuse are what they like the best. A white bucktail jig or a white and chartreuse bucktail jig of varying sizes will catch you all of the flounder that you want to catch. Just fish them slow and keep them within a foot of the bottom.
Flounder are one of those fish that are just about everywhere. If you bring an assortment of bucktail jigs, then you can catch them wherever you are.
Flounder are fun to target and they make delicious table fare. That is why they are such a popular fish that are targeted by so many fishermen. Flounder pounders all over the Southern part of the United States still use bucktail jigs to get flounders in the boat and you should too.
The bucktail jig has been catching flounders for 50 years and it will continue to catch them for another 50 years. This simple lure is one of the best lures that you can use to target flounders.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats and oyster bars all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about catching flounder with bucktail jigs.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more flounder with bucktail jigs.
Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs around Docks
If you are not fishing around docks for flounders, then you should start right away. Docks are one of the best places to target flounder, redfish, snook, speckled trout...……
Dock pilings are a great hiding place for small fish, shrimp and crabs. They will hang out near the oyster and barnacle covered dock pilings to find food and shelter. BUT all of the predators know this and hunt for them around docks.
One of those predators is the flounder and you are hunting it. One of the best lures to use to catch flounders is the bucktail jig. This is the quintessential flounder lure and you should enhance its effectiveness by tipping it with a small piece of shrimp.
Flounders need two things and if you can find those two things then you will catch a bunch of flounder. They want sand, mud or gravel to bury in and some current to bring food to them. Add some structure to this scenario and you have the holy trinity of flounder fishing.
The shrimp tipped bucktail jig is deadly around dock pilings. Adding the shrimp to the lure adds one more sense that the flounder can use to detect your lure. Now they can smell it too.
WANT TO CATCH FLOUNDER? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
As I mentioned earlier, a flounder is a fish that likes to bury itself in the mud, sand and gravel facing into the current. They are waiting for some unsuspecting shrimp, crab or small fish to come close enough for them to pounce upon.
Your best bet is to cast your jig up current and slowly bounce it on the bottom back to you. The flounder will usually be right next to the dock pilings so you will have to get your jig under or at least extremely close to the dock.
Flounder have a very subtle strike so you really have to pay attention when fishing for them. You might think that your jig is caught on something but it is actually a flounder on the end of your line. My advice is to set the hook when in doubt. Often times you will set up on an oyster or rock but sometimes it will be a nice flounder so go for it.
The key to flounder fishing is the technique. YOU MUST PRESENT YOUR JIG SLOWLY!!!! When I say slowly I mean slllllloooooowwwwwwwllllllllyyyyyyyyy. You are basically dragging it on the bottom with a bounce every now and again.
The strike zone for a flounder is within 18 inches or so of the bottom. I try to keep it within 12 inches of the bottom. A flounder will not swim up in the water column more than a foot or two to eat something. That are a bottom specialists and you have to understand that to get good at catching them.
You might have to spend 10 minutes or so to fish each dock because your retrieve is so slow and you have to cover the whole dock. Sometimes the flounder will be in a foot of water near the shore. Other times they will be at the end of the dock in deep water. You will have to fish the whole thing to catch them effectively.
Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs around Mangroves
Flounders love to use the roots of the Red Mangrove Tree to hunt for food and hide from their predators. The roots of the mangrove tree attract all kinds of prey for a flounder to eat. The roots attract shrimp, crabs and small fish that the flounder love to eat.
As the tide rises all kinds of different predators will use the roots to hunt for food. Flounders, redfish, snook, mangrove snapper, black drum and many others use the roots to find food. AND all of those fish that I just mentioned will eat your shrimp tipped bucktail jig too.
There is a major problem that flounder fishermen will have when fishing the mangroves. You will lose a ton of your jigs so bring a bunch of them. You have to get your jigs within a couple of feet from the roots to effectively fish them.
I wrote another article on this website about the best baits and lures for flounder click here.
The predators like to hug the roots and cruise in and out with the tides looking for food. If you can get a good cast up current and parallel to the lines of mangroves, then you can catch a ton of flounders.
Just about every line of mangroves that I have ever seen has a few feet of mud or sand that you can bounce your jig off of. That is all that you have to do. You need to fish the roots very slowly and methodically to maximize your flounder pounder day of fishing.
I can assure you that there are flounder in those roots if you can get your lure to them. They are so good at camouflage that it is almost impossible to sight fish for them.
WANT TO CATCH A TROPHY FLOUNDER? Give us a call and BOOK YOUR KAYAK FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Flounders love to use the roots of the Red Mangrove Tree to hunt for food and hide from their predators. The roots of the mangrove tree attract all kinds of prey for a flounder to eat. The roots attract shrimp, crabs and small fish that the flounder love to eat.
As the tide rises all kinds of different predators will use the roots to hunt for food. Flounders, redfish, snook, mangrove snapper, black drum and many others use the roots to find food. AND all of those fish that I just mentioned will eat your shrimp tipped bucktail jig too.
There is a major problem that flounder fishermen will have when fishing the mangroves. You will lose a ton of your jigs so bring a bunch of them. You have to get your jigs within a couple of feet from the roots to effectively fish them.
I wrote another article on this website about the best baits and lures for flounder click here.
The predators like to hug the roots and cruise in and out with the tides looking for food. If you can get a good cast up current and parallel to the lines of mangroves, then you can catch a ton of flounders.
Just about every line of mangroves that I have ever seen has a few feet of mud or sand that you can bounce your jig off of. That is all that you have to do. You need to fish the roots very slowly and methodically to maximize your flounder pounder day of fishing.
I can assure you that there are flounder in those roots if you can get your lure to them. They are so good at camouflage that it is almost impossible to sight fish for them.
WANT TO CATCH A TROPHY FLOUNDER? Give us a call and BOOK YOUR KAYAK FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs around Bridges
Bridge pilings are as good of a place to find flounder as dock pilings for the same reasons. There is a lot of food for them their to ambush and they can hide from their predators.
The problem with fishing bridges with bucktail jigs is getting the jig to the bottom. The flounder are usually deeper because they are on the bottom and those bridge depths are deep. The water has to be deep enough to let big boats through without bottoming out.
The deeper the water is the harder it is to fish with a jig. The stronger the current is the harder it is to fish with a jig. SO how do you catch flounder that are down deep? All that you have to do is increase your jig weight.
If you normally fish with a 1/2 ounce jig, then you might have to step up to a 1 ounce or a 1 1/2 ounce jig. That will get your jig to the bottom even if the water is deep and there is a lot of current to contend with.
You will want to fish your jig the same way that you fish it everywhere else. Cast it up current and slowly work it back to you with a bounce or two every few feet. Don't forget to tip it with a piece of shrimp.
Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs off the Beach
You can catch flounder right off of the beach. They will usually set up ambush points near some sort of structure line a rock or a reef. BUT if there is food in the area then they can be just about anywhere.
I have seen them right next to the beach in the trough that the waves cause. They will bury in the trough and feed on small fish, shrimp and crabs that wash close enough to them to pounce.
Down here in Florida, we have lots of different bait runs that hug the beach at the higher parts of the tides. They hug the beach because all of the predators like to pin them against the beach for easy access.
There will be flounders, snook, tarpon, redfish and many more predators within a few feet of the beach. This is especially true when the smaller fish are running like anchovies, glass minnows, sardines and herring.
You can tip your bucktail jig with a minnow instead of a piece of shrimp if you can get your hands on them.
I wrote another article that covers in great detail how to catch a flounder. You can read that article by clicking right here.
When you are fishing off of the beach, you will have to cast parallel to the beach when the bait is near shore. When the tides are lower and the bait is more dispersed you can cast perpendicular to the beach. It all depends upon where the flounder food is.
When the surf is rough and the current is strong you will have to step up your jig weight. You have to be able to keep your bucktail jig on the bottom and be able to work it slowly as you retrieve it.
You can catch flounder right off of the beach. They will usually set up ambush points near some sort of structure line a rock or a reef. BUT if there is food in the area then they can be just about anywhere.
I have seen them right next to the beach in the trough that the waves cause. They will bury in the trough and feed on small fish, shrimp and crabs that wash close enough to them to pounce.
Down here in Florida, we have lots of different bait runs that hug the beach at the higher parts of the tides. They hug the beach because all of the predators like to pin them against the beach for easy access.
There will be flounders, snook, tarpon, redfish and many more predators within a few feet of the beach. This is especially true when the smaller fish are running like anchovies, glass minnows, sardines and herring.
You can tip your bucktail jig with a minnow instead of a piece of shrimp if you can get your hands on them.
I wrote another article that covers in great detail how to catch a flounder. You can read that article by clicking right here.
When you are fishing off of the beach, you will have to cast parallel to the beach when the bait is near shore. When the tides are lower and the bait is more dispersed you can cast perpendicular to the beach. It all depends upon where the flounder food is.
When the surf is rough and the current is strong you will have to step up your jig weight. You have to be able to keep your bucktail jig on the bottom and be able to work it slowly as you retrieve it.
Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs in the Inlets
Flounder come flooding into the inlets after they spawn offshore and flounder pounders are there waiting for them. Inlets are a great place to target flounder. Inlets have structure and current to bring the food right to the flounder.
I probably sound like a broken record at this point but I will say it again. You will want to cast your jig up current and slowly work it on the bottom back to you.
This is a spot where you will definitely have to use a larger jig to get it to the bottom. Inlets funnel all of the water from inshore out into the sea so the current is usually extreme in the inlets. I like to cast into the eddies that are caused by the current moving around structure.
The rocks and sea walls that line every inlet are great structure for flounders to ambush food as it washes by them. You will want to get your jig as close to the structure as you can because the flounder are usually hugging the structure very tightly.
When you are fishing the incoming tide you can't go wrong with a white bucktail jig. If the tide is an outgoing one, then you will want to use a pink or chartreuse colored jig. The dirty outgoing tide is usually better for lure fishing in the inlets.
Watch the video to learn the best tackle for flounder fishing.
Flounder come flooding into the inlets after they spawn offshore and flounder pounders are there waiting for them. Inlets are a great place to target flounder. Inlets have structure and current to bring the food right to the flounder.
I probably sound like a broken record at this point but I will say it again. You will want to cast your jig up current and slowly work it on the bottom back to you.
This is a spot where you will definitely have to use a larger jig to get it to the bottom. Inlets funnel all of the water from inshore out into the sea so the current is usually extreme in the inlets. I like to cast into the eddies that are caused by the current moving around structure.
The rocks and sea walls that line every inlet are great structure for flounders to ambush food as it washes by them. You will want to get your jig as close to the structure as you can because the flounder are usually hugging the structure very tightly.
When you are fishing the incoming tide you can't go wrong with a white bucktail jig. If the tide is an outgoing one, then you will want to use a pink or chartreuse colored jig. The dirty outgoing tide is usually better for lure fishing in the inlets.
Watch the video to learn the best tackle for flounder fishing.
Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs near Oyster Bars
The oyster bars are a great place to fish for flounders with bucktail jigs. Oyster bars are a wonderful place for prey items to hide. The sharp oysters and mud around them are a nice hiding spot for shrimp, crabs and small fish.
The flounder know this and love to set up ambush points by burying themselves in the mud facing into the current next to an oyster bar. They like to have a place where the current will funnel food right into their waiting mouths.
One of my favorite set ups for jigging for flounders is a cut between two oyster bars. The tidal current will force everything through the cut during the lower parts of the tide. This will bring the flounder right to me too. They want the food to get funneled to them and I want them to be funneled to me.
You will want to pitch your jig up current and bounce it back to you with the tide at about the same speed as the tide. This technique will end up in a lot of lost jigs but it is worth it for a cooler full of flounder.
As the tide rises, you will want to focus your efforts on the spartina grass that lines the oyster bars in tidal creeks. The flounder will move from the cuts to the edges of the grasses that line the tidal creeks.
If you can get a cast that is parallel to the grass lines, then you will have a great chance to catch some big flounders. Just retrieve your jig super slowly.
Flounder Fishing with Bucktail Jigs on the Grass Flats
Another great spot to catch lots of flounder is on the grass flats. Every grass flat has open sandy pot holes in them. Those sandy pot holes are great spots for predators to ambush prey.
Flounders love them. They will bury in the sand and wait for the tide to bring them some food. They will be facing into the current so you will have to present your bucktail jig from up current.
Just target the sandy potholes from down current and cast into the potholes. You will want to work the entire pothole very slowly. Once you cover one pothole you will move to the next one and repeat the process.
Another great place to target flounders on the grass flats is the outer fringe where the grass flats end. Grass flats always end at some point and that is usually into a channel.
Channels that are adjacent to grass flats are great places to target flounders. You will want to target the sandy or muddy boundaries of the grass flats with your jigs.
You know the drill at this point. Cast up current and work your jig slowly on the bottom with the tide.
Another great spot to catch lots of flounder is on the grass flats. Every grass flat has open sandy pot holes in them. Those sandy pot holes are great spots for predators to ambush prey.
Flounders love them. They will bury in the sand and wait for the tide to bring them some food. They will be facing into the current so you will have to present your bucktail jig from up current.
Just target the sandy potholes from down current and cast into the potholes. You will want to work the entire pothole very slowly. Once you cover one pothole you will move to the next one and repeat the process.
Another great place to target flounders on the grass flats is the outer fringe where the grass flats end. Grass flats always end at some point and that is usually into a channel.
Channels that are adjacent to grass flats are great places to target flounders. You will want to target the sandy or muddy boundaries of the grass flats with your jigs.
You know the drill at this point. Cast up current and work your jig slowly on the bottom with the tide.
Conclusion:
So you want to become an official flounder pounder do ya? Hopefully this article will help you do that. Flounders are one of my FAB FIVE fish. I target flounder, snook, tarpon, redfish and speckled trout 90% of the time on my kayak fishing charters.
Those are the best fish to catch inshore, if you ask me. They are all super fund to catch and all of them except for the tarpon are delicious to eat. Book a kayak fishing trip with me if you want to target one of the FAB FIVE. The best time of year is Spring through the Fall.
You can catch all kinds of fish using the good ol' bucktail jig. If you can master the jig fishing techniques, then you can catch all of the flounders, redfish, black drum and any other fish that likes to hug the bottom.
I hope this article helps you catch more fish or at the very least helps you have more fun trying. Tight lines!
Do you want to catch more fish? Sign up for the crash course below.
So you want to become an official flounder pounder do ya? Hopefully this article will help you do that. Flounders are one of my FAB FIVE fish. I target flounder, snook, tarpon, redfish and speckled trout 90% of the time on my kayak fishing charters.
Those are the best fish to catch inshore, if you ask me. They are all super fund to catch and all of them except for the tarpon are delicious to eat. Book a kayak fishing trip with me if you want to target one of the FAB FIVE. The best time of year is Spring through the Fall.
You can catch all kinds of fish using the good ol' bucktail jig. If you can master the jig fishing techniques, then you can catch all of the flounders, redfish, black drum and any other fish that likes to hug the bottom.
I hope this article helps you catch more fish or at the very least helps you have more fun trying. Tight lines!
Do you want to catch more fish? Sign up for the crash course below.
Catch more flounder with our FREE Inshore Fishing Crash Course.