Flounder Kayak Fishing Tips and Techniques
The best way to catch flounder when you are kayak fishing is with a white 4 inch Berkeley Gulp Shrimp or swimming mullet with a chartreuse 1/4 to 1/2 ounce jig head. You must keep your jig within 12 inches of the bottom and focus your efforts around underwater structures.
Flounder fishing from a kayak is very fun and somewhat challenging. There are lots of flounder in the waters around Florida. They are very abundant and very tasty as well which is why there are so many fishermen seeking out this fish.
Flounder are one of those fish that you should definitely fillet and release into the grease. It takes a while to perfect cleaning and filleting flounder because of their strange anatomy but they are very good to eat.
Fun fact: Flounders start out looking like a normal fish with an eye on both sides of their heads. Then as they mature their right eye migrates to stop right next to its left eye. Then it begins the life of a bottom predator always looking up.
There are two types of flounder for Florida fishermen to catch. The Gulf Flounder and the Southern Flounder. The Gulf Flounder is smaller and can be distinguished from its larger cousin by the 3 dark spots on its back. The Southern Flounder has many more dark spots on its back.
I am a kayak fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mud flats and mangroves around Florida for more than 40 years. The article below will teach you everything that I know about flounder fishing. Let's get started!!!
Watch the video below and catch more flounder with the Gulp 3 inch shrimp.
The best way to catch flounder when you are kayak fishing is with a white 4 inch Berkeley Gulp Shrimp or swimming mullet with a chartreuse 1/4 to 1/2 ounce jig head. You must keep your jig within 12 inches of the bottom and focus your efforts around underwater structures.
Flounder fishing from a kayak is very fun and somewhat challenging. There are lots of flounder in the waters around Florida. They are very abundant and very tasty as well which is why there are so many fishermen seeking out this fish.
Flounder are one of those fish that you should definitely fillet and release into the grease. It takes a while to perfect cleaning and filleting flounder because of their strange anatomy but they are very good to eat.
Fun fact: Flounders start out looking like a normal fish with an eye on both sides of their heads. Then as they mature their right eye migrates to stop right next to its left eye. Then it begins the life of a bottom predator always looking up.
There are two types of flounder for Florida fishermen to catch. The Gulf Flounder and the Southern Flounder. The Gulf Flounder is smaller and can be distinguished from its larger cousin by the 3 dark spots on its back. The Southern Flounder has many more dark spots on its back.
I am a kayak fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mud flats and mangroves around Florida for more than 40 years. The article below will teach you everything that I know about flounder fishing. Let's get started!!!
Watch the video below and catch more flounder with the Gulp 3 inch shrimp.
Flounder Kayak Fishing Tips--Docks
Flounder love to hunt around structure. They like to bury themselves in the sand near the dock pilings and wait for some unsuspecting prey item to swim their way. The flounder are targeting shrimp and small fish that are seeking the relative safety of the dock pilings.
My favorite live bait offering for the flounder is a live shrimp under a popping cork when the water is 4 feet or less. You have to keep in mind that the strike zone for flounder is maybe 12 to 15 inches from the bottom. This means that you will need to have at least a 30 to 36 inch leader when using this bait and technique. This same set up will work if you are using a live pin fish for bait because they always swim straight down.
A live finger mullet is a good bait too but I would suggest using a Carolina rig type of set up. Finger mullet will almost always stay at the top of the water column. If the water is more than 3 feet deep the bait will be out of the flounder's strike zone.
I would suggest a hook tied to 12 inches of leader tied to a barrel swivel with an egg sinker above that. This set up will keep the mullet down in the strike zone of the flounder regardless of the water depth. This bait can be very slowly worked back to your kayak. Then cast somewhere else like the hands on a clock until you have covered the entire area. Then move and repeat.
I wrote another article about the best baits and lures for flounder that covers the subject in great detail. You can read that article by clicking here.
The best lure for dock fishing for flounder is a white scented shrimp imitation with a red jig head. This color combination works pretty well everywhere in Florida that I have tried it. Make sure to use an extremely slow retrieve with this bait. I will cast and bounce it a few times then let it sit for 15 or 20 seconds then repeat.
You can use a feather jig tipped with just enough shrimp to add some stink to the presentation. This set up works really well too. Fish it exactly the same way that you did the shrimp imitation.
I also like to use an unscented DOA CAL 3 inch white shad soft plastic with a paddle tail and a 1/8 ounce red jig head. You will fish this the same way that you fish the scented shrimp imitation jig.
The video below shows one of my dock fishing flounder adventures with a DOA CAL.
Flounder Kayak Fishing Tips--Oyster Bars
Oyster bars are another great hunting spot for flounder and flounder fishermen. When I am deciding where to target flounder near oyster bars I will look for a deeper cut on one side of the oyster bar. I like to cast my baits or lures up current and bounce it along the oyster bar slowly in the current.
The best live bait is a shrimp followed by a mud minnow. in my opinion. I will rig the shrimp or minnow with a split shot about 6 inches above the bait and cast it up current. If the bait is getting caught up you should lighten the weights. If it is not bouncing on the bottom you should increase your weights.
Some flounder pounders like to mimic this technique but they skip the split shot and just use an appropriately weighted jig head as the hook. They will cast the jig and live bait rig up the current and bounce it on the bottom with the current. There's more than one way to skin a flounder. I think that is how the saying goes.
The best lure for this scenario is again a Berkeley GULP white scented shrimp imitation on a red jig head. Just cast it up current and bounce it slowly back to you with the tide. The white shad and jig head combination also works well in this environment.
You can also catch flounders with a gold weed less spoon in this same scenario using the same technique.
I wrote another article that is all about the proper rod and reel set ups for catching flounder. Learn more about getting the right tackle to maximize your flounder pounder fishing fun.
Watch the video below and catch more flounder.
WANT TO CATCH A TROPHY FLOUNDER? Give us a call and BOOK YOUR KAYAK FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Flounder Kayak Fishing Tips--Grass Flats
The grass flats are another great place to look for flounder. The best place to find them in this environment is the sandy pot holes that are in every grass flat in Florida. The flounder like to bury themselves in the sand facing the current and wait for unsuspecting victims to come near enough to strike.
A great live bait for this scenario is a live shrimp under a popping cork. The key to success with this strategy is to have a long enough leader to bring your bait within a foot or so of the bottom. I will anchor my kayak up current from a fishy looking pothole and let my bait float over the sandy spot a few times. Then I will find another one and repeat the process.
The best bait for this scenario is, you guessed it, a white scented shrimp imitation with a red jig head. Cast it up current and bounce it through the sandy pot hole a few times. Then move to the next sandy spot and repeat the process.
Flounder Kayak Fishing Tips--Sandy Creek Mouths
Tidal creek mouths are another great place to find flounders. All they want is a little bit of mud or sand to cover themselves up with to lie in wait for their prey to come by. The key is to bring your bait presentation from up current for best results. They will most likely be facing the current and a lure that comes at them from behind may spook them and then you lose your chance for a fried flounder sandwich later.
The best live bait set up with this scenario is usually a Carolina rig type of set up. ( A Carolina rig is a weight above a barrel swivel about 18 inches from the bait.) I say this because the tidal creek mouths are usually deeper and the flounder will always be on the bottom.
You have to present your bait within a foot or so of the bottom to maximize your hits. If it is only a few feet deep you can use a popping cork presentation. A live shrimp or finger mullet works great in this scenario. Just send it up current and slowly work it back and repeat.
The best lure is a Berkeley GULP scented shrimp jig, GULP swimming mullet or a shrimp tipped feather jig. Just cast it up current and bounce it back to you very slowly. If there are any flounder around, then you will catch one.
Flounder Kayak Fishing Tips-- Mangroves
Flounders love to hide in and around the roots of the Red Mangrove Tree. This is an excellent spot for them to ambush prey items and hide from predators that want to eat them.
The mangrove roots are usually encrusted with oysters and barnacles. This attracts shrimp, crabs and small fish that want to take refuge from everything that wants to eat them.
You will usually find the flounders buried in the sand next to the mangrove roots, facing into the current. They are waiting for the tide to bring some food close enough to them for their lightning fast attack. They are slow swimmers but they are fast strikers.
They like to set up ambush points where the mangroves jut outward or inward. So any place where the roots create a point or a small cove in the lines of mangroves is a great place to pitch your lures or your baits. Any types of structure like a fallen branch or an entire fallen tree is another great place to find a flounder.
If there is a steep drop off near the mangrove roots, then the flounder will most likely be there too. Those drop offs and channels are used often by predators for ambushing their prey. Just remember that slow and low is the way to fish for flounder where ever they are lurking.
Best kayak fishing gear for flounder:
If you are going to be fishing for flounder all day you will definitely need to protect your eyes and skin from the sun's harmful rays. Polarized sunglasses are a must for flounder fishing. Flounder have very good camouflage and are hard to see with good polarized glasses.
A high end pair of sunglasses will run about $250 and a lower end pair will run you about $25 with glass lenses. You can find a super cheap pair of them with plastic lenses for about $5 at Walmart. I have used all of these classes of glasses and the expensive ones are probably worth the money if you are willing to take good care of them.
Whatever price range you decide to go with you must wear polarized sunglasses or you can not sight fish for flounder around the docks or out on the flats. The polarized lenses eliminate some of the glare on the surface of the water so that you can see under the surface.
The best color lenses for inshore and dirtier water scenarios are amber, rose and copper. If you are fishing super clean and clear water or you are fishing offshore a blue or a gray lens is best.
You will also want to stock up on UV performance fishing shirts to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. These shirts have built in sunscreen and are moisture wicking which means they evaporate your perspiration more efficiently keeping you cool on those hot days on the water.
The video below is about the best tips and techniques for flounder fishing.
Bonus Video-- Dock Fishing for Flounder with DOA CALs
Conclusion:
Flounder are an extremely fun fish to target and that is especially true from a kayak. Many fishermen struggle with catching flounder. I think they do one thing wrong in a major way. Those fishermen that can't catch a flounder are almost always fishing too fast.
Flounder are a very slow and patient underwater predator. To catch a flounder you must be a slow and patient predator too. You barely want to move your lure most of the time. Just bounce it and let it sit for a little bit and repeat.
Another problem that I see is not knowing when to set the hook. When you are reeling your bait in and it just stops for some reason try and set the hook. You might be setting the hook for an oyster or a rock but it might be the subtle strike of a flounder.
If you are ever down in the Treasure Coast of Florida book a kayak fishing trip with me. Flounder are one of the species that we target along with redfish, spotted sea trout, snook and tarpon.
I hope that this article helps you catch more flounder. Good luck and let's get some lines wet.
About the author: The author of this article insists that everyone refer to him as The Mack Daddy Flounder Pounder. BUT we all ignore him and call him Mike, the co-owner of FYAO Saltwater Media Group, Inc.
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