It’s been several years since we’ve had a decent flounder run; in fact, since the big red tide a few years ago. But it looks like this year’s different. Flounder large and small are making an appearance in area bays and passes. And on the Merry Pier in St. Pete Beach, where I caught several this weekend, up to about 21″.

Flounder prefer a moving tide, as they lie on the bottom and wait to ambush their prey. Whitebait is plentiful right now, so net a few up and bump them along the bottom with a small hook, a fluorocarbon leader, and just enough weight to keep the bait in the strike zone. The bite tends to be in the form of a solid ‘thump’ on the line… and, well, that’s usually it. Set the hook immediately, and you risk pulling the bait out of the flounder’s mouth. Give them a few seconds, and you’ll increase your catch rate considerably.

Flounder fillets are outstanding, either fried or stuffed with crabmeat. We had a few friends join us for the Buc’s game Sunday (an amazing overtime win), and enjoyed fresh stone crab claws, fresh grouper fillets, fresh fried flounder, two kinds of fish spread… a regular seafood extravaganza.

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