Tips To Catching Sebastian Inlet Flounder

These little flat bastards are one of the easiest, and hardest fish to catch! I have two main techniques that work pretty consistently.

1. Jigging
2. Live bait

Lets talk about Flounder jigging. This is the easiest way to catch a Flattie. All you need is a light action fishing pole and some jig heads. Then you need to tip your jig head with a jig, shrimp, mullet strip, or artificial bait. Here are some examples;

Jig head with live shrimp.

Berkely "Gulp" shrimp. Its scented and more durable than live shrimp.

Skirted jig head with mullet strip.

Artificial alternative to mullet strips, also scented and more durable.

 

Lets get jigging. Now your going to take your new jig shrimp/strip/artificial combo and catch some fish. Location is key when jigging. The main thing to look for is a low current area. You need your jig to make it to the bottom, not get swept away. Next, If the bottom is too rocky you will loose a lot of tackle. My top jig spots are the tidal pool and the entire south side of inlet west of the T dock and fish cleaning tables.(across from the campground).

 

The technique used for jigging is simple, Just throw it out and on the retrieval lift and drop your rod tip. This makes your jig jump along the bottom on the way in. When it lands next to a flounder... Bam!

 

When jigging, Its not uncommon to catch 10 fish before you find a keeper. The small flounder stack up in these sandy areas and they love jigs. Some days the bigger ones prefer a jig too. So jigging will be part of my plan on every trip!

 

The other main flounder attack is live bait.

This is the preferred method for the large fish, although you might only get a couple chances at fish. The most popular baits are mullet and mud minnows.

Finger mullet

Mud minnow.

 

I use a #1 hook, 30lb leader and egg sinker. The size of weight depends on the particular conditions. Usually a 3/4 oz weight will suffice.

This is a great example of the rig I use.

 

You can fish this rig along the edge of the inlet or out of a boat. I prefer to leave the boat at home when flounder fishing. The flounder like to sit along the rock edge and ambush unsuspecting baits. Remember to hook your live baits in the nose so they stay alive. Tail hooked baits don't do well in current. Again patience is key to live bait. It can pay off with some fat flatties.

I always like to have as many options as possible when fishing. Baits, colors, locations, and techniques. If you have any questions feel free to comment on this post. Ill see you at the next tournament!