Flounders whats the secret

What is the secret to catching Flounders, while fishing with friends using the same methods they seemed to do much better. Is there any big secret behind this fish?

Yeah nice try brock

Yeah nice try brock

Ha ha denis is gettin desperate

best advice i could give you is to give up

What is the secret to catching Flounders,

dont use a griplead .
seriously....!!! flounders like movement if you use a small ball lead and let it roll around into depressions and gullies where flounder may be lying up...! if no bites twitch it back a few feet the movement will fool them into thinking the bait is gonna get away if nothing leave it again for 4-5 mins and then repeat again and again till the lead is under your feet, very often flounders can be found right there. .
also if your not using beads try some.. and if you are using beads try plain traces alternate between each cast till you find out what works at a particular venue, sometimes beads work sometimes they dont.
hope that helps

Have ya tried hooks..

try arklow south beach or pier! greystones south beach,
light spinning rod and half or one ounce swivel lead, mussel,rag,lug,mac,razor squid!!!!
light tackle moves,,, and as wrassebasher said, moving bait.
if the whiting don't get it the flounder will

i used to use 2 hook flappers with both hooks above the lead when fishing estuaries. i noticed that it was usually the bottom hook that the flatties took. when out with a friend from work he suggested using one up and one below the lead. it really did make a difference.
now i just use a running ledger with a long snood. i usually use 2 rods and i was putting beads on one, the other plain and it didnt really make a difference.
one other thing, what size hooks are you using?? i usually use size 4's or 2's if im stuck but wouldnt go bigger than that.

Thanks for all the info, I will try this out next trip.

i have to agree that size 2/4 hooks are alot better, i personaly use a 3 hook flapper with size 2/4 hooks, keep the baits small and if using worms dont leave any hanging below the hook as they will just suck the worm down off the hook......
not sure about not using grip leads, i use them so the scent from the bait stays in the same area and therefore lasts longer
to attract the fish....also use beads and a bait spoon or flattie attractor's........ hope this help's........i've landed some decent flatties this way

not sure about not using grip leads,

ive got plenty of flounder using grip leads too but generally i would be targeting any species in the area and not just flounder, but if that method doesnt work its worth a try using the ball lead, particularily if you wanna just target flounders on sheltered beaches / estuarys. i konw a guy who would even use a bubble float filled with water instead of a lead to allow for more movement . flounders are usually a by catch for me on the east coast as they aint that big and not worth going after specifically, i have fished the waterford venues for the big ones and they are the methods that have produced for me and crab was the best bait by far down there thats all they semed to take in the estuary when i fished it.


Let us konw how you fare out Griplead and if no luck ill hit a venue in waterford with ya where i know theres good flounder 40cm plus and go after them for the craic.

for what its worth - nearly always use gripleads

i rely on the tide and current to make the movement - probably more of it on the west coast beaches

more important i think is to find a feature - either a gulley behind waves - some small rock outcrop etc.

snoods of 30cm are plenty def outcatch longer snoods

as for the beads - have both alternate - find which works - then stick with it

also - dont be using snakes - small to medium lug of about 6cm - 10cm always seem to outfish the bigger lads

another point - dont have your rod tip high - keep it low

Dont agree with the short snood thing TBH. 2 to 3 foot long snoods murder flats, the only time I'll shorten them is in a heavy surf.

From the beaches....:

Pyramid leads are a nice way of combining a roller and a grip lead but some movement is preferential.

Size 4s from the beaches primarily, 2s if you have to use a bigger bait in dirty conditions.

One snood to fish below the lead, 2 above it.

2 bottom snoods to be left plain or with a small sequin/rubber bait stop thing. Use one of those white sakuma luminous floating beads with the red spots on the top snood.

Bait wise, pretty much anything can work as long as its well presented. Lug or rag up the hook tipped with a nice fine sliver of mackerel is probably my favourite bait though. Maddies/whites with a tiny mack sliver through them is a close second. Nice long fine strips of mack on their own can work well too. (note the mack theme.... )

If your not getting bites leave your trace the hell alone, give it a proper good soak.

If you are getting bites, sit on your hands and give them plenty of time to take it properly.

Start in behind the first wave, yes, I know it seems mad, and work your way out wave by wave trying in front and behind until you locate them.

Dirty water, big surf, use a bigger bait. Clear water, little surf, smaller bait.

Just general guidelines, dont take them as gospel but they sure work for me and Flounder are probably my staple match fish down here. I have something of a flounder fetish I must confess.....

Hi pete,

What size pyrimads do you use. I have a few 5ozs that I bought and dont use but are they to big.

I find the watch leads great on some beachs as the bait gets pulled in and out with the surf. I know alot of lads around here use ball leads. Any thoughts on lead selection for flatties?

Donagh

a lot of comp anglers are now using leads that are a type of elaboration on the pyramid lead where the bottom part that would normally form a point has become a cyclinder

anyone know the name?

seem to turn up at the flattie comps anyway

as regards the long snood short snood thing pete - i find that the snoods seem to be longer used here on the east coast since i started fishing this side than out west

i havent conseqently lenghtened them on my rigs and still seem to be notching up the flats - maybe not at your level or needs for the matches

one of my favourite fish everything will catch flounder, the skill in fishing for them is picking out what works on the day and sticking to it, sometimes they will have a preference for long snoods, plenty of movement etc... sometimes they want it hard on the bottom. by far my most succesful rig i use, is a rather simple 2 up one down flapper, snoods are 60cm long tied from 12-15lb maxima or a good qaulity flouro, the rig body is constructed from 25lb amnesia or 40lb tecklon gold. hooks are either a size 4 kamasan or size 6 owner pint (bait will dictate what size you use, for heavy crab baits in an estuary a size one hook will be need to present the bait properly) and a little small floaty bead is often added to give my bait movement. golden rule keep rigs tidy and neat.

sometimes you will find long snoods will bump the catch rate up , ive used snoods up tp 4 foot with good success. they tend to fish the best on those calm, balmy days, little movement in the water etc.... combined with a light lead and a bit of twitching here and there they can work wonders. having said that ive also found short snoods as rediculous as 15cm have caught fish in comps where other who failed to experiment failed. no idea why they worked but when my traditional approach wasnt working, i switched over and bang fish on??

lead wise. like pete im a huge fan of the pyramid lead,they offer nearly the right amount of resistence everytime. i really dont like using grip leads for flounder thats just me i prefare to keep the bait moving, no need to trip the wires when i feel like a twitch or to gently lift into the fish when i want to reel in. saying that sometimes you have to use them, when its rough or theres a fierce rip of tide, and you want your bait to stay where you think the fish are feeding thats what youl have to use. coloured leads have come into play recently and i have to admit i like em. i dont know if they help attract the fish, they certainly dont put them off and best of all they make finding a spare rig on the ground easier to find

what bait you use will depend entirely on the ground and venue you choose, estuaries traditionally fish best when using crab, open beaches lug and rag. mix and match baits on the day till you find what they are feeding on.

by far the most important thing youl have to learn is water craft, its something ive had to come to terms with over the last year. flounders are fish that love features!! learning to identify and use features on what seems a barron beach will make the difference between blanking and catching. the easiest place to start would be the gutter (the depression made by the wave as it laps up on the beach, yes that close) work your way out. creases indicate a run of tide and waves breaking at distance indicate a bank of sorts, fish on the edges of these. keeping trying different spots till you find em, flounder are a shoaling fish where there is one there is often others.

Good post Eric!


I didn't read it...but there were a lot of lines there alright!

Good post Eric!


I didn't read it...but there were a lot of lines there alright!

thats the key, lost of lines mean lots of giberish, people are under the illusion that its is informitive

I think eric covered that one pretty much well done great post.

BEADS, beads, beads and more beads in my view
bait- rag, lug and white rag, tipped with mackerel, bluey or squid
size 6-2 hook are best.