Door mats. Big flounder. Fun to catch and even better to eat. Below are some tips from the VA Beach Fishing Center on how to snag a few.
Flounder feed near the bottom, so you need to present your bait or lure close to where they are hiding. There are several effective tactics for catching them.
One of the most popular methods is drifting with a baited rig, such as a Fluke Killer or a high-low bottom rig. You can use live or cut bait, such as live finger Mullet, live small Spot, minnows, Squid, Silversides, or Flounder belly strips. You can also add artificial baits like GULP Swimming Mullet to enhance the scent and appearance of your offering. The key is to drift over sharp drop-offs or structure where flounder like to ambush their prey.
Another method is jigging with a bucktail jig or a soft plastic lure. You can tip your jig with a strip of bait or a GULP Jerk Shad for extra attraction. Jigging allows you to cover more water and target active flounder that are willing to chase your lure. You can jig along the edges of channels, around bridge pilings, or near wrecks and reefs.
A third method is trolling with wire line and a spoon or a bucktail. This method is effective around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, where flounder congregate in deep water. Wire line helps you get your lure down to the bottom and maintain contact with it. Trolling allows you to cover a lot of ground and locate flounder that are scattered along the structure.
No matter which method you choose, make sure you use a sharp hook and set it firmly when you feel a bite. Flounder have tough mouths and can spit out your bait quickly without a good hook set.
