Fishing
for Specks, Reds and Flounder with Gary Davis
Bottom Hopping for Flounder
EDITOR’S NOTE: Editor’s Note: Gary Davis
has fished the Mobile Delta area around Foley, Orange
Beach and Fort Morgan, Alabama, all his life. He knows
where the speckled trout, redfish, and flounder will
migrate – almost before they know themselves.
As a full-time fishing guide, Davis makes his living
knowing what tackle and what line produce best throughout
the year.
Every
time I fish the Little Lagoon area in Gulf Shores for
speckled trout, my party and I will usually catch three
or four flounder too. The flounder are just now starting
to show up in the areas I fish. The flounder we’re
taking right now only will weigh 2- to 3-pounds each.
They’re not the big saddle-blanket-size flounder
that we often catch later in the summer. I usually catch
the flounder on 6-pound-test Mossy Oak Fishing Line
when I’m bottom-hopping the Spike-It jigs for
speckled trout. Often when we start catching the flounder,
instead of bottom-hopping the jigs, I’ll drag
them on the bottom. A key to catching those flounder
on the bottom is dipping or spraying my Spike-It grubs
with Shrimp Scent. Since the flounder feed along the
bottom, I think those fish really identify with that
Shrimp Scent. I’m convinced that Spike-It scent
not only attracts the flounder to the grub but also
causes the flounder to take the grub deeper in its mouth.
One
of the real secrets to catching flounder is not to set
the hook as soon as you feel the bite. Many times the
flounder will pick the grub up by the tail, and you’ll
just feel a little pressure on the line. So, wait until
the flounder starts to swim off with the grub before
you actually set the hook. I’ve learned that when
I’m using Spike-It Shrimp Scent spray, the flounder
will hold onto the grub longer, and the jig will go
deeper in the flounder’s mouth than it did before
I started using the spray.
I’m
catching these flounder on 6-pound-test Mossy Oak Fishing
Line. I’ll usually fish with a dark-colored grub
or one of the holographic-colored grubs with the tail
dipped in chartreuse Spike-It dye. Although I may catch
my first flounder on 6-pound-test line, when I believe
there are more flounder in the area, I’ll change
to 10-pound-test Mossy Oak Fishing Line. Flounder like
to hold in tough cover - around pilings, rocks and debris
in the water. I may need that 10-pound-test line to
pull the flounder away from that cover. I rarely ever
have anyone put a flounder back because flounder are
so delicious to eat. One of my favorite ways to eat
flounder is to scale it, split it down the middle of
its back, create a pocket and stuff that pocket with
shrimp and oyster stuffing. Bake that flounder in the
oven until it’s done, and the meat is flavored;
that will be one of the finest fish dinners you’ve
ever had.
To fish with Gary Davis, you can contact him at 251-942-6298
or 251-943-6298.
Tomorrow: Reds on the Waterway
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