John's Journal...

Click to enlargeFishing 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.

Click to enlargeEvery 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.

Click to enlargeOne 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.

Click to enlargeI’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


Check back each day this week for more about "Fishing for Specks, Reds and Flounder with Gary Davis"

Day 1: Specks on the Reefs
Day 2: Trolling for Monster Reds
Day 3: Bottom Hopping for Flounder
Day 4: Reds on the Waterway
Day 5: Creek Trout

 

 

Entry 347, Day 3