The only time I ever went winter flounder fishing was in college. Racked with boredom during the doldrums of February, a buddy and I jumped on a New Jersey party boat that motored up the Manasquan River. I knew nothing about the fish, nor how they differed from the summer flounder I’d been catching since I was little. My friend and I never got a bump, but there were a few older “sharpies” on the boat who put dinner in their coolers. To be honest, after that ill-fated trip, I lost all interest in these flatfish.
Then, not long ago, On The Water dropped a video of their team pounding winter flounder in Cape Cod Bay. My good friend, Jimmy Fee, is a part of that team with far more winter flounder experience than I have. The funny thing about these fish is that historically they were a real crowd pleaser. Throughout the Northeast, anglers swarmed the coast in late winter and early spring to target them, creating an entire culture around the fleeting window in which these fish are available.
That culture has largely dissolved, but the fish are still there for the taking. I talked to Fee on the latest episode of The Quick Strike Podcast, where we discuss some of the reasons why winter flounder fell off the radar. But more importantly, we cover how to get it done if you want to put these underdogs back on your radar — and your dinner table. There’s no boat necessary. All you need to understand are these basics.
Stick in the Mud
The range of the winter flounder spans from Virginia to the Canadian Maritimes, but for most of the year, these fish live far offshore. Come late winter, however, they migrate to the coast, scooting into protected rivers, bays, and estuaries where they’ll feed and spawn. Historically, the newborn flounder then lived among vast expanses of eel grass where they would be protected from predators until they grew big enough to move offshore. The loss of this grass throughout much of their range is a major contributing factor to their decline. Whereas populations once flourished along the entire Northeast coast, there are now pockets with strong numbers. What they all have in common is mud.
“Winter flounder are completely different from summer flounder,” says Fee. “Summer flounder are predators with big teeth. Winter flounder have really tiny mouths and they’re eating mainly marine worms and mussels they can crush up. So, they’re primarily eating invertebrates and soft bottom is where they’ll find a lot of their forage.”
Dark mud bottoms also heat up faster than sand or hard bottom in cold water, making muddy areas in 10 to as little as 3 feet of water ideal habitat. Though a small boat is certainly a plus to cover more water if the bite’s slow, anglers fishing bulkheads, docks, bridges, and sod banks can do just as well because the game is often won by bringing the flounder to you.
Corn and Cat Food
Even when fishing on a large party boat, anchoring is key. Summer flounder are caught by drifting over prime bottom structure and bouncing lures and bait. Winter flounder behave much differently. They can be chummed to you, creating wave after wave of bites if there are strong numbers of fish in the area. Therefore, shore-bound anglers are not at that much of a disadvantage. A chum pot loaded with minced clams is what you’ll see deployed most often. Drop it to the bottom, shake it up, repeat and replenish often.
Another old-school trick is chumming with cat food. Simply poke holes in a can of Friskies, tie it on some string, and send it down. And while you’re in the grocery store buying that, grab a can of corn, too.
“You’ll see a lot of winter flounder anglers mix corn into their chum,” Fee says. “That’s because it’s widely accepted that the fish are attracted to the color yellow, and the brighter the better. Adding in the corn ramps visual attraction, and a lot of guys will even put a corn kernel or two on their hook.”
So potent is yellow as an attractant that it’s frequently incorporated into pre-tied winter flounder rigs either in the form of a plastic bead or even small soft-plastic grubs. Hooks are typically long shank and feature a much narrower gap than those used for summer flounder because winter flounder mouths are so small.
Shell Games
Whether you spice up your hook with corn or not, it’s hard to beat a piece of live sandworm or bloodworm as bait. The scent of these marine worms is irresistible to the flounder. The only downside is that these days, you can expect to pay up to $2 per worm in the tackle shop. That’s hefty considering how quickly other small, non-desirable species that share flounder habitat can pick your hook clean. Luckily, though, there are alternatives.
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“The ‘secret bait’ that’s not-so-secret is mussels,” says Fee. “They seem to give you an edge. Most guys are using clams and worms because they’re easier to find, but if you can get your hands on some fresh mussels it seems to be more of a match to the hatch type thing. Winter storms break up the mussel beds and the flounder will feast.”
According to Fee — and I believe him — the feast you’ll have with winter flounder is much tastier than one where summer flounder is the main course. Size limits on winter flounder are also smaller than summer flounder, and in some states, bag limits are much higher. Just as a walleye or perch taken from ice-cold water is arguably more delicious than one caught in the middle of summer, the decadent flavor and texture of a flounder from frigid saltwater is worth getting out there and playing in the mud.
You can listen to this episode of the Quick Strike Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.