Late flounder run?

[daddyjaxxs]

Now the experts are saying the flounder run may not take place untill December and they are worried the giggers are going to put a hurt on the population. In my reading on this and other forumns it looks like the run is already on. I cant wait to see how December will be if the experts are correct.

[daddyjaxxs]

Its on for gigging in December and the limit is 5

[daddyjaxxs]

Fishermen concerned about late flounder run

by Joe Kent / The Daily News Correspondent
khou.com
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 8:46 AM
Updated today at 8:46 AM


Related:

• Galveston County Daily News website

GALVESTON, Texas—How nice it was to see the sun finally make an appearance Tuesday. Once we get the wind out of the way, the weather should settle into some nice conditions for fishing.

Early indications are that the last weekend of the special red snapper season will be tolerable for the smaller boats to hit the Gulf. Nov. 21 ends this year’s red snapper fishing in federal waters.

An interesting note came from Terry Sharp, an avid flounder fisherman and strong supporter of the special November bag limits for flounder. Sharp commented on my recent statement that we might be experiencing a delayed flounder run this year and the peak might not be reached until sometime in December.

The regulations limiting recreational anglers to two flounder per day during November and prohibiting flounder gigging that month were based on November being the prime month when most of the flatfish make their way to their Gulf of Mexico wintering grounds.

If we do have a delayed run and the peak isn’t reached until, say, mid-December, Sharp feels that will negate the positive effects of the November limits. Compounding the problem will be the return of flounder gigging Dec. 1. Sharp is concerned the added take will show in next year’s stock assessment by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and result in closing flounder fishing during November as had been proposed at one time.

Sharp has an interesting observation, and about the only thing I can suggest is that sportsmen voluntarily observe an extension of the November rules regardless of whether there is scientific proof as to whether there in fact was a delayed run this year. Unfortunately, we all know only true sportsmen likely would adhere to a voluntary extension.

[WestEndAngler]

Sharp sounds like he needs to learn about Sea Center and do something instead of complaining... Flounder run is on and the cold fronts we are having here in November are pushing more & more out sure a lot stay, they stall all through winter! Anglers need to learn its not gigging vs. everyone else it's giggers & rod & reel guys vs. commercial sector until we can actually stop bickering amongst each other nothing is going to get done against big business!

[Muddskipper]

With a break in November, there will be plenty of flounder for all the recreational anglers no matter how they harvest them in December. I hope to see some good reports for some of the giggers, so they can see the progress of regulation changes. It's not like they can gig every night with fronts moving through like they do. They are intitled to go get there fish as long as they do it with responsibility and within TPWD rules and regs.

[Robalo]

Good response Coe. When I read Joe's article, I felt the same way-he (Sharp) makes it sound like it should be C&R only almost and no mention of commercial harvest. Blames (or certainly implies) gigging for decrease. There aint that many giggers and the cutting of limits in half and closure to gigging in November was "enough" take from the rec side, now take some more from commercial side if new regs are gonna be made.

[lurefisher]

When are they going to make the flounder a game fish?

[Robalo]

Never LF-too many folks want that stuffed flounder at their fav restaurant. Just let Bryan (Muddskipper) keep up the excellent work with Sea Center/Lute's and passing on to others the need to conserve. I believe that most die-hard fishermen (or beer drinkers) don't target floundies as their primary target-if they did, then we may have a problem, so 1 here and there aint the issue and with knowledge from folks like Bryan and restocking efforts, I doubt the TPWD will amend the regs anytime soon. They need to see what the change already made does first.

[PasadenaMan]

I only target founders nov - dec
Lucky if I get more than 6

[Curmudgeon]

Anglers need to learn its not gigging vs. everyone else it's giggers & rod & reel guys vs. commercial sector until we can actually stop bickering amongst each other nothing is going to get done against big business!

That's the truth!

[Ibtsoom]

They could start by closing the Galveston chanal to commercial shrimpers . How many you think they catch ?

Surprisingly few. Most large fish secks, reds, flounder, drum etc easily move out of the way of a trawl. Those that don't are normally ejected by FED's (fish excluder devices), swim out of the turtle shooters ( TED's) or are returned to the water alive -- My family have been shrimpers for generations. It's surprising to me how many fingers get pointed at them without any basis in fact.

[shutout]

Just abide by the rules in place. I have no family involved in commercial fishing, but get sick and tired of hearing people trying to villify those who fish/shrimp for a living. Sportsmen have no more claim to a viable resource than those who make an honest living off that resource.

[Ibtsoom]

Just abide by the rules in place. I have no family involved in commercial fishing, but get sick and tired of hearing people trying to villify those who fish/shrimp for a living. Sportsmen have no more claim to a viable resource than those who make an honest living off that resource.

Well Said!!!

[2112]

I like threads like this that get people to really thinking about the subject and there are a lot of good replies in this one.

I've always heard that the biggest flounder to move out of the bays are in December and to back that up the biggest bed I have ever seen was around 27" and it was in December...this makes me wonder why TPWD picked Nov Vs. Dec.
Nov may have more fish to move out than any other month but TPWD stance for the gig ban during Nov is they don't want gigs harvesting the big girls.
I know very big girls are sometimes taken from the shallows at night but for the most part, any flounder over 24" is rare in the shallows and I am convinced truly big flounder spend most of there lives in deep channels. When you hear about a big flounder being harvested I guesstimate 20 out of 1 times it is taken by rod and reel.

This is exactly why I am so passionate about the ban...It's not that I can't put the gig down but the fact they picked the gig instead of all methods.
They seriously need to shut the whole harvest down to all methods during the run. A ban on the gig is not going to come close to a recovery for so many different reasons I didn't even mention.

I'll step down now.

[Muddskipper]

.......but TPWD stance for the gig ban during Nov is they don't want gigs harvesting the big girls.
.......

That is incorrect, TPWD biologist would like to see at least one generation of the flounder to go out and spawn.

One of the main factors of no gigging by recs or commercials is enforcement. They don't have enough officers to see who is rec and who is not. The majority of gigging takes place in the rockport, port A area, anyway.

Game fish status would ban gigging for everyone but not commercial harvest , so that is not an option.

Allowing 2 fish for the rod and reel angler in November was determined to have the least impact on the smallest group.

The regulation change was a comprimise, as it has been said that once it's gone, it could be gone for good, due to uncontrollable circumstances, so an all out clouser was off the table.
(like what if the oil spell took place off of Galveston and it was sucked up our bay?) there is no telling how long something could be put in place.

There was an impact on bait camps that was considered and owners need that little bump in buisness to help them through the winter.

You could say that you got the short end of the gig, with the nov clouser, but for the majority of fisherman it impacted them but did not keep them from it, it did give a good percentage of fish a break for the few days that water clarity would allow gigging.