Flounder in the LLM

[Deke]

The thread Coe started about the Lone Star News paper made the think. Their issue in mid July had an article about the decline of flounder in the LLM. I thought, well maybe, but I have seen several stud flounder caught there this past year, more so than the past decade. Well I guess I was lucky,lol.

I got a call from a good friend this evening giving me an update on a tournament out of SPI he guided in. He put his client on the best red of the tourney, but the trout were tough today. Side note cool tourney format. One red, trout, and flounder per team, but the trout can not be larger than 25", so no big girls die just to weigh in in a tourney, I like it. Back to my point. He said as of 20 mins left in the weigh in time, no one had weighed in a flounder. This is out of 130 boats! And bait was allowed.

That IMO is pretty scary, to think that out of all those boats they couldn't come up with a good flounder, or hell a couple dozen flounder for that many boats. Just thought I would relay this since I know many here have a special place in their hearts for flounder. Ok, I'm off to bed, gonna be on the water in a couple hours. West Bay bound, so don't motor up on me and anchor on top of me and start chunking croaker!!, I won't be as polite as Kenny!! LOL

[lurefisher]

Good Points DEKE! are they gone for good?

[Muddskipper]

flounder fishing down in the LLM is different than the upper coast. i have family that gig them down in baffin, and there are plenty there, you just need to know where to look.

Scruture is key! For instance, all of those channel markers grow things that bait like to eat, hence the flounder hang near them. this is a popular thing to do if you are focusing on them. ...

"Are they gone for good?" .... nah ,,,,, actuallly there is a breeding facility down there and they are doing what we are doing up here. It's in Flourbluff, and I can promise you they aare ramping up to release founder in the thousands ....

Keep in mind, Rockport/ Port A is where the majority of commercial flounder fihsing takes place, and that bay system is only 60 miles north of the LLM and the systems connect.

they are there, it jjst takes differnt techniques

[lurefisher]

Thanks Skipper!

[Deke]

Baffin is the ULM, I'm talking about the LLM. Mansfield to SPI. Gone for good, doubt it, but it will take some time. And the fishery is breeding flounder, true, but they are releasing like 10,000 fish compared to hundreds of thousands of reds and trout. A drop in the bucket for the founder. But it is fairly early for Texas in the flounder stocking game. They are copying S Carolina's program, they pioneered the flounder stocking program.

[reeltime]

Deke they are there you just gotta know were to go.When i was a kid i used to sneak out of the bayhouse in PM and go with a commerical gigger.The flounder are there. People don't target them as much.