Flounder or what?

[jmangiameli]

So this last Thursday, October 27, 2016 my wife and I made our first flounder fishing trip. Being from fresh water (but spoiled now on salt water) I had to do a lot of Utube research on how to catch the elusive fish. A friend of mine recommended we go to Seawolf park and we did. The place is way overfished and we could barely find a spot where we weren't encroaching into someone's space. We did good with a total of 9 flounder but all between 10 and 13 inches.
that evening I wanted to go to San Louis Pass and fish the channel on the Galveston side. There was a lot of wind and the tide was incoming when we got there but quickly seemed to be in transition about to be outgoing. So here is where I am stumped. About every third cast with my gulp rig I got that "bump bump". I patiently waited a good 15 to 20 count then set the hook with no avail. I could see the line on several occasions moving and could feel the fish just like the experience at the park but could never get anything on the hook. Three times I actually lost my plastic gulp while trying to set the hook. I tried being even more patient but when I would wait for a good 30 count I could feel the fish had dropped the bait. Since being patient wasn't working I tried on a few occasions to set the hook immediately upon the strike but again, nothing.
So my question is was it flounder I was feeling and my lack of experience kept me from landing a fish or was it something else fooling me. It is driving me nuts because we did so well using the same technique at the park and were one of the few actually catching fish consistently. Any help would greatly be appreciated.

[Root Canal]

When fishing with Gulps, Don't wait to set the hook.
Take up any slack in your line.
Do a sideways hookset. Not upwards.
When you do the hookset try and rip their face off.

[Curmudgeon]

There are lots of bait stealers out there. It could have even been crabs on the line.


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[Ibtsoom]

Everything eats gulp. Trash fish love them so you may have been dealing with small croaker or something.

[jmangiameli]

Thanks for the help guys. I am not used to trash fish going after artificials but now I feel a lot better knowing they do. The strike was subtle but definitely noticeable so I don't think it was crabs, most likely it was trash fish. Its unfortunate my cooler rode back home empty but there will be another time soon as I am quickly getting addicted.

[Milkjug]

Piggies, I bet ya. Flounder will feel like one solid "tap" most of the time. Piggies will be multiple taps in quick succession.

[Flounderpounder420]

When fishing with Gulps, Don't wait to set the hook.
Take up any slack in your line.
Do a sideways hookset. Not upwards.
When you do the hookset try and rip their face off.

X2, on what he said. When it's a flounder its just dead weight and the bumps are very noticeable and distinct. Side reeling and hookset are best like Root canal said before and have always worked for me. Most of my misses have always been by the boat when he just spits out the hook. Which brings me to my next point on having extra sharp hooks to pierce their hard mouth. It's very frustrating seeing a monster on the line by the boat and just spits it out like a kid spitting out a vegetable.

[jmangiameli]

Thanks for the tips Flonderpounder. I guess a sideways hook set might also keep a hook piercing out of your eyebrow when there isnt anything on the other end of the line when you set the hook. Happened to a friend of mine and we ended up grasping the hook with pliers then smacking the pliers with a hammer to get the barbed hook out of his eyebrow.

[Flounderpounder420]

Thanks for the tips Flonderpounder. I guess a sideways hook set might also keep a hook piercing out of your eyebrow when there isnt anything on the other end of the line when you set the hook. Happened to a friend of mine and we ended up grasping the hook with pliers then smacking the pliers with a hammer to get the barbed hook out of his eyebrow.

Ouch!!!