All about winter flounder

[gjb1969]

who here has fished red bank for black backs i have seen the small rentals out there but who fishes there on a regular for winter flounder?

[clamchucker]

gjb, in the Navesink, in the back? I fished there once many years ago, and we did quite well. Things were different back then. I have spent more time in Shark River. I can tell you that even that fishery isn't what it used to be.

The greatest chum in the world is cracked dead mussels you may find near the jetty groins out front after a storm. You can also use pieces of these for bait, but do not pull them from the water in the back. If you are seen doing this you will get fined. You need to put a big effort into setting up your chum logs as well. A heavy chum will mean the difference between one or two, and a limit catch. You can make cheap logs with catfood wet and dry, rice, corn. Mix scalding water with the catfood, cook the rice separately, and mix that and the corn together. You want to do it when it's hot for better mixing. Make as many chum logs as you think you will use for the season at one time. I have it down to where each chum log costs me about $1.50 in materials. The fishing isn't open yet, and does not get good until the 2nd week of march or so. Let us know how you do when you go.

[voyager35]

Cheap catfood or dog food chum

[gjb1969]

cool my chum is a mix of cat food dog food and bunker and rice with consentrated bunker oil it stinks but it works at least the fish are there just want to try differant spots i am going to fish the amboys for them as well both are just a little closer to home not to far a train ride cant wait both of my rods are have rigs on and ready to go

[gjb1969]

wll the cabin feaver got to me went shopping at wal mart got flounder rigs and catch and see bait trap i got other things i needed but once i saw clearance it was over i saw things i know i dont need but i know i will go back and spend i needs it to get warm so i dont buy stuff i dont need

[jigfreak]

Hey gjb what Walmart was that? I was in the one in Kearny 5 days ago because someone told me the winter sale would be on. I didn't see anything on sale in the fishing department.

[gjb1969]

kearny that was the one not much there the new stuff was evan out yet

[BassBuddah]

who remembers winter flounder and the boatloads we used to catch? anyone target them now?

[gjb1969]

i still get em tho they are small

[gjb1969]

well the day was windy it was hard to detect strikes one guy had 7 fish from shore the day got worse the wind got stronger a lot of people went home most of the rental fleet from the den was out i saw one boat get 3 one boat got 2 one guy fishing there got one 13 in and one 16 in but most guys got the skunkit was not a good day out i got a lot of hits but with the wind it was hard to hold the rod in your hands for long and if u put the rod down for long u mite miss a fish the fish are there it was not a good day to much wind but the fish are nice and healthy and fat so guys go out and fish tite lines and good fishin

[bababooey]

I was in the area yesterday and stopped to watch the guys for a half hour. It was pretty windy, gjb, I give you respect for hanging in there especially since it didn't look like they were killing em.

[gjb1969]

thanks dude it needs to warm up soon i hate the cold

[stormchaser]

Winter Flounder

Winter or blackback flounder primarily live in shallow coastal waters during the colder "winter" months of the year. During the summer, they migrate out of shallow water to deeper and cooler ocean waters, and they move back to shallow coastal waters when the water's temperature begins to drop again. Winter flounder are most abundant during the colder months of the year, and during their seasonal migration in the spring to cooler ocean waters and again in the fall as they move back to coastal waters. Large winter flounder are commonly referred to as "lemon sole" in many markets. The terms "sole" and "flounder" are often confused, and are really two biological classifications of flatfish. There are no true sole commercially caught off the Northeast coast.

Other flounder species commonly found in New York markets but less frequently caught by recreational fishermen include the Yellowtail flounder and Sea dabs or American plaice. These flounder species are similar to the winter and summer flounder and can be easily substituted in most flounder recipes. Flounder have historically been a staple of seafood lovers in New York for generations. They have a delicate flavor and a fine texture that most people enjoy. Flounder is very versatile in the kitchen and can be prepared by steaming, poaching, baking, broiling, frying or cooking in the microwave oven. Broiled flounder is light and healthy and no big fuss. Flounder recipes can be as diverse as simple fried flounder, or as elegant as a meal fit for royalty. Because of its mild taste and delicate texture most flounder recipes do not contain strong ingredients that would mask the fish's natural subtle flavor.

[gjb1969]

i hope to get out for some soon two fish limit sucks but it is what it is

[captnemo]

Yes, the 2 fish limit means a lot of head boats will sit idle. Some guys will pay, but many will balk at paying $35 or more just to catch 2 flounder. For those who remember what it used to be like, the bottoms of the bays used to be paved with those flounder 40 years ago. It was a great chance to get out in a small boat and get into the outdoors, and catch a few fish.
Flounder tip - I don't believe you can do this today as I think it is against the law to pull mussels out of the beds for flounder fishing. However, many years ago we used to grab handfuls of those mussels, and fill some onion sacks with them before heading out. Then when we got to the channel where we wanted to fish, we would smash them up, and drop the sacks overboard to create a chum slick. This was very effective and drew flounder from the general area to our boat.

[gjb1969]

I know places were the mussels get knocked off the rocks by the storms u can grab all u want if u can take the smell

[nitestrikes]

That's one of the staples of what used to be good winter flounder fishing, crushed mussels.