What is the best flounder rig to use for not casting artificial bait ? Best tide to target flounder in the creeks? Best bait ? Any help would be great.
“Best” is always what is working. It’s mostly personal preference what folks may choose as far as rigs. I’ve used two basic rigs for fishing baits, one is a bucktail teaser on a leader with a few beads, a spinner blade and kahle hook, often 3/0 for places that I’ve fished. Then any bait can be added. This rig is fished as a dropper with a sinker below it, so it puts the teaser up off the bottom about a foot to 18".
The other was a bucktail jig with a bait added, and again various baits could be used. Like with artificial lures, it’s good to have at least a couple of bait types to use. Shrimp, squid, crab, bloodworms or other worms, whatever baitfish that may be available and cut baits.
The jig & bait is cast & worked thru areas that might hold fish, so is a good choice for covering a lot of water. Having several weight options helps with currents and depth. I doubt that it makes a lot of difference what style jighead the bucktail is tied on, but again, that’s probably again personal preference.
I use a short Carolina rig and like the mid incoming tide to high tide for flounder fishing. They like to sit around stuff usually on the down current side. I use bigger baits to dodge the small fish and use small live bait hooks. It’s important they have a big barb to keep lively bait from wiggling off.
Thanks for all the information. 40 inch what are a few good weight sizes to have on hand? Egg sinks is the best with THE carolina rigs? Sorry for dumb questions but I tend to buy the wrong stuff.
Thanks, Larry
01 Scout 177 w/ 150 hpdi
Just put a mud minner on a jighead,that’'s all you need.
Minnow or cut bait strip on jig head or bucktail is great casting at likely cover. Trolling I always like the double fluke rigs with two droppers and one with cork to get it up off the bottom. I had more confidence in ones with beads and spinners than the plain ones. I have caught many on just same rig with plain hooks with mudders.
J Ford
I’ll second what sman said. While I have never specifically targeted flounder, I have had moderate success putting a mud minnow on a jighead, casting out and bouncing it along the bottom.
"Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It's Hand", but really, who cares?
I don’t fish mud minnows to many small fish, plus finger mullet is way better. Keep a variety of egg sinkers from a 1/4 to 3 oz depending where your fishing. You can troll a deep diver like 2mph and let I scrape the bottom a lot and catch flounder. I lost a doormat trolling that way. I had a yozuri crystal DD way way back and it hit as I crossed a creek mouth. It was jumping like a mahi and after about the 5th jump it got off. Solid 5 to 10#s. It was the end of the outgoing and he was sitting in the pocket at the mouth. I thought I’d snagged oysters until it started jumping. Small croakers are great bait, a 4 to 5 inch croaker is great. If crabs are bad I’ll knocker rig a 3 to 4 inch pin fish. I’m targeting 16 and up inch fish.