One of the things about Flounder gigging is you never know when you might roll up on that monster flat fish…
There are always plenty of Flounder to choose from but this time of year most of them will be on the smaller size. I try to pick thru them and only take a few of the decent one's.
Also during the summer most of the Flounder are in the creeks but with all the afternoon storms the water is not clear enough to see. That is when you have to get near the Ocean and in the ICW.
This past Sunday morning August the 3rd my friend Phil Baker and I set out at 3am. I knew how dirty the water in the creeks was from charters the previous days. It was to the ICW that morning looking for clean water. You can't gig if you can't see!!!
It started off a little slow. We were seeing plenty of fish just not much size to them. We picked thrum quite a few Flounder and stuck 6 to bring home.
With the sun coming up quick we had about 30 minutes left to gig when we rolled up on the fish of the night actually the fish of the year and the largest Flounder I have ever gigged. My heart stopped for a moment when I first saw the Flounder and when I stuck him he just about pulled the gig out of my hands. Phil was in the water right away making sure the big fish didn't get off the gig. If you stick a big Flounder and you can get out of the boat it is always best so you can get a hold of the fish to make sure it doesn't get off.
All said and done the Flounder weighed in at 8.04 pounds and it was all smiles and high fives in the boat. That want be forgotten ant time soon.
Capt. James Howard Jacksonville Florida
