This article is courtesy of Lance Stitcher. You can find
Lance fishing the waters around Chincoteague Virginia or
golfing at Captain's Cove Community.
Spring time flounder fishing
in Chincoteague Bay depends highly on two factors, water
clarity and water temperature. The generally accepted
principle is that flounder start biting when water
temperatures reach 50 degrees. Occasionally fish will be caught in
water a little cooler, but fishing success certainly picks up
as the water temperature goes above 50. The best fishing of the year is
usually in water between 60 and 70 degrees.
Water clarity is just
as important as temperature. Flounder feed by sight and if
the water resembles chocolate milk the fish will have a hard
time seeing your bait. Chincoteague Bay is a large bay by
coastal standards and the wide open areas cloud up quickly in
windy conditions. Usually the creeks and the western shore
(in a west wind) retain more clarity. If it’s blowing
northeast, that’s time better spent on honey dos, I’ve never
done well fishing flounder in a NE wind.
Where should I target flounder? Flounder like to ambush their prey. They prefer to
lay disguised on the bottom and wait for there food to come to
them. I like to focus my efforts on the edges, anywhere the
depth changes. Chincoteague Bay is mostly a series of flats
and sloughs, all draining toward the inlet. The edges of the
flats are prime areas for a flounder to wait for dinner to
come drifting by. Even changes as subtle as 1’ in depth can
be good areas.
Queen Sound is a popular area in our waters. The sound is a collection area draining a large part of the
bay; hence a large volume of food moves through the area. Queen Sound is a great place to drift for flounder. By
looking at a chart of the local waters you can pick out many
great places to fish. All of the flats, drains, and
collection areas are readily apparent on a chart. Flounder
will be caught up on the flats as well as in the bottom of the
channels but the edges are the primary feeding grounds of the
flounder. Early in the year the shallow water warms faster
making for more active bait and fish. During the summer
months the deeper waters will be cooler and more comfortable
for the bait and fish.
What’s the best flounder bait? Flounder will eat almost anything. They’ve been caught
on eels, shrimp, crabs, silversides, strips of cut bait, and
most predominantly live bait. Minnows and squid strips are
far and away the most popular baits in our area. There are
many flounder rigs available in the local tackle shops. They
are available in every color under the rainbow but if you have
white, pink, and chartreuse you’ve probably got all you need.
Pending the depth and current, you’ll need a selection of
sinkers from ½ to 3 ounces. I’ve found that trolling sinkers
glide over the bottom easily and are less prone to hang ups.
While it’s true that bigger baits catch bigger fish, don’t
forget that elephants eat peanuts too. Flounder are notorious
for mouthing a bait before they eat it. When you feel a
flounder bite, give them a little drop-back. Some people will
feed them line for a few seconds. I’ve done fine by pointing
the rod at them and when you feel the weight of the fish, lift
up the rod tip. Play the fish steady, don’t try to horse him
into the boat, and net the fish head first.
These tactics can work in any of Virginia's coastal bays.
There will be as many different
ways to catch flounder as there are fisherman. These are
simply some guidelines for the beginner in our local waters.
Some other tidbits: fish a falling tide in the spring; you’ll
have warm water coming off the flats. Fish a rising tide in
the summer, cooler water will be coming from the ocean. Flounder fishing is best on a moving tide but, a very wise man
once told me that the best time to fish is, when you can.
