U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain • Professional Fishing Guide Since 2007 • 2,800+ Days on the Water
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Looking to learn how to catch flounder in Ocean City’s back bays and nearshore waters? You’re in the right place. I’m Captain Tony Battista, and I’ve been flounder fishing these waters for more than 50 years. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about flounder fishing — from detecting that first subtle bite to choosing the right bait, tackle, and techniques that consistently put fish in the cooler.
I’m assuming you found this because you’re new to flounder fishing. For some of you, this will be “fluke” depending on your address. I wish I could take credit for all of this, but I can’t. Like most of life’s lessons, they are either handed down to us by family, friends, or someone who has more knowledge or experience than we do at the time.
Fishing is no different. I’ve been extremely fortunate in my life to have crossed paths with some great fishermen who were willing to share their knowledge with me. Great people who also shared the love of fishing. Before I start, I just want to say that this is my opinion on what I’ve learned and experienced over the years. This is what works for me on my boat, and this is what I share with my charter customers. Over the years I’ve worked hard to try and perfect these techniques. It would be fair to say that I’ve done a lot of experimenting with them also. I encourage you to do the same. You might just be surprised at what you discover.
I hope you enjoy this and find it helpful.
I’ve listed these in order of importance as I see them. Understanding the bite matters more than having expensive gear — I’ll explain why as we go.
Science tells us that there are over 300 species of flounders. They are fascinating creatures that can change their color to blend into their surroundings. Whether they lay on a rocky bottom, sand, or mud, they use specialized cells called chromatophores to change color. When born in their larvae state like most other fish, they have eyes on both sides of their body. As they mature, they go through a transformation where the eye on one side of the body migrates to the other. At this point, they also change their orientation from vertical to horizontal and become bottom dwellers, making them awesome ambush predators. To catch them, your bait must be on or near the bottom.
In this article I’m only referring to the “Summer” flounder that we catch here on the East Coast.
In my opinion, being able to detect a flounder “bite” is the most important part of the equation. I like to describe it as a very distinct “thud”. Once you can consistently detect this “thud”, you’re well on your way to becoming a good flounder fisherman. It’s not that difficult and most people can pick it up rather quickly. As I said earlier, your bait must be on or near the bottom.
When I have a first-time flounder fisherman on board, I always start them out with some type of chicken rig (a high/low setup) on the end of their line. If we’re drifting in the back bay, it will almost always be tandem jig heads with a 4-inch Gulp swimming mullet and a live minnow on each. Flounder belly or squid will also work in place of the live minnows.
If we’re drifting in deeper water (35-100 feet) out on the ocean, I’ll also use a chicken rig with either a 3 or 4-ounce sinker on the bottom. I make all my own rigs and this past season I started using a product called “Rig Mate” (www.rigmate.com). They are pre-tied dropper loops that come on a spool. A great product that is very convenient to use and saves a good amount of time.
When charter fishing, I’m always racing against the clock. Trips range from 2-6 hours. As a captain, your goal is to bend rods and put fish in the box. If you can’t do that consistently, you won’t be in business very long. In this day of online reviews, you live and die by this sword. On some of these shorter trips, it can be difficult sometimes due to the time constraint. This is why it’s very important for captains and mates to be good teachers. It doesn’t matter what species you’re targeting. If they’re new to this type of fishing, you must be able to give them a “crash course” on the techniques needed to catch this species.
Targeting bottom species like Sea Bass, Triggerfish, Scup, and Tilefish are straightforward. Bait the hook, drop it down, get the bite, set the hook and reel it in. For most anglers, it’s a natural response to set the hook as soon as they feel something. This is especially true for freshwater fishermen. Flounders can be a bit more difficult, and you must break this habit of setting the hook immediately.
You must give the flounder time to eat the bait, especially on bigger fish when using bigger bait.
So how do I get a beginner up to speed in a short time? I try to get them to visualize what’s going on down there on the bottom. My goal is for them to be able to distinguish the difference between an actual flounder bite and their rig just bumping something on the bottom. This something could be shells, rocks, or coral. It could be part of an artificial reef or an actual shipwreck. This is where you’ll find the flounders hiding in ambush. You will get snagged from time to time. There’s a saying: “if you’re not getting snagged, you’re not flounder fishing in the right spot”.
It’s very important to visualize your sinker or bucktail dragging over the bottom bumping these things. Once you can understand and “feel” the difference, you’ll know when your targeted species just picked up your bait.
First, I start beginners off fishing the rods from the rod holders for the first couple of drifts. I want them to see how the rod tip responds to the rough bottom. Hopefully we get an actual bite within a drift or two and they can see the difference in the tip. Once this happens, I have them pick the rods up. Next it’s important for them to feel the sensation of their rig bumping into something other than a fish. Once they understand what it feels like, this will help them break the habit of setting the hook on every bump.
The next step is to teach them how to add a little action into their bait. This is where I introduce a “jigging” motion and it’s done with the rod tip. Some people fish with their rod tips up at a 45-degree angle and make little twitches up. I like keeping my rod tip pointed down towards the water. I don’t like any slack in my line, and I feel this works better for me. I always want to have contact with the bait. Both ways are fine, just try to always keep your bait within 6-12 inches of the bottom.
Most likely, you’re drifting along between a half and two and a half knots. Whether in the back bay or over some type of structure in the ocean, it really doesn’t matter. Whatever speed your boat is moving, your bait is moving at the same speed. The flounder being stationary is doing one thing. They’re hiding and waiting for their next meal to swim by. If your presentation is close enough, they’ll explode up and grab it.
If your bait passes by in their field of vision, they’ll swim after it. Flounders are fast swimmers. While fishing for stripers, I’ve caught multiple flounders while trolling at 2.8 – 3.2 knots. I caught these fish on diving plugs, “Stretch 25’s” fishing in 25-30 feet of water.
There are quite a few online videos showing flounders chasing baits underwater. It’s amazing how far they’ll follow a bait sometimes.
Either way, when you feel that thud, you must stop the forward motion of your bait for 3-5 seconds. Some will describe it as “letting the line out for 3-5 seconds”. I think it’s easier to understand the “stopping” theory and here’s why. I’m assuming a flounder laying on the bottom does the following: The prey swims by and the flounder launches off the bottom to grab it. In real life, I don’t believe there’s very much resistance when a flounder strikes its prey. I don’t think the prey drags the flounder another 4-6 feet. So, I believe stopping the forward motion of your bait at the strike is a more natural presentation for a flounder.
I use both spinning and conventional reels but prefer spinning reels in deeper water. Either one, the line must be able to come off the reel freely. I always fish with my bail open and my finger holding the line against the rod above the reel. This helps to detect the slightest bites. For me, this is easier to accomplish using a spinning rod.
Once you stop your bait and wait 3-5 seconds, the next move is to engage the reel. Lightly lift the rod tip up to see if there’s any resistance or weight. If there is, continue lifting the rod tip up in one steady motion. You want to use just enough force to set the hook, but not too much that will yank the bait out of its mouth. You’ll get the hang of this in time. It will become second nature with more time on the water. Even though you do everything right at the bite, they’ll still come unglued sometimes. No big deal if you understand the following.
Here’s the scenario. You engage the reel and feel the resistance. You lift the rod tip, set the hook and start to reel. Your rod tip is bent over, and you feel like you have a good fish on. A few seconds into the fight, the fish is gone. You sigh and the disappointment sets in. Do not let this happen to you — be disappointed later.
The moment you realize that fish is gone, you must get your bait back down to the bottom. More than likely, that fish will still be interested, because their dinner just got away. When I “swing and miss”, I go right into free spool. Once it reaches the bottom, I jig it with a little more intensity trying to imitate wounded prey. You’ll be surprised how many times they come back, and you get a second shot.
There’s one exception and that’s when you’re using live bait. If you “pull the trigger and miss”, you’ll have to “reel in and reload”. The bait will be gone or dead.
Here’s another thought on how much time to allow before engaging the reel when using live bait. I heard this many years ago. I can’t say whether this is correct or not, but it does make sense. Ever watch a bird eat a fish? They must turn the fish around so they can swallow it headfirst. If not, the bird could choke on the fish due to the way the scales lay. I was told that this is the same for most species of fish. That’s why I always allow a little extra time when using a big live bait.
Just thought this would be worth sharing.
In the springtime, when the water starts to warm, flounders start their westward migration in from their offshore wintering grounds. They move into our back bays and estuaries to feed and spend the spring and summer months. You’ll find them up in the shallows first. This is where the water warms first. It has less volume and can absorb more sunlight easier. As this water warms, the baitfish also move into the shallows to feed and spawn. When these waters reach the low 50’s, flounders start to become active. Their metabolism picks up and they must feed. This is where you want to start fishing in late March and early April. I like the depth to be 4 feet or less. I’ll touch on this in a minute, but I also like the shallows in late August and September. Really shallow, like 2 feet or less…
As the water temps start to rise into the mid 60’s, the fish become more active, and you can start to catch them more regularly in a little deeper water. Science tells us that their preferred feeding water temperature is 62-66 degrees. It also tells us that they’re more likely to be in deeper water when the temps reach 72 degrees and above. I’m not so sure I agree with this 100%. I agree that they prefer cooler water, but I also know they’ll be where the bait is.
I catch a lot of flounders in the back bay from early August to mid-September in shallow water. Sometimes these water temps are in the upper 70’s. As I mentioned above, some of this water is knee deep. The reason is the bait. Our back bays are filled with small menhaden or “peanut bunker” and finger mullet during this time. When this bait moves up in the shallows, so do the flounder.
At this time of year, a cast net is your best friend. You cannot beat live bunker or mullet.
As Fall approaches, flounders will start making their eastward migration. Slowly making their way out of the back bays and into the ocean where they’ll spawn later in the Fall. This migration really ramps up in mid-October. During this time, fishing around ocean structure and wrecks is a great idea. I prefer fishing the wrecks that are in 75 to 100 feet of water. Jigging for them is my preferred method. This fishery will usually last until mid-December or later depending on the water temps. I’ve caught flounder jigging in January, 19 miles off the beach in 48 feet of water on the SW side of the Jack Spot.
|
Time Period |
Where to Target |
|
Late March – Early April |
Shallows (under 4 feet), water warming to low 50s |
|
May – June |
Prime time, 62-66°F, fish spread throughout bay |
|
July – August |
Follow peanut bunker into 2-foot shallows despite warm water. Cast net is your best friend. |
|
September – October |
Begin fall migration, fish 4-12 miles offshore around structure |
|
November – December |
Deep jigging 75-100′ wrecks, some fish into January |
I’m sure some of you already have a pretty good grasp on understanding tides and currents. For those who don’t, I think it’s much easier to go to one of these websites. This is one of two I use to get my local tide charts: www.usharbors.com. Read their article “Tides: High, Low, & Everything to Know”.
Another good article comes from NOAA www.nesdis.noaa.gov. Read, “What Causes Tides?”. They also have a short 3-minute illustrated video you should watch.
The second place I get my local tide info is from “Salt Strong” (www.saltstrong.com). It’s a membership-based app that I subscribe to. I feel this is the best fishing app on the market. In addition to tides, they have lots of online fishing courses and tutorials. I think their best feature is the “Smart Fishing Spots” forecast. I’ve been a member for 3 years now. I’ve used this both in Ocean City and SW Florida with good success.
Put simply, flounders as well as other species rely on moving water to feed efficiently. Understanding the mechanics is a huge help. In Ocean City we have 2 high and 2 low tides each day. Think of them as 4 feeding times. It’s generally known that the 2 hours before and after a high tide as well as the last 2 hours of a falling tide are the best times to fish.
Science tells us that the tide is the vertical movement of water (rise & fall) and current is the horizontal movement driven by the tide or wind. The current (the water’s velocity or speed) is more important in fishing than the height. All tide changes are not the same. As you know or will learn, tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun somewhat. Their relative position to the earth determines what tide cycle we’re in.
Getting a good grasp on this will help you tremendously.
Very simply put, the cleanest or clearest water you can find is your best friend. Flounder being ambush predators must be able to see their prey. This is more important in the back bays and near-shore wrecks, especially after long periods of heavy wind or heavy rain. The strong winds, especially the prolonged SW wind, can fill the bay with eel grass. Heavy rain will produce a lot of runoff making the water dirty due to sediment.
Depending on how long these conditions last will determine how dirty the water will get. Fortunately, our ocean will help clean up this mess a little on every tide change. Sometimes this can take 3-4 days to clear up.
I also wanted to mention this tip. In late summer when the bay temps rise, each new high tide will bring in cooler and cleaner water especially near the inlet, Rt. 50 bridge and behind the North end of Assateague Island. If you’re struggling with other places in the bay due to very warm water, keep this in mind.
As I mentioned above, water temperature and water depth go somewhat hand in hand. In the Spring, when the water is colder, go shallower. As the water warms up, the fish start to spread out, and you’ll catch more fish in medium depths. When the temps rise above the upper 70’s, try deeper. I would use this as a rule of thumb but always pay attention to where the bait is. In the Fall, you should try around the inshore wrecks and artificial reefs. From 5 out to 20 or so miles there’s some incredible fishing at that time of year.
It’s probably a good time to mention the “Ocean City Reef Foundation”, another great organization to belong to: www.ocreefs.org.
This can be natural or manmade. Bridge and dock pilings, bulkheads, jetties, natural bottoms such as coral and oyster beds, shipwrecks, artificial reefs and any other debris on the bottom. There’s no shortage of it here in Ocean City. As I mentioned above, the OC Reef Foundation has been creating artificial reefs since 1997. Good structure with moving water (currents) around it is the key to success when targeting flounder.
Drifting for flounder is probably the most popular method for catching them. Whether drifting our back bays, the inlet or ocean, it produces a lot of fish. Drifting allows you to cover a lot of ground. Basically, you’re using the currents to move your boat along as you drag bait. I could even argue that those fishing from on top of the Rt. 50 bridge are drifting also. Instead of using a boat, they’re using a float to drift their baits out and away from the bridge to cover ground. This is how my grandfather fished up there and was very productive.
Ideally, I’m hoping for a drift speed of 0.8 to 1.2 knots. The same holds true when drifting out on the ocean around structure.
Trolling can also be a very productive method. Just as drifting covers a lot of ground, so does trolling, but it has an added benefit. When you’re drifting, you’re relying on the current and wind. Whatever direction they’re going, that’s the direction your boat will drift. This includes your drift speed also. On windy days this can create problems, especially if the wind and current are going in different directions.
When trolling under power you can control the direction and speed, even on windy days. Another benefit of trolling under power is that you can stay away from other boats more easily and stay in the target area longer. As you gain more time on the water, you’ll come across small areas that seem to hold a lot of fish. This area could be 30-50 yards long. Instead of finishing out a 200-yard drift, trolling allows you to work just in that area. I can troll by either using my outboard or my bow mounted trolling motor. I’ve caught a lot of nice flounders over the past 4 years trolling in the bay especially up in shallow water.
Anchoring is good when you know that fish are holding on a specific piece of structure. The bridge pilings of Rt. 50 or Rt. 90 bridges are the best examples. Flounders use these pilings as ambush points because a ton of bait gets swept by them. This is where having a trolling motor with “lock spot” gives you a big advantage. It can be done using a traditional anchor, but not ideal. I had to do it that way for many years.
Same on ocean structure — if a specific area on that structure is holding fish, just hit “lock spot”. Very hard to do using a traditional anchor.
Jigging is nothing new, but in the early 1990’s a new variation called “Butterfly” jigging was developed in Japan. There are 2 methods. The first one is called “speed jigging” and the more recent one is called “slow pitch jigging”. I’ve done both but prefer the slow pitch method. In fact, my personal best flounder to date came on a slow pitch jig. The fish was 27.75 inches long and weighed just a nick under 8 pounds. I was using a small 80-gram jig trying to catch sea bass.
Once you learn the basics, it’s deadly and a lot of fun. This is my favorite way to fish for sea bass. Quite honestly, while jigging for the past 25 plus years, we’ve caught both bluefin and yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi, striped bass, bluefish, triggerfish and tautog.
Surf or land-based casting can also be very productive. I won’t get too deep into this but wanted to share something I feel is important. A friend sent me a link to this YouTube channel: “Cooking and Fishing” (www.cookingandfishing.com). His videos are directed mainly at surf and pier fishermen. I was so intrigued with his videos that I bought both of his online courses — $69.00 for one and $78.00 for the other. That’s saying a lot considering I fish from a boat. Great content that crosses over to the fishing I do. His online courses go into greater detail, but it’s worth checking out some of his videos on YouTube.
There are so many great options when it comes to choosing which bait to use while targeting flounder. I touched on some of them above. You can never go wrong with live bait. “Match the Hatch” is the best advice.
In mid to late summer, the bay is full of “peanut bunker”, and this is what they’re feeding on. They’re one of my favorites. They’re easy to catch and always available. Norfolk spot and striped finger mullet will also do the trick. Most tackle stores will have live spots for sale. The mullet is a little trickier to catch, but possible. You can catch the mullet in and around the sandbars, marshes, creeks and shore breaks. Again, it’s very important to learn how to throw a cast net.
Remember to “Match the Hatch”. If you’re fishing in the back bay, use anything that naturally exists there: Mudminnows, silversides, killifish, mummichogs, bunker, mullet and spot.
You cannot go wrong with the scented “Gulp”. The 4-inch swimming mullet in the bay or ocean and the 6-inch grub in the ocean.
As I mentioned above, I like to put some sort of strip bait on the hook along with the 6-inch “Gulp” grub. Flounder belly works very well. The fresher, the better. I’ve used fresh spot, bluefish, sea robin, tuna and mahi belly. I try to cut them up into ½ inch strips anywhere from 6-9 inches long.
Frozen baits will also do if you can’t locate live bait. A lot of flounders have been caught on frozen squid, shiners or spearing.
The chicken rig is probably the most popular flounder fishing rig. It’s essentially a high/low setup with two hooks and a weight.
I use tandem jig heads with a 4-inch Gulp swimming mullet and a live minnow on each hook. Flounder belly or squid will also work in place of the live minnows.
I use a chicken rig with either a 3 or 4-ounce sinker on the bottom. I make all my own rigs and this past season I started using a product called “Rig Mate” (www.rigmate.com). They’re pre-tied dropper loops that come on a spool. A great product that’s very convenient to use and saves a good amount of time.
For hooks on these rigs, I use the “OX Flipping Hook” by “6TH Sense Premium Fishing Products” (www.6thsensefishing.com). I use both the 4/0 and the 5/0. It has a nice plastic bait holder molded directly onto the hook — great for holding the Gulp in place. I also skirt each of these hooks with the “glow in the dark” skirt. I prefer the ones from “CJ Teasers” (www.cjteasers.com).
I bait each of these hooks with 6″ Gulp grub and a piece of flounder belly.
For more experienced anglers, I use the same rig but instead of the weight on the bottom, I switch it out to a 3 to 5-ounce bucktail. There are still only 2 hooks — the bucktail and the stinger hook above it. The previous rig has the weight on the bottom and 2 hooks above it.
Those fishing from on top of the Rt. 50 bridge use a float to drift their baits out and away from the bridge to cover ground. This is how my grandfather fished up there and was very productive.
Although the header says electronics, I only want to touch on chart plotters for this article. More specifically, the “High Resolution Relief Shading” cards that you can put into them. I have all “SIMRAD” equipment on my boat, so I use the “CMOR Mapping” card (www.cmormapping.com). If you like wreck fishing, it’s a must have. It will change the way you fish. When you can see the structure that you’re fishing over, it raises the bar to a whole new level. Combine this with a trolling motor with the “Lock Spot” feature and you’re in a whole new league. Together they’re an absolute game changer.
I can’t imagine fishing without one. I’m on my second one now — the first one only lasted 4 seasons. They take a lot of abuse on a charter boat. Operating for 6-10 hours a day for 120 or so days a season. “Minn Kota” is the brand I use. My first one was manual deploy and the current one is “auto deploy”. It’s the “Riptide Instinct Quest”.
In addition to having the “Lock Spot” feature, it also has a “Jog” feature. “Jog” allows you to move your boat in 5-foot increments in any direction while the “Lock Spot” feature is engaged. Great when working down the edge of a wreck, rock pile or set of pilings targeting flounder.
Before I get into rods and reels, there’s a reason this is the last topic. As I said in the beginning of this article, I listed these topics in the order of importance as I see them. The reason I have gear listed last is because if you understand the other components and learn the techniques, you can catch fish on a “cane pole”. As a kid, I caught a lot of fish on a “ZEBCO 202 Spin Cast” reel. Back then, it cost less than $4.00 at “Sears & Roebuck”. Almost 52 years later, you can purchase it from “Bass Pro Shops” for $13.99. If you wanted to buy the top-of-the-line reel back then, you purchased the “Garcia Mitchell 303” for $29.00.
Today the price gap is even bigger. One brand has 32 different spinning reel models. The entry level starts at $19.99 and the “Cadillac” is over $1500.00. Different models use different materials. “You get what you pay for”.
When it comes to choosing equipment, I try not to tell people which brands they should use. “You should buy the brand you like”. There are many great brands, many good brands and many not so good. I can only share with you what I use. Running a charter boat day in and day out, the gear takes a beating. I try to purchase things that I can get multiple seasons out of. Saltwater is tough on everything.
If you’re not familiar with John Skinner, he’s written many books and has a ton of online content. His YouTube videos are well done and very educational. He’s also a great flounder fisherman. I purchased 5 of his “Dark Matter” rods a few years ago and they’ve held up nice to the abuse I put them through.
When purchasing gear, it’s important to consider the following things: The warranty and the availability of parts. I can also say that it’s much more valuable to have a relationship with your local tackle shop than saving 10-15% online. “You can’t call Amazon and get a local fishing report”.
The very last thing I want to mention is “Braided” fishing line. Every reel I own has braid on it. I usually use 15-30# on my reels for inshore species. When fishing in deep water (250′-350′) for tilefish and sea bass, I like using 40-50#. Depending on which rig I have tied on, I’ll use a 3-4 foot fluorocarbon leader.
If you want to talk more about tackle and my experiences with different brands, please reach out to me via email or text.
If you’d like to experience flounder fishing with a captain who’s spent over 2,800 days on these waters — and who genuinely loves teaching people to fish — I’d be happy to have you aboard. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced angler looking to dial in your technique, I’ll meet you at your skill level and help you improve. Check out our Inshore or Bay Trips or our Nearshore Wreck Fishing trips to catch the best flounder Ocean City, MD has to offer.
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