LIP GRIPPER
BIG FLOUNDER HIDE DEEP IN STRUCTURE GIVING GO-ANYWHERE KAYAK
ANGLERS AN ADVANTAGE. PHOTO: KAYAK KEVIN WHITLEY
[ TACTICS ]
WHAT A FLUKE C
DON’T RELY ON LUCK TO CATCH FLOUNDER BY J.R. WARNET
atching summer flounder, also known as fluke, usually consists of drift- ing a strip bait and live minnow along the bottom. To avoid the mess and fuss of dealing with natural baits, kayak anglers are experimenting with artificial baits and light tackle. The results have made flounder fishing easier and more fun. The Delmarva Peninsula and Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast fea- ture large estuaries, narrow creeks and plenty of structure that flounder love. According to kayak fishing filmmaker, Kayak Kevin Whitley, paddling anglers actually have an advantage over motor boaters. “We can get where the big flounder live,” he says, “deep in the nastiest
rocks and bridge pilings.” Whitley says the first step is to think like a floun- der. “They like to wait on the bottom for the current to bring them a meal to ambush,” he says. While flounder structure may include drops and humps along open bottom, Whitley finds the biggest flounder hiding behind rocks, pilings and wrecks. “I can pull my kayak right into the rocks or against the bridge and drop my bait to the bottom,” he says, “then jig it vertically to tempt a flounder.” Whitley, who has been kayak fishing Delmarva for over 13 years, swears by scented soft plastics like Berkley’s Gulp! when targeting flatties. “All I use is a three- or four-inch Gulp! mullet or pogy on a half- to three-ounce jighead,” says Whitley. He suggests using the lightest jig possible to dance the bait in front of hungry flounder.
34 …KAYAK ANGLER SUMMER/FALL 2013
According to Empire State kayak angler, Charlie Labar, the secret to find- ing flounder is looking at the fish’s back. “If you catch a flounder with white spots on its back, the fish is on the move,” he explains, “if the fish’s back is solid brown, it is probably laying on the bottom with its buddies.” He suggests making another drift through that area. In the five years that Labar has fished the New York area, he’s learned to focus his efforts on ledges and channels. Labar fishes three top spots: Jamaica Bay, Moriches Inlet and Fire Island. “If I go flounder fishing, I’m using a white-on-white Gulp! and a bucktail,” he says. Always use a lure just heavy enough to bounce along the bottom, he adds. Along the Jersey Coast, Atlantic Highlands, Manasquan Inlet and Sandy
Hook offer world-class flattie fishing well within kayak range. Captain Jim Reinknecht, a member of the Kayak Fishing Store Pro Staff, looks for bait on his fishfinder screen in order to find flounder—doormats don’t wander too far from the kitchen. He looks for flounder on the drops and ledges when the tide is moving. Each time you catch a flounder, mark a waypoint on the GPS. Then return to drift over the same area in the same direction to hook up again and again. The same jighead and soft plastic used in New York and Virginia will fool Jersey flounder, too. Reinknect is hopeful that cleaner water and more bait have improved flounder action. “Since 2005, every year the flounder fishing is getting better,” he says. J.R. Warnet has been writing about fishing for over 15 years. He lives in Tom’s River, New Jersey.
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