The Most Effective Flounder Fishing Baits

The flounder is an unusual species that can be found along the eastern coast of the United States and Canada as well as the Pacific Ocean. The flounder is a flatfish with an extraordinary feature. Both of its eyes are on one side of its head. When the flounder is young they have one eye on each side but as the flounder ages it goes through metamorphosis in which one of the eyes will migrate to the opposite side.

The flounder will lie on the bottom of the ocean after the metamorphosis occurs where one of the eyes will migrate from the side the flounder is lying on to the side that is facing upward. It can be either the left or right side and this is determined by the species of the fish. The average size for the flounder is about fifteen inches but they have been known to grow as long as three feet.

The flounder is considered a predator that will ambush their prey from the oceans floor. They mainly feed off of polychaetes, crustaceans and other smaller fish. You will find the flounder under piers, around pilings, near rocks and most any area with similar structures.

Flounder Fishing Baits that Work

The flounder, like all species of fish, will respond the best when you use the baits they are the most attracted to. They are naturally drawn to certain foods and these are what they seek out as a food source. When fishing for flounder using live bait will normally produce the best results. When fishing with live bait use fresh squid, mullet, minnows, shrimp, worms and clams.

The size of your bait is as important as what you use. If it is too small you will have trouble keeping it on the hook and end up losing your bait instead of attracting the flounder. If it is too large the flounder will not be able to fit it in their mouth. You may have to experiment a little to find the right size but once you do, you will be happy with the results.

Even though live bait is the best it is not always practical. It is possible to entice the flounder to strike artificial lures if you use the right ones and present them correctly. As a general rule, the soft plastic lures seem to yield the best results and the color will make a difference. Try white, red and pink lures when fishing for this species. They seem to be attracted to these colors the most. They also strike at lures that are shiny and sparkly. This is probably because they are easy for the flounder to see.

You can also use a jig head combined with a minnow or shrimp for some amazing results that you will surly be thrilled with. Anytime that you are fishing in an area in which you are sure there are flounder but you are not getting any bites then you need to try something different. First of all, check the size of bait that you are using, you may need to try something smaller or larger. The next thing that you can try is a different type of bait. Even if what you are using has worked great in the past, sometimes you need to experiment a little and try something new.