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Get in On Mobile Bay's Annual Flounder Migration
by Mike Thompson
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Each fall, anglers along the Alabama coast get very excited with each northerly breeze. Those in the know are prepared to take advantage of the weather change and the predictable run of flounder as they make their way from the Mobile Delta, through Mobile Bay, en route to the Gulf of Mexico to complete the annual spawning cycle.
All throughout the summer, flounder move up into the aquatic rich waters of Mobile Bay. Each incoming tide from the Gulf of Mexico pushes in salty water and an abundance of creatures that thrive in the salty environment. The bay is filled with millions of finfish that serve to satisfy the ravenous appetite of the flounder. Menhaden, croaker, tiger minnows and bull minnows are all targets of the flounder. In addition to the finfish diet, flounder are also able to exploit the abundant population of brown shrimp during the summer and enjoy the bountiful crop of white shrimp that is available in the fall.
During the fall of the year, there are numerous rivers, bayous, creeks and small bays along Mobile Bay that become the nursery grounds for white shrimp. Hordes of predator fish such as white trout, redfish, speckled trout, and, of course, flounder, take advantage of the situation.
While flounder are certainly considered one of the better tasting fish
of the above mentioned group, they are also one of the most misunderstood.
Flounder are often a by-catch of those targeting redfish or speckled trout.
However, there are some anglers that zero in on the flatfish and excel at
catching them. Throw in the flounder's predictability and some flounder
fishing experience, and you, too, can start putting more fish in your ice
chest.
Local Knowledge
Lee Minto of Mobile has been fishing Mobile Bay and its surrounding waters for over 45 years. Minto fishes for whatever fish is in the most abundance during the calendar year. When fall is here you can see Minto all over the bay chasing his favorite fish, the flounder.
"I really start to focus on flounder seriously during October. You can catch plenty of flounder at the top of Mobile Bay, up into the Mobile Delta till November when the rains start to freshen the water," Minto explained. I like to target points and bars near dropoffs."
When Minto is searching for flounder he has a certain depth in mind for best results. "I look for water depths of 8 to 12-feet. When the tide is low or falling, I focus on the edges of bars. However, when the tide is high or on the rise, I'll fish on top of the bars - sometimes in depths as shallow as four-feet. Flounder move up on top of the bars to hunt the small fish in the shallows," Minto said.
Minto also has current conditions he favors for flounder success.
"Flounder are ambush feeders. They lay in wait for a bait to swim by or be swept along by a current. I seem to catch more fish on a strong current and the fish that bite do so aggressively," Minto said.
Most novice flounder anglers have quite a bit of difficulty in detecting strikes or timing the hookset on the fish. His advice for more success is actually very simple.
"When you get a flounder bite it will start with a solid thump. I start a countdown of "Three-Mississippi"... to give the fish time to position the bait in its mouth," Minto explained. "Next, I slightly tighten up my slack to check for resistance. Once I feel that solid resistance, I give a swift hookset. Not a sweeping, over the head bass angler hookset, but firm enough to penetrate the hook into the flounder's jaw."
After hooking the flounder, your job has only just begun. Many fish are lost during the netting process.
"Always net the flounder head-first! If you touch his tail with the net, he will tail-walk right out of that net and probably be lost. However, often the fish that pulls the hook will sit right there in the water for a second or two. Be prepared to take a quick sweep at the fish with your net. You might be surprised at your success," Minto said.
Migration Notes
As fall moves on, flounder will begin their push towards the Gulf during their annual migration to spawn. Each cool front, along with dropping temperatures and loss of available sunlight, push the flounder along the shores and channel of Mobile Bay. Flounder tend to stay near structure on this journey. Structure attracts small fish and the flounder take advantage of the bait abundance.
Structure can mean many things in Mobile Bay. First there are the many fishing piers and wharfs along the shores of the bay. Many of these wharfs are those leading out into the bay from private residences. Many of these piers will have large lights installed at the end of them for illumination and also to attract fish at night.
Flounder will be hanging around the lighted piers at night to feed on the multitude of small finfish baits as well as the shrimp that are attracted to the lights. Flounder will often stage on the edge of the light, just in the shadow. Live bait fished in this shadowy edge can produce fine catches of flounder. Keeping quiet is a must to keep from spooking the fish. It is also just common courtesy to the owners of the pier not to disturb them. Another no-no is to attempt to fish a pier with any owners or guests already fishing the lights.
Moving down Mobile Bay you will encounter a huge manmade structure on the edge of the ship channel, known as Gaillard Island. This island is a huge holding area where dredge spoil from maintenance of the Mobile Ship Channel is pumped. The entire island has limestone riprap placed around the perimeter. These algae-covered rocks attract small minnows, which in turn attract flounder. Anglers using a trolling motor can drop live minnows along the rocks and connect with some of the nicer flounder of the year. Also effective is the use of scented grubs fished slowly around the base of the rocks.
As you move even farther south towards the Gulf you will see the high arch of the Dauphin Island Bridge. This three-mile long bridge stands between Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound. Flounder are around the bridge supports most of the year, but in fall the fish are abundant and the anglers are not. While the major crowds of inshore anglers will be fishing the Mobile Delta for redfish and speckled trout, the savvy flounder aficionados will be happily lonesome fishing the bridge supports. Live minnows will be the best baits, but soft plastic grubs fished in the downcurrent side of the pilings can pay off handsomely in fall.
There are two popular methods to catch the larger flounder. One of the methods involves anchoring your boat on the edge of one of the many channels that course under the bridge and fishing along the dropoffs. Live bull minnows or tiger minnows work well and so can live shrimp.
The other highly acceptable method is to troll soft plastics at the base of the bridge supports. You may have to move to heavier jig heads to stay on the bottom, but in most situations a 3/8 ounce will do. Chartreuse or pearl colors, along with smoke, work well in fall.
Don't Skip the Rigs
The final stop for flounder during the fall migration will be at one of the many gas rigs located at the bottom of Mobile Bay. These gas rigs are magnets for flounder in fall, as well as other species of fish. Flounder will show up in large schools in October and into November, depending on water salinity and temperatures.
Fishing the rigs in fall requires patience to be successful. On one occasion I was fishing a rig when an oil company diver showed up to do an underwater inspection. Thinking that would mess up the fishing, I left to fish another rig. There I managed to catch a few nice flounder and felt OK about the trip.
A week later I ran into the diver at a convenience store, where I asked just what he sees around the rigs when doing his dives.
"It really is amazing what's going on down there. At the rig I saw you fishing last week, I saw a school of two-pound flounder roaming along the bottom. They would pick up off the bottom in a group of 75 or more and move as a unit. They might travel 50-100 yards before settling down as a group. It was awesome to see," explained the diver.
Conclusion
While flounder are misunderstood by most anglers, hopefully a few of the tips mentioned will help you put a few more in the ice chest this fall.
See you on the water!