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Sauger on the O, to Flatties in the Gulf
As some of you may already know, I moved from Oldham County to the Gulf Coast in between Destin and Pensacola about 5 years ago. For the last three years Ive been running offshore kayak fishing charters and they have been going GREAT!
So what do sauger on the Ohio have to do with Flounder in the Gulf? Well, my experience freezing my rear end off at the falls has helped me pull in hundreds of flounder in the Gulf.
You see, like sauger, flounder ambush food on the bottom. And like sauger they are highly opportunistic and will rarely turn down a meal.
The typical way flounder are caught in my area is by using a basic carolina rig with a live bull minnow, dragging it along the bottom in our local bays and passes. However, Im an offshore guy fishing primarily fishing 20 miles from the nearest pass, yet I still catch flounder by cooler full!
You see, in the winter flounder head offshore to spawn. They will congregate around the nearshore reefs. Here we have tons of other fish such as sharks, snapper, triggers, grouper, grunts, etc. The problem with dropping a carolina rig around these reefs is that other fish like the snapper and grunts will get to your baits before the flounder will.
For the last few years I have been dropping bucktail jigs on these reefs but again, how did sauger fishing help me catch flounder. Well, when you are in 75ft of water dropping a 2oz jig it an be difficult to feel that flounder thump. Ironically that thump and slight "dead weight" is very similar to the way a sauger will hit a jig tumbling down below the falls!
Now that the glorious warm water pelagics like sails and dolphin have left, the next several months will be flounder time! Ive only gone twice and pulled in 9 the first day and 8 the secoond. Both days I could have gotten my limit of 10 but I throw back any under 14" even though they only have to be 12". And like sauger, flounder are mighty fine eating!!
