After a decade of limited angler success, Alabama’s flounder population is in a huge rebound cycle, providing an opportunity to catch one of the best-tasting inshore species around. One of the best times to catch flounder is during their fall migration to the Gulf, typically from October to December, in the channels and passes leading to the Gulf.
Catching Flounder on Alabama's Beaches
Southern vs. Gulf Flounder
Southern vs. Gulf Flounder
The two most likely subspecies encountered in Alabama waters, the southern flounder (larger and more common) and Gulf flounder, prefer structure like jetties, piers, bulkheads, or pilings. Flounder are ambush predators, which means they aren’t going to chase the bait like other inshore species. Finding the right spots and making accurate casts to their likely hangouts will increase your chances of success.
You’ll find more Gulf flounder, obviously, along the beaches. They can be identified by their distinctive spots and usually their smaller size. The southern flounder is darker and more mottled and gets much larger. The state record is a whopping 13 pounds, 3 ounces, caught in 1975 by my late fishing pal Pete Melech.
Best Bait & Lures for Flounder
Best Bait & Lures for Flounder
Bait
Some anglers target flounder with live bull minnows if they can get them, fished on light tackle with a small (as small as the tide allows) lead sinker above a swivel with a couple of feet of leader. A Kahle hook does a better job of hooking the fish, but don’t go very large with the hook size because flounder have relatively small mouths. Drop the bull minnows around any inshore structure and slowly drag the bait along the bottom. The Gulf State Park Pier can be a productive flounder spot when anglers drop bull minnows straight down beside the pier's pilings.
Other live bait will work on flounder, but just about everything in saltwater will eat a live or fresh dead shrimp, so you could go through quite a bit of bait before you hook anything you want to throw in the ice chest.
Lures
At times, artificial lures work like a charm, especially those like the Berkley Gulp with scent embedded in the plastic. Of course, I’ve seen times when just a regular H&H Cocahoe Minnow or Lunker City Fin-S-Fish will work as well as anything. Add a strip of flounder or baitfish belly to the jig to further entice the flounder.
Tips for Catching Flounder
Tips for Catching Flounder
Flounder like choke points. When a friend and I were fishing between a seawall and a row of jetties, we found one spot where we hooked a flounder almost every time our cast was in the correct 2-foot diameter location where the jetties ended. The flounder were stacked up waiting to ambush bait fish and crustaceans. We ended up putting a limit of fish in the boat in short order.
Back to the flounder’s mouth, because it is small, flounder tend to come unhooked right at the boat, breaking your heart. Therefore, when flounder fishing, have your net ready to go and don’t hesitate to get it under the fish as quickly as possible. I once had one hooked that was so big that it fit into the doormat category. It came off just as my partner tried to get the net under it and swam away. I will never forget that fish.
Alabama Flounder Season & Regulations
Alabama Flounder Season & Regulations
As we head into the fall, don’t forget the flounder season in Alabama is closed for the entire month of November to protect the spawning activity. You can still target flounder in October and December, which are prime months for catching this species. Alabama’s saltwater fishing regulations include a flounder bag and size limit of 5 fish per person with a 14-inch size minimum.
Cooking Flounder
Cooking Flounder
As far as eating, the mild, white flesh yields a variety of ways to prepare the fish for the table. Frying battered fresh flounder fillets is always a great option, or you can cut a crisscross pattern in the fish and fry it whole. You can also grill that same scored flounder, and I like to dust it with Cavender’s Greek Seasoning and then add a drizzle of olive oil. When the grill is hot, place the fish on aluminum foil. Sometimes I use Tony Chachere’s, and Heath Riles makes a great Garlic Butter seasoning. When the fish flakes in the thickest area, it’s time to dine on one of the premier inshore species on the Gulf Coast.
