As autumn’s chill starts to put a nip in the air and the days grow shorter, flounder are beginning their yearly spawning run, making their way to the gulf through every waterway in the region. The fall flounder season is here again and according to fishing reports, this is shaping up to be an excellent season for Texas fishing if flounder are a favorite of yours.

A self-described flounder fan, Captain Skip James does a lot of angling on Sabine Lake. He’s been carefully studying the movements of the flounder run for years with telemetry instruments. As James reports, “I follow what the large females are doing, since she’s always followed by a whole group of males waiting for her eggs to drop.”

As a long time flounder expert, Captain James is as good as any fishing reports we’ve seen as far as Texas fishing for flounder is concerned, so it carries serious weight when he tells us “The flounder run’s actually at about the halfway point right now and will peak very soon. It typically starts in mid September and ends in mid December.” While the flounder make their way to the gulf’s deep waters, things are pretty easy for the experienced angler. “I just use a 4″ bayside speck grub – it’s all I need and we’ve been landing flounder up to 6 pounds. If the rest of the run is this good, it’ll go down as one of the best years I’ve ever seen,” says James.

Galveston native, Phil Ortiz states that the cold snap that everyone is waiting for is not the only time to pursue flounder. “Flounder know it is time to start migrating when the days become shorter,” he says. “We are catching plenty of flounder now but the first solid shot of cold we get will have them moving in mass.”

Phil Ortiz prefers to use artificial for the pancake predators. “Over the years, I got tired of flounder short striking them.” This ignited Ortiz’s designing of a lure called the “Flounder Pounder”.

Jeff Boudreaux is a Galveston angler who is among the rare breed who pursue flounder all year. Boudreaux tends to do his autumn flounder angling using the pitching methods many use for stick beds when bass fishing. Reports Boudreaux, beaming widely “It’s just as good with flounder as it is with bass. I feel for that initial thump and I set the hook right away.”

Though many use live bait for flounder, Boudreaux prefers to use soft plastics. “I have had major success using the Brown’s Corky Devil.” The rat-tailed suspending bait, he says, assisted him in landing a seven-pounder just a week ago.

“When you’re looking at autumn Texas fishing, you can’t do better for flounder than the Galveston Channel or Sea World Park Flat,” says Boudreaux. He adds that live bait anglers will probably want to use mid minnows or finger mullet on a Carolina jig for the flounder run.

Lower coast angler, Cody Stripling exclusively targets flounder on the waters of the Lower Laguna Madre. Launching from Port Mansfield, Stripling works grassy structure and areas adjacent to deep water within his boat using a trolling motor.

Flounder fishing, reports Stripling is a bit slow in this area at the moment. “They’ve been scattered here and there, but as soon as the temperatures start to drop, you’ll be seeing quite a crowd down this way.”

“When I’m out during the fall flounder run, I work the drop offs next to deep water spots and the grassy spots. Since the water around here is so clear, it’s easy to see down into those spots next to deeper water where the flounder like to congregate. I just go in there and pitch my baits right along these edges and I bring in plenty, year after year,” Stripling reports.

“Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce lead heads work great for flounder,” he recalls. “I work them with a bass retrieve by bumping it on the bottom and letting it sit for two or three seconds before jerking it again.

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