Flounder Bash

[Member Removed]

I fished the Poole open at hamworthy on sunday 8th only heard of one undersized fish caught i caught zero.

Thursday 5th trawled Wareham Channel only one small fluke caught

wed 4th trawled wareham channel 3 caught

seems they are a bit late this year we usually catch 35 to 40 at this time of year these are taken for scientific purposes

[Bob F]

it had better get better for the open comp.

[Swainiac]

I'll second that, I need to sqeak out a last minute life saver, worth an estimated 250 squid!!!!

 

 

Rich

[CREZZ]

Apparently 15 rods fished a beach comp in the week Hamworthy way and 9 flounders were weighed in, not loads but it's a sign there on there way , i hope .

I've also heard the odd one or two are being caught in Holes bay from the shore .

 

I managed to get out on sunday morning for a few hours and was gonna try Hamworthy , glad i didn't , went to a cheeky little mark instead and ended up with a 2lb 5 oz to me and a 2lb ' er to the father in law .

 

Andy

 

[Maverick Martin]

Andy

 

Well done, did you record the fish with our fish recorder?

 

Martin

[Swainiac]

Mmmmmmmm, you wont be needing those fleuro spoons then Andy!

 

Rich

[CREZZ]

Funny you should say that Rich ,

 

I bought a baited spoon rig to try that method and only managed to catch a couple of checkers with it , then Bob , my father in law pulled in his 2 lb 'er with a basic two hook flounder rig and i lost patience with it and changed to the same rig, five minutes later my fish made an appearance , obviously the spoon rig wasn't as good as one of yours

 

I will take another rod out next time and fish both methods as i quite enjoyed the spoon method .

 

Andy

[Afishionado]

Funny you should say that Rich ,

 

I bought a baited spoon rig to try that method and only managed to catch a couple of checkers with it , then Bob , my father in law pulled in his 2 lb 'er with a basic two hook flounder rig and i lost patience with it and changed to the same rig, five minutes later my fish made an appearance , obviously the spoon rig wasn't as good as one of yours

 

I will take another rod out next time and fish both methods as i quite enjoyed the spoon method .

 

Andy

Baited Spoon fishing for flat fish goes way back to just before the war (WW2) I used to have a book written by the origionator of the method (Sea Fishing with a Baited Spoon by J P Garrad). The book was first published in 1960.

Any way there are two points of immediate interest to the current situation that the book relates to.

 

A FLOUNDER spoon revolving on a bar will only catch flounders but not plaice.

 

A spoon mounted top and bottom to the trace line to hook link will catch most anything including plaice.

 

Flounder spoons work well in the summer months and early autumn however at some point in the autumn the flounders 'go down' and feed entirely on the bottom. This time was most often identified as being after the first frost of the year. In the spring the flounder 'comes up' and will feed 18" or so up from the bottom.

In the 70's I found these rules infalable and my friends and I made huge catches of flounder.

However with the much milder winters and other factors the flounder catch would appear to be greatly deminished.

 

Oh by the way the recommended method to fish either type of spoon is to row/drift in the same direction as the current with a gain of about 1 or 2 knots on the current. So one needs wind with tide to do this.

 

Mad Mike

[Swainiac]

Mike, my rigs have taken both flounder and plaice, flounder in Poole Harbour, and Plaice on the Shambles. The trick I have found with flounders, is to cast inshore, and slowly retrieve the rig, the revolving spoon adds attraction to the flounder, and they will follow this along the bottom, and rise up to the boat and take it midwater, and Ive taken them just subsurface. I think its all about the colour of the rig, not the position of the spoon. Reds and whites/yellows work well for flounder, while I have found green and black or purple and black combinations have worked better for me over the beds down in weymouth. In last years Top Cat versus Flamer plaice comp, I was a non counting fisher, and took seven Plaice, and one Dab on my normal flounder rig.

 

My personal belief, if I'm totally honest, is its just the day, and what they want. The best bait by far on the hook, is white rag, small bunches, these are a killer.

 

Rich