Drifting baits is effective because it presents the bait over a large area, which in turn is an advantage because flounder do not move around much. They ambush prey as it swims by, preferring to hide on the downstream sides of sandbars and structure facing upstream. A boat drifting on the current and dragging live bait, a strip of fish or scent-impregnated artificial strip presents the bait in a natural manner. Some anglers shut off the motor while drift-fishing. But it’s a better idea to keep it idling in the event the line gets snagged and you have to back up to free it -- or in the happier event that a big fish strikes and you want to drop the bait back on a slack line to give the fish time to eat the bait.

The slack line at the bite can be critical to success. Nobody ever waited too long to set the hook into a flounder. However, everyone has lost fish by not waiting long enough.

Big flounder like big baits. Trophy anglers swear by fishing a live menhaden 6 or 12 inches long. But plenty of big flatfish are caught on smaller baits.

Anchoring the boat or using a trolling motor and casting to oyster beds, sunken boats or gaps in grassbeds will produce flounder. When casting, some anglers switch from Carolina rigs to jigheads or bucktails tipped with strip baits, shrimp or minnows. Others use soft-plastic trailers or scented artificial trailers on their jigheads. Flounder also readily strike gold spoons fished along rocky places where it is impossible to cast anything else because of hang-ups. A spoon with a rattle on it plays quite a jingle as it bounces off oyster shells and rocks, and it will catch flounder from places most anglers won’t even attempt to fish. A float rig can also be used to suspend live bait above potential hang-ups.

RED DRUM
Red drum, also called puppy drum, channel bass or redfish, are as close to an “everyone’s fish” as swims in the brine. They are caught by almost any method an angler can name. They are caught from the surf, from ocean piers, from private docks, at the inlets, at inshore and offshore artificial reefs and natural ledges, and in all inshore areas.

Sight-fishing is the most exciting way to catch red drum. The juvenile fish of the estuaries can be up to 30 inches long and weigh 12 pounds or more. These fish form schools of a few to hundreds of fish that can turn the water the color of newly minted pennies as light reflects off their colorful sides.

Two-man “teams” work well for this type of fishing. One angler poles from a platform above the outboard, while the other stands on the bow ready to make a cast. The angler on the platform usually is the first to spot the fish and points them out to the angler with the rod, using a clock face code and estimating the distance. The bow points to 12 o’clock.

The angler may see the fish or not, casting a fly, jig or spoon and making adjustments in the event of a miss. Sometimes it’s best to cast ahead of the fish and let the lure rest on the bottom. Twitching it as a red drum swims near entices the strike.