Question on catching "blanket" sized flounder

[Drifting Yak]

Do you keep large flounder or do you release them? Are they good to eat (some species get funky as they grow)? Anything special you have to do when catching them or do you simply use the same techniques as the smaller ones?

Thanks!

[TigerLandSportsman]

Bigger the better IMO as far as taste go. Better chance of getting the bottom filet of the bigger fish too.

[Cityfisher]

Small flounder, big flounder, if my freezer is empty I will keep one. All other fish I will let go if it is to big. (upper slot size).

[Yaklash]

I keep all legal keeper flounder that I catch; period.

I think there is a little difference in the texture between small and large flounder, but I am not sure one is better than the other, just different. But not nearly as big a difference as there is with other species. And worms are not an issue at all with flounder.

The difference to me, like was said above, with bigger flounder, the bottom fillet is much more viable. With the top fillet of a large flounder, you have to almost steak it out. They can get so thick in the middle that the edges will be overcooked by the time the thickest part is done. A problem I do not mind having

Lastly, for stuffing flounder, there comes a point where the fish's thickness just gets to be too great to cook through without the edges being burned black. I have had to "foil" the edges to keep from setting off the smoke detector while the middle of the fish cooks through. So anything over about 22-23", I will no longer try to cook whole; again, good problem to have.

[Drifting Yak]

Sounds great. I am getting my mind in shape for landing one of those beasts (which have eluded me so far). Pictures to come!

[Cityfisher]

I have only caught 1 flounder over 18" ever. It was 23" caught on a redfish spinner bait, and it was the very first fish I caught on a kayak. When I netted it, it looked like something out of some alien movie, with his mouth wide open and 1/4" sharp teeth showing!

[Yaklash]

I have only caught 1 flounder over 18" ever. It was 23" caught on a redfish spinner bait, and it was the very first fish I caught on a kayak. When I netted it, it looked like something out of some alien movie, with his mouth wide open and 1/4" sharp teeth showing!

I feel you. They are some scary bastards. The first time I went to grab a 4 lb flounder out of a net I probably spent 2 or 3 minutes trying to get a grip from an angle with no chance of getting bit. That thing scared the crap out of me. Years later a friend caught an 8+ and I netted it. He told me to go ahead and unhook it. I handed the net to him and said "have at it." Even the small ones have the jaw strength of a freakin' vice grip. I can't imagine the pain of a 1/2" long conical tooth in your hand with 200 psi behind it

[Cityfisher]

I have only caught 1 flounder over 18" ever. It was 23" caught on a redfish spinner bait, and it was the very first fish I caught on a kayak. When I netted it, it looked like something out of some alien movie, with his mouth wide open and 1/4" sharp teeth showing!

I feel you. They are some scary bastards. The first time I went to grab a 4 lb flounder out of a net I probably spent 2 or 3 minutes trying to get a grip from an angle with no chance of getting bit. That thing scared the crap out of me. Years later a friend caught an 8+ and I netted it. He told me to go ahead and unhook it. I handed the net to him and said "have at it." Even the small ones have the jaw strength of a freakin' vice grip. I can't imagine the pain of a 1/2" long conical tooth in your hand with 200 psi behind it

Sorry to get side tracked off the subject a little bit, Yaklash, your the one who turned me on to stuffed flounder 3 or 4 years ago with your recipe when I posted about that catch. I simplified it a little bit but I shared half of it with a good friend of mine, he would not stop raving about how good it was. Said it was way better than any 5-star restaurant. Thank you!

By the way, with all this talking about flounder, I fried my last one last night for dinner. Need to go catch some more!

[Yaklash]

Sorry to get side tracked off the subject a little bit, Yaklash, your the one who turned me on to stuffed flounder 3 or 4 years ago with your recipe when I posted about that catch. I simplified it a little bit but I shared half of it with a good friend of mine, he would not stop raving about how good it was. Said it was way better than any 5-star restaurant. Thank you!

By the way, with all this talking about flounder, I fried my last one last night for dinner. Need to go catch some more!

Thank you for the compliment, but if it tasted better than a 5-styar restaurant, the person who cooked it should get most of the credit. So good on you.

I have three more flounder in my freezer that I plan to consume in the next month (my 6 month freezer rule). If you freeze them gutted, headed and whole with the scales still on them; then vacuum sealed, they last 6 months in the freezer and taste damn near as good as fresh caught.

[Drifting Yak]

OK....I'll bite....What's the recipe?

[FwistedTucker]

Do you keep large flounder or do you release them? Are they good to eat (some species get funky as they grow)? Anything special you have to do when catching them or do you simply use the same techniques as the smaller ones?

Thanks!

I actually let a lot of smaller fish go just bc the filets on a 15" sheeps is worthless once you cut past the ribs. Same for flounder bc the bottom filet is nothing. Let them grow.

As for where, you'll catch bigger ones in the same spots as the smaller ones, though some say not all come back inshore after the run in March. There's an addictive fishing episode where they are offshore catching flounder off a reef during the warmer time of year.


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[karstopo]

I wish I knew just where to always catch those saddle blankets. I've slowly improved my flounder catching over the years. I used to lose more than I caught. I feel like I have a few fairly reliable flounder spots. Flounder are just fun to catch and look at. They look like aliens. And they come to life right at the net. One time, I had an 18" fish in the ice chest, in the ice chest lid open and it flipped out, spazzed out of the chest, out of the kayak and away to freedom.

I've never got one in the net bigger than 4 pounds or so. The biggest one came on a shrimp fly I came up with in March of 2016 out in Drum Bay. The Shrimp fly and one other fly I tie work pretty well on flounder. Flounder have a pretty easy time inhaling a fly so there really isn't a need to wait to set the hook.

Everyone over about 14.5" or so gets put in the ice chest.

[Yaklash]

OK....I'll bite....What's the recipe?

Been in the recipes forum for years

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/foru ... 27&t=49924

[bigbuzzard]

OK....I'll bite....What's the recipe?

Been in the recipes forum for years

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/foru ... 27&t=49924

Thanks, yaklash. I'll give it a try. Now do you have any good recipe for gafftop? Caught 6 yesterday at Texas City Dike. All over 20". Released all, but interested on if they are good eating as I've heard since the 70's. Also that count is 6'x's what I've caught since the 70's.

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[El Gato Diablo]

They are actually a good tasting fish. If you filet as soon as you catch them it's much easier on you and your cooler. Give it a try, once you get past judgement at the cleaning table you will be happy eating good fish.

[bigbuzzard]

They are actually a good tasting fish. If you filet as soon as you catch them it's much easier on you and your cooler. Give it a try, once you get past judgement at the cleaning table you will be happy eating good fish.

Thanks, got no problems with mess. Water soluble.

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[krfish]

I rarely release flounder because I rarely catch them! The exception is when I have some fish in the freezer, then they get to swim free! Flounder have always been the species that has intrigued me the most. Really cool fish!


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