Do Flounders move slowly out of the Galveston Bay daily?

[bubbagolf]

I know there are some experts out there that can answer this question. Specifically, as the water of the bay get colder, do the Flounders move slowly or quickly out of the bay system? Do they stay around in the deeper channels and feed on bait fish (if available) and move slowly towards the Jetties? Any half Flounder/Half Human out there who can answer this question?

I am thinking about heading to the ship channel and move towards the South Jetty this weekend. May be FlounderGuru will chime in. He might be the half Flounder/Human that I have heard of.

[Yaklash]

I think it's a slow, steady migration, depending on the timing and severity of the fronts in the fall and into winter, but this is all open to debate. I have seen over the years that the flounder stage in portions of the bays closer to passes in October and into November and as the passing fronts drop water temps, they stage closer and closer to the passes. Seawolf for instance gets a trickle in late October/early November and then they really start to move in there in mid Nov. When it gets really cold, most that do winter in the Gulf leave the bay. But I have caught flounder all winter long in the bays (Moses Lake is a prime example), and they are usually larger flounder, so some obviously stop migrating at some point or never do in the first place.

[JonesZ]

I understand that the young flounder do not migrate,and that is about all I caught Sunday in the marsh near Highland bayou. 8 flounder caught, only 2 keepers, and just barely. Maybe the big ones have already moved out of that marsh?

[Night Wing]

I think it's a slow, steady migration, depending on the timing and severity of the fronts in the fall and into winter, but this is all open to debate. I have seen over the years that the flounder stage in portions of the bays closer to passes in October and into November and as the passing fronts drop water temps, they stage closer and closer to the passes. Seawolf for instance gets a trickle in late October/early November and then they really start to move in there in mid Nov. When it gets really cold, most that do winter in the Gulf leave the bay. But I have caught flounder all winter long in the bays (Moses Lake is a prime example), and they are usually larger flounder, so some obviously stop migrating at some point or never do in the first place.

Totally agree. Not all flounder leave the bay complex. But, finding them gets tougher since the majority of them are in the Gulf spawning by the time Christmas gets here.

[bubbagolf]

Thank you Night Wing, Yaklash and JonesZ.

[OlSalty]

Flounder move to deeper waters between 25-30 meters in deep winter to spawn. You have a few stragglers here and there. If you have deep guts or channels target those areas in deep winter to abate your craving. The exception to this is the black back flounder which move to shallow waters in winter to spawn. Except you will find those along the Atlantic coast not in the gulf as a general rule, but....you can find verified documentation of killer whales in the gulf. So you never know.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an Expert so use this info at your own risk (of not catching a single flounder in winter), but... I have studied my quarry over time. Good Luck and have Fun trying.