I had a question about wade fishing and catching flounder.

I picked up an issue of the latest Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazinew since I missed a few issues over the last few months. And on page 76 of the November 2008 issue if anybody has it, it shows a man wade fishing and using his "stab and grab" method of landing a flounder.

It shows one picture of him with a rod in one hand and the end of his stringer in his other hand and a splash of water where his hand I guess is stabbing the flounder.

Then in another picture you see him with a flounder and the spike going through it from the underside of the flounder and coming out through the top of it with he plasic bait still in the flounder's mouth.

My question is does anybody know how to do this? Anybody ever use this method when landing a flounder while wade fishing in the bays?

Just wondering since it seemed practical to land it without a net and was just curious about this "stab and grab" method for flounder and how you would do it?

Sounds like he's just using a hand gaff to land the fish once it's close enough. Seems practical so long as you know the fish is a kepper.

I looked at the picture again and I can't see a gaff or anything. It looks like he just used his stringer, the spike part on the end of the stringer.

In the fist picture you can just see him wade fishing and holding his rod in his left hand as well as the line part of his stringer in that same hand. And then you can see he has his right in the water holding the end of the stringer cause the stringer line is going fome his left hand straight to his right hand in the water so it looks like he is using the spike part of the stringer. All you can see is the splash in the water so you can't really see the flounder or the spike to see how he is doing it.

And in the second pic you can see him holding up the flounder with a spike going right through it and the stringer line hanging down. The spike is through the bottom of the fish and you can see the spike at least 2 inches coming out of the top of the flounder with the lure still in it's mouth.

So from what it looks like he is just using the spike on his stringer to do this.

I guess he just has a certain technique and probably has to be real fast and have a sharp spike on the end of the stringer. I think maybe he waits till the flounder is still as he brings it in closer and then makes a quick stab underneath with the stringer spike and lifts the flounder up or something. Like flounder gigging only going in the opposite direction or something. I don't know though, I can only assume.

Seems pretty neat and practical though when wade fishing and you have a flounder on and know it's a keeper like you said.

Its a common method....with the Flounder about 6 inches under the water thrust the stringer "spike" upwards from the bottom in the area of the gills.

Because a flounder has alot of surface area it won't "lift up" in the water when you stick it with the stringer. Basically the pressure of the water will hold the fish down while you thrust the spike into the fish.

Once you landed it you can reposition the stringer and remove the hook.

I've not waded much , so I am unfamiliar with the technique,
but I am a firm beliver in using a dipnet while fishing in a
boat. Flounder have an amazing ability to get off at the
boat when a net is not employed. Sometimes I swear, they are
not hooked, but are just holding onto the bait, They see the
boat , open thier mouth and are gone.

good luck
Mo

The guy in the magazine you speak of might be Chester Moore who writes for the flounder fishing part of it. Since I haven't seen the new magazine I can't be sure. He mentions in a fishing class that flounder have no swim bladder. Reason why they at the bottom besides body shape. When landing one-If you bring it in close to you swinging your rod in a figure eight it will disorient the fish and you can grab it or stab it as seen.

Thanks, I can see what you are saying about putting the spike up through the bottom of the flounder while it's underneath the surface of the water since the surface area will create resistance against the water so you can be able to run the spike through. It makes sense and I can see this working. Never tried it before but seems like a neat trick.

But I agree that if I had a dipnet I'd probably just use that.

I know flounder have pretty hard mouths. I read in this acticle about a guy that swears by using short rods for flounder to get better hooksets. I think I read he takes a 7 foot rod and cuts it down to 6 feet. Says it helps him get better hookups and loses less flounder like that with a shorter rod by having a little more backbone when setting the hook. And he uses zero stretch line as well for sensitivity and hookset. Says this type of rig is all he uses for flounder.

Flounder are definitely fun to catch.

I also read this guy swears by Berkley Gulp baits for flounder. Says it outperforms most anything when it comes to flounder baits the he's tried.

Personally I've caught most of my flounder on artificial plastic shad baits with a 1/8 or 1/4 oz. jig head. But I know there are tons of great flounder baits out there.

Hi Bill A, thanks for the info. I think I read somewhere about the figure 8 thing. Maybe it was here or in a magazine or something. Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try that on my next flounder !!

The man in the magazine it says is a man named Lowell Everitt. It was just a section in the magazine where this guide named Capt. Bill Pustejovsky was talking about fishing in Matagorda and it showed a picture of Lowell Everitt doing the stab and grab method on a flounder. Maybe a friend of his or a client or another guide or something. That was on page 76 of the November issue of Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. The issue with a lady in a blue shirt wade fishing and posing with a redfish she caught.

But this other article I read about flounder techniques was in the October issue of Texas Fish and Game magazine and it just gave a few tips on baits and techniques and mentioned using short 6 foot rods and about the Berkley Gulp baits. I forgot who the man's name was.

I'll definitely check out Chester Moore's articles.

I used to buy this magazine every month and then I missed some issues and I just recently got the November and December issue. I need to get a subscription. Great magazine.

But I definitely have wade fishing fever, especially for some flounder. I need to get out there and try to hook up with some flounder or maybe some reds or trout. Either go wade fish the Bolivar Pocket or maybe go wade this area I read about here around Seawolf Park area. Where you can wade fish somewhere around there. Never been there though. I long long time ago but off the pier many years ago.

Tight lines

It was Chester Moore who talked about the shorter rod method. He said use a walleye rod and break off the 6 inches from the top.
If you go to the Texas Fish and Game web-site it will have a flounder seminar Chester Moore did you can watch.
http://www.fishgame.com/Articles/ViewArticleEntry.aspx?articleid=3990

Very good flounder fishing seminar.When i saw first time at BASS PRO SHOPS the BERKLEY GULP MINNOW GRUB 2",3"4" i start to fish in salt water with GULP,and today still the number one artificial bait for flounder.
Because i fish 90% at Rollover Pass on the bank with artificial lures,i don't use short rods ,i use longs rods 9-15 feet,spinning reels(DAIWA SS TOURNAMENT 1300,1600 and 700),FIRELINE 4lb.smoke,SPIDERWIRE STEALTH 6lb.(sometime POWER PRO 8lb.,or SPIDERWIRE ULTRACAST 10lb.).I have more advantage fishing on the bank with long rods,so i don't use shorts rods.