How does one specifically target flounder with rod and reel? I'm heading to Trinity this weekend for my 3rd annual trip there. I have never caught flounder and assume it is more bottom fishing. What type water would I look for? Deep, shallow, piers, channels or grass? Live bait or lures? I would appreciate any lessons or tip for a novice at saltwater. Thanks.

grassy sandy bottom is what you want to look for, you can fish with live finger mullet with carolina rig style bounce on the bottom or soft plastic lure with jig head tip with section of fresh shrimp and bounce on the bottom.

Marsh edges, cuts from back lakes, any sort of pass will hold them.

Both what Pat and Tank said hold true , also pay attention to what the tides are doing . You will usually catch more fish in moving water , especially around the turn of the tide .

A curly tail bumped along the bottom has always worked for me.

Thanks all. My wife will be jealous if I can bring in a few. Last year she caught a couple out of Port Mansfield during the fall migration while drowning bait in the intercoastal. She absolutely loved it. It's just me and my son on this trip. I'll let you know how we do early next week.

Well, we had a windy weekend on Trinity bay. Tried to go up East bay from Smith point but the north east winds made to rough for my comfort. We loaded back up and headed to Anahuac. We fished the bayous and could only manage some rat reds, 10-12" flouder and a 4# sheephead (go figure). I thought they were more of a deeper water species. My son did hook 2 doormats, one unbuttoned while he tried to hoist it. The other bounced out of the net because it was tangled and was about as useful as a tennis raquet. Overall fun weekend. Appx. 12 u/s reds, half dozen flounder, 1 sheephead, 8 alligators Saturday, 6 alligators Sunday. Saw one huge bull gator bellowing succesfully for a mate. Which we witnessed the procreation. The we had 2 surface right at the boat. Great fun. Thanks for y'alls help on the flounder. I'm definitly going to try again.

I use mullet and pogies on a Carolina rig around docks and oyster rocks and do very well.Might be different in Texas.Good luck.

the main thing when using live mullet or pogies as bait is to wait at least 15-25 seconds to make sure the flounder swallow the bait and get a good hook set. sometimes they will hit the bait and sit on the bottom trying to swallow it and peoples 1st reaction is to reel it in without the fish being hooked and when it surfaces the fish will drop the bait, so make sure you wait for it..now, with soft plastics and live shrimp is different because they are smaller and dont have to wait, you can set the hook right away after you felt the tug.

We caught some three weeks ago on outgoing tide bumping GULP mullet on jog heads. Also caught 85 redfish. Switched to sand eels and caught 60 trout.

Good Luck....flounder are tasty.

+1- very true, painful to wait for the "real bite" I'd say we wait 8-10 seconds, but regardless it feels like an eternity

yes the waiting part is a pain in the you know what but at least you know for fact that you not gonna missed a hook set.

When fishing with live bait and a cork, the hit of a flounder will sometimes look like a piggy or pinfish hitting your bait, but gradually the cork will either just stop and be partially submerged like you're hung up or gradually go down. That's when you wait and make sure he has eaten it. Especially when using a cork with a rattle, you may hear the cork "tick" and then wait to see what happens next. Usually that's also a sign of a flounder bite.
If using plastics, I have found that they attack it more aggresively and I usually set the hook right away when i feel the hit and they usually stay stuck in that scenario.

^^ agree..almost all my flounder that i have caught with plastics were hit very aggresively, like a hit and run!!