Fishing for Summer Flounder

Summer flounders (Paralichthys dentatus), also known as fluke, are a flatfish found in the Western Atlantic and are the largest of the flounders. Summer flounders are most abundant from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Cape Fear, North Carolina. They are bottom dwelling creatures and lie on their side on the ocean floor. They have large mouths full of sharp teeth and have both eyes on the left side of their body, with the dorsal or top fin, up. The eyed side of this fish is scattered with 10 to 14 eye-like spots which blend in with the ocean floor, while its underside is white. The coloring of a flounder tends to be white on the bottom and dark on the top, but its shades can vary anywhere from nearly white on white sand or various hues of gray, blue, orange, green, pink, brown to almost black. Flounders will camouflage their color and patterns to fit the bottom of the ocean as they lay waiting for their prey.

Prey
Summer flounder are very fierce and active in pursuit of their prey. When a flounder wants to catch its prey, it thrusts its tail and sends up a cloud of sand, then claims its prey. They have also been known to follow small schools of fish up to the surface. Adult flounders will eat fish spawn, squid, shrimp, menhaden, sand lance, red hake, silversides, and bluefish, as well as invertebrates (blue crabs, opossum and mollusks). Feeding is most active in the summer.

Size
A summer flounder's size can vary from 5 to 15 inches, but on occasion can grow as long as 37 inches in length. On September 7, 1948, in Oak Beach, N.Y., F. H. Kessel caught a summer flounder that was 37 inches long and weighed 20 pounds.

Spawning
Summer flounder spawning occurs on or near the bottom, where temperatures range from 53.6 to 66.2°F (12-19°C). Both females and males become are able to begin spawning at the age of 2 to 3, during the fall and winter, as soon as they begin to migrate to wintering grounds. The larger the female flounder is the more eggs she is able to produce. For example: a 14 inch female will produce about 460,000, while a 27 inch female will produce about 4,200,000 eggs in a season.

Habitat
Flounders inhabit inshore areas (including estuaries and even freshwater, bays, harbors, and the inner continental shelf) during the warmer months, preferring the protection of pier pilings and eel grass beds. Smaller-sized flounder tend to stay on muddy and sandy bottoms of bays and harbors along the open coastline. The larger flounders go to deeper water.

Fishing season May through September
To a practiced angler a flounder can be a fun catch. Their aggressive nature makes them a challenge to catch. A smart and patient angler will drift along an area where a flounder is lying in wait for his prey and will use shrimp or minnows as fishing bait. When the flounder catches the bait it is a good idea to let the flounder have the bait for a few seconds to make sure he takes the food in. Once it is in the angler can set the hook.

Handling, Cooking and Eating Summer Flounder
Summer flounder should be iced immediately after capture. From time to time drain the water so that the flounder does not soak in the melted water. Flounder can be prepared in a number of ways: pouched, sautéed, fried, boiled, or steamed. Once the flounder is cooked, the meat should be pure flaky white and boneless. Summer flounder has a fine texture and a delicate flavor. The skin is also edible and very tasty.