Flounder

[Stein]

OK, so salmon seasons are not pretty and we should be fishing hali today, but one thing I have had on my list is getting better at nailing some keeper flounder/sole/sanddab/whateveryoucallthem.

We fish for fun and ling bait, but last two years we kept a few bigger ones at my son's insistence and fried them up.  They taste great, just not that much there per fish unless you can get in the larger ones.

I can whack the small/medium ones but finding the bigger ones has proven more challenging.  Any advice on where to locate the fatties?  We usually fish sandy bottom in 40-70' relatively flat bottom and there doesn't seem to be a difference in size vs depth, maybe we need to go deeper or different habitat?

What types of haunts hold the big ones or is it best to just poke around until you find some good ones?

[NRA4LIFE]

Last summer I seen a guy nailing them just north of the shipwreck.  Looked like some decent sized ones also.  I sure wish we had some gear other than our salmon stuff on board that day.

[WSU]

Google nisqually flounder. Big starry flounder

[Bullkllr]

Some of them just don't seem to get very big.

Starry get bigger,  but the smaller sole/flounder seem to taste better.

[jay.sharkbait]

There were tons around harstine as a kid (and still I think) but they were pretty wormy...

[dilleytech]

I used to catch sanddabs as a kid in less then a foot of water. I tried eating stary flounder in Alaska and they weren’t very good. Really soft and mushy flesh. Used to net them by the hundreds.

[lokidog]

I finally started getting into the Rock Sole last summer, if not for Pinslee, I'd be out there tomorrow.... I don't keep them under 13", so do not keep a lot... but have gotten them up to 17". Some are all warty looking o the bottoms, but the meat is fine underneath that.

I have found them on more cobble bottoms than sandy. I use a small jig 3/8-3/4 ounce and will back troll to keep my jig below me for less snags, but do OK casting and dragging it back as well. I have been using flavored tails on a feather jig. My best luck seems to be 40-65 feet deep.

Also, you will likely catch some larger sculpins, they are worth keeping for table fare. The Great and Buffalo Sculpin can get pretty big. And, yes, we eat Dogfish every now and then... bleed them, keep cold, filet out the red meat and deep fry. I've never had a complaint about taste.

[RB]

My kids would love this I will have to check into this for the summer, does tide matter that much?

[Stein]

Nice ones.  I kept a dogfish once, didn't get much meat and it was mushy.  I bled and iced it, maybe I'll try again when I get frustrated and can't keep them off my salmon gear.

I think I just need to try new places, sounds like some places might just have bigger fish.  There certainly isn't any pressure on them pretty much anywhere I have fished.

[Stein]

My kids would love this I will have to check into this for the summer, does tide matter that much?

No, other than keeping your gear on the bottom if you are drifting or anchoring.  We do it during any tides and usually anchor so I don't have to pay attention to drifting over crab pots or into other boats.

Kids love it.  If you don't have a bite in 3 minutes you are definitely in the wrong spot.  We catch them on everything, my son's favorite is a small chunk of squid since it lasts forever and seems to work a bit better than jigs.  I usually use a jig of some sort so I don't have to mess with bait.

It makes trout fishing seem pretty slow and boring by comparison.  The flounder are huge fighters pound for pound and you can catch a couple at a time if you are using multiple hook setups.

[lokidog]

Nice ones.  I kept a dogfish once, didn't get much meat and it was mushy.  I bled and iced it, maybe I'll try again when I get frustrated and can't keep them off my salmon gear.

I think I just need to try new places, sounds like some places might just have bigger fish.  There certainly isn't any pressure on them pretty much anywhere I have fished.

It does take at least a 27" Dogfish before it is worth cleaning it. I've never had problems with mushy, but have a great deep fryer.

Like I mentioned, I've not had good luck with them in gravel/sandy areas, but cobble with scattered larger rocks seems to work.

My kids would love this I will have to check into this for the summer, does tide matter that much?

It matters in that you don't want to be drifting too fast. However, if it is in the same direction as the breeze, it's not as bad. This is a good fishery for kids as depths don't change much as you drift and there are few large rocks to snag on. Also I downsized to my trout rod for more fun. It gets pretty sporty though when you hook a medium sized Lingcod. I still use 30-50# braid tied right to my jig.

I don't anchor as these fish are not really active like Halibut can be. They are scattered about.

[RB]

Nice ones.  I kept a dogfish once, didn't get much meat and it was mushy.  I bled and iced it, maybe I'll try again when I get frustrated and can't keep them off my salmon gear.

I think I just need to try new places, sounds like some places might just have bigger fish.  There certainly isn't any pressure on them pretty much anywhere I have fished.

It does take at least a 27" Dogfish before it is worth cleaning it. I've never had problems with mushy, but have a great deep fryer.

Like I mentioned, I've not had good luck with them in gravel/sandy areas, but cobble with scattered larger rocks seems to work.

My kids would love this I will have to check into this for the summer, does tide matter that much?

It matters in that you don't want to be drifting too fast. However, if it is in the same direction as the breeze, it's not as bad. This is a good fishery for kids as depths don't change much as you drift and there are few large rocks to snag on. Also I downsized to my trout rod for more fun. It gets pretty sporty though when you hook a medium sized Lingcod. I still use 30-50# braid tied right to my jig.

I don't anchor as these fish are not really active like Halibut can be. They are scattered about.

Right on thanks Stein and Loki!

[AL WORRELLS KID]

This Guy seems to be killing them off the Nisqually Delta, as fast as fishing for Bluegills
But he has more guts than me fishing next to the Sea Lion's in a Kayak.
Doug

Not a valid vimeo URL

[lokidog]

Dang, I want to follow him around a bit. Starrys are definitely delicious. Not sure where the previous post about them being soft comes from.