Species
Flounder Fishing Charters
Flounder are flatfish that lie on sandy and muddy bottoms in bays, inlets and nearshore water. 195 captains and guides in 41 towns list flounder. Here is where, and the months it is in season where we have a published calendar.
Key facts
About the flounder
Flat, bottom-hugging fish with both eyes on the left side and a color-changing top. Southern flounder lack eye-like (ocellated) spots; Gulf flounder have three eye-spots in a triangle; summer flounder (fluke) have five eye-spots arranged like the five on a die.
- Also called
- Summer flounder, fluke, southern flounder, Gulf flounder
- Family
- Flatfish family Paralichthyidae
- Typical catch
- Southern flounder in recreational catches average about 14 inches; in Texas, females often reach about 25 inches while males seldom pass 12 inches
- How big they get
- Summer flounder: males grow to more than 2 feet and females up to 3 feet
- Where they live
- Summer flounder from Nova Scotia to the east coast of Florida, most abundant from Cape Cod to Cape Fear, NC. Southern flounder from Albemarle Sound, NC, to Florida's lower east coast, then along the Gulf from about St. Petersburg to Texas and Mexico. Gulf flounder are the least common of the three in North Carolina.
- Habitat
- On or near the bottom, often partly buried in sand or mud. Estuaries, tidal creeks, marsh edges, seagrass, channels, inlets, jetties and oyster bars; summer flounder also use inlets and the ocean, and Gulf flounder sometimes nearshore reefs.
- Diet
- Ambush predators that eat fish and crustaceans; larger fish eat mostly fish such as mummichogs, mullet, menhaden, anchovies, silversides, spot and croaker.
- Lifespan
- Summer flounder live about 12 to 14 years; southern flounder females live at least 7 years
- On the table
- White, mild meat. NOAA describes summer flounder as having a delicate flavor with a flaky, fine texture; Texas calls southern flounder prized table fare.
Where
Where to catch flounder with a charter
Counts are captains who list flounder, as of October 2026. Months come from the state wildlife agency or local captains’ published calendars where we have one; seasons and limits change, so check current rules.
Before you go
What to know about flounder fishing
Things to know
- Adults move offshore in fall and winter to spawn; summer flounder spawning peaks in October and November, and southern flounder spawn offshore in winter.
- Summer flounder are co-managed by NOAA, the Mid-Atlantic Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission; states set recreational sizes and seasons each year.
- The summer flounder stock was found not overfished in the 2025 assessment.
- Southern flounder harvest has been tightly limited in North Carolina, with very short recreational seasons in recent years; check your state agency for current rules.
- Stingrays share the same shallows, so confirm what you see before gigging.
How charters catch them
- Drifting or slow-trolling live minnows, finger mullet or shrimp along the bottom
- Still fishing around structure such as pilings, rocks and oyster bars
- Jigs, swimming grubs and spoons on light tackle
- Night gigging in shallow water with lights
- Fly fishing with weighted flies
Related fish
Fish caught on the same kind of trip
Questions
Flounder questions
Is fluke the same as flounder?
Fluke is a common name for summer flounder, one of several flounders US anglers catch.
How do I tell which flounder I caught?
Look at the spots: southern flounder have no eye-like spots, Gulf flounder have three in a triangle, and summer flounder have five like the five on a die.
When is flounder gigging done?
At night in shallow water, from spring into fall; calm, dark nights are preferred.
Facts on this page come from official fisheries and wildlife sources, checked October 2026:
Size and bag limits and seasons change and differ by state. Check the state agency before you keep a fish.
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