Galveston Fishing Charter Company
832-917-FISH(3474)
A flounder run in mid-January? What is taking place with our traditional fishing patterns?
That is the
question I asked when a report came in of two anglers landing six
flounder Monday morning. The flat fish ranged in size from just below
the minimum of 14 inches to over 17 inches in length. Four fish were
retained that ranged from just under 16 inches to the largest.
The anglers, whose names were
given as Thad and James, were wade fishing in the vicinity of Sand
Island in lower Galveston Bay when the flounder started biting. They
were targeting trout with slow sinking soft plastics including
chartreuse Gulps and while trout action was nonexistent, flounder
stepped up to the plate.
This is the first I have heard of
flounder action of this magnitude in January around the Galveston Bay
Complex. Where did they come from? Were they returning from their spawn
in the Gulf of Mexico or did the recent cold front flush them out of the
marshes?
The area where they were caught is along the migratory pathway and could reflect either a late departure or early return.
Not too long ago I visited with
Lance Robinson of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department about the
migration of flounder. I was trying to find out if all of the flounder
leave during the late fall and winter.
Robinson said that not all will
migrate and the decision is affected by how severe the early winter
starts out and the availability of food.
While we have been experiencing a
later run during the last 10 years, the recent season cold fronts
should have been enough to trigger an exodus for the remaining flounder.
Other than the flounder action, there were no reports for Monday.
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