• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Humminbird Fish Finder Reviews

Humminbird Fish Finder Reviews - Professional Fish Finders For Any Angler

Ad example
  • Home
  • Best Hummingbird Fish Finders
  • Best Humminbird Fish Finders Under $500
  • Reviews
    • Humminbird ION
    • Humminbird ONIX Series
    • Humminbird HELIX 12 Series
    • Humminbird HELIX 10 Series
    • Humminbird HELIX 9 Series
    • Humminbird HELIX 7 Series
    • Humminbird HELIX 5 Series
    • Humminbird 1100 Series
    • Humminbird 900 Series
    • Humminbird 800 Series
    • Humminbird 700 Series
    • Humminbird 600 Series
    • Humminbird 500 Series
    • Humminbird 300 Series
    • Humminbird PiranhaMax Series
    • Fishin’ Buddy Series
    • Humminbird Ice
  • Fish Finder Tips
  • Fishing Tips

How To Catch Flatfish – Flatfish Tackle

April 28, 2013 by Lucius

“Flatfish” is a term that applies to quite a couple of species in the Scophthalmidae family. Brill, turbot, plaice, dab and flounder, are the most common ones, they’re quite similar and most of the times anglers have difficulties telling which one’s which. When it comes to their fishing, methods and tackle pretty much apply for any of them, as they pretty much have the same diet and similar living and feeding habits.

Where to Catch Flatfish

The shape of their body speaks for itself. Flatties are bottom fish, waiting for their prey on the sea (or estuary) floor, sometimes buried in the sand or gravel, with only their eyes bugging out. They prefer long expanses with sandy or muddy bottoms to camouflage better as they wait for their prey. Flounders (and other species as well), for example, can be caught in very short ranges from the shore, sometimes less than 10 meters. Also, flatties can be caught in estuaries, and sometimes they swim quite far up on rivers, and so can be caught in fresh water, along fresh water fish.

Although flatfish prefer sandy bottoms, they can also be caught in places rich in seaweeds, which usually are richer in food sources.

Fishing Methods

Still fishing from the shore or piers is one of the most common ways for catching flatties. They can also be caught by float fishing on a slow tide, and in this case, you should conduct firs some rigorous measurements of the depth, to be sure your bait will always be on the bottom, or at least very close to the bottom. On estuaries, flatfish can be caught on lures, especially on jigs. Finally, trolling against the current, and using either heavy lures or various rigs, is another way to catch these nice fish.

Bait and Lures for Flatfish

Some of the best baits used for flounder in the UK, are peeler crabs and ragworms. However, flatfish show a lot of interest in many other baits. You can be sure you’ll catch at least a few ones, using mackerel, herring or squid strips, mussels or other shellfish, minnows, mullets or shrimp. Although a big flattie won’t shy away from a big bait, they like their food smaller, especially when it comes to crustaceans, since they don’t possess a lot of crushing strength to break their shells. They prefer their food fresh and neatly looking, so, especially if you’re practicing still fishing from the shore of from a pier, change the bait more often if it becomes raggedy. They also like their bait on the move, and even for still fishing, chances are you’ll get the most hits when you’re recovering your rigs to check on the bait.

In terms of lures, spinner baits and jigs of about 1-2 oz., brown, yellow and red colored, have brought the best results for me. I’ve seen anglers catching flatfish though, with just an empty red hook and a few red beads on the line, right on top of the hook.

I haven’t tried crankbaits so far, but the ones that mimic shrimp should bring some results in waters where there are plenty of shrimp and flatfish feed on them. The thing is, depending on the water depth and conditions, it might not be that easy to drag a plug at the right depth.

Flatfish Tackle

Rods. Since fishing for flatfish is mostly done from a beach, you’re most definitely need a surf fishing rod. These are usually 3.6 to 4 meters long, medium, or medium-heavy power, and medium action. Here are two recommendations (quite cheap) for a surf rod:

Okuma Longitude Surf Graphite Rod
Okuma Tundra Surf Glass Spinning Rod

On the other hand, if you’re fishing on an estuary, from a longer dock or from a boat, a shorter stick about 7’=8′ long, medium or medium heavy and moderate action, should be more handy, especially if you’re actively fishing with jigs or live baits. You can always go with Ugly Stiks, Daiwas, Calstar Grafighter, or St. Croix rods of within the specs mentioned.

Reels. Since the most suitable test line for flatfish is somewhere between 15-20 lb., it’s best to use an appropriate reel for such line. Here are some recommendations:

Shimano Sedona FDC Spinning Reel (click to enlarge)
Penn Battle Spinning Reel BTL5000 (Click To Enlarge)
Okuma Coronado Baitfeeder Spinning Reel (click to enlarge)
Shimano Calcutta 400B Baitcaster (click to enlarge)

Line. The ideal line for flatfish should stand somewhere between 15-20 lb. test, braided if possible, because it has superior abrasion resistance. However, if you’re not expecting bigger fish, you can drop it to 12-14lb.

Rigs. When it comes to the rigs used for flounders, there’s quite a variety to be mentioned. I usually go with the basic 2-hook rig, on a 20lb. fluorocarbon leader, with a 4 oz. sinker. However, if you prefer active fishing, recuperating the line more often, here’s a different rig: diamond jig rig.

Hooks. Choose the size of your hooks depending on what bait you’re using. Bigger bait, normally calls for bigger hooks. Also, if you’re using fish strips or ragworms, it’s best to use hooks with a longer shank. But as a general idea, never go with hooks smaller than no. 4, or bigger than 6/0, if flatfish are on your fishing list for the day.

Filed Under: Fishing Tips Tagged With: bait for flatfish, flatfish fishing techniques, flatfish tackle, rods for flatfish

Primary Sidebar

Search

Categories

  • Humminbird 700 Series
  • Humminbird 500 Series
  • Humminbird 300 Series
  • Fishing Tips
  • Humminbird PiranhaMax Series
  • Humminbird Fishin' Buddy Series
  • Best Hummingbird Fish Finders
  • Humminbird Ice
  • Humminbird 600 Series
  • Humminbird ONIX Series
  • Humminbird ION
  • Humminbird HELIX 5 Series
  • Fish Finder Tips
  • Humminbird HELIX 7 Series
  • Humminbird 1100 Series
  • Humminbird HELIX 9 Series
  • Humminbird 900 Series
  • Humminbird HELIX 10 Series
  • Humminbird 800 Series
  • Humminbird HELIX 12 Series
  • Facebook
  • GitHub
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

More to See

Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G3 Review

June 12, 2022 By Lucius

Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G3 Review

June 11, 2022 By Lucius

Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 7 CHIRP SI GPS G2 Review

March 10, 2017 By Lucius

Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G4N Review

June 25, 2022 By Lucius

Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G4 Review

June 22, 2022 By Lucius

Footer

As An Amazon Associate, I Earn From Qualifying Purchases.

HummingbirdFishfinderReviews.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Recent

  • Humminbird Fish Finder ICE HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G4 All-Season Review
  • Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G4N Review
  • Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G4 Review
  • Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA DI GPS G4N Review
  • Humminbird Fish Finder HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA DI GPS G4 Review

Search

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in