Posts Tagged ‘flounder’

I like flounder. I like it stuffed. I like it fried. I like it…..well, you get the idea. Unfortunately, flounder fishing is not my forte, but gigging them is right up my alley.

My fishing buddy and I have only gone a couple of times, but it is some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Gigging flounder is like combining fishing and hunting with a delicious reward at the end.

We still are trying to figure out what time of year is best and find consistant producing areas. I think the learning curve makes it a lot of fun too. Hopefully as our skill and technique improve, so will our production.

Hook and line flounder

I hope to increase this output

I will hopefully post some more recent pictures very soon.

I guess I should explain flounder gigging for those who may not be familiar. Flounder are a delicious flatfish that like to lay in the mud and sand. Well, with a light at night you can sneak up on them and stab them with a spear. The end result usually ends up something like this:

Well, the family and I started out on a gigging adventure Tuesday night. We didn’t leave the house until about 10 pm because we were waiting on the tide. I hooked the trailer to the truck and checked the lights. The left side brake lights refused to work. I cleaned connections, changed bulbs and wiggled wires nothing worked. Just as I was about to call it off, the lights came on. Cool—let’s go. Then I looked at the right side–those lights were now out. Please keep in mind, my wife and I were out  Monday and everything worked perfectly. After a little adjusting I got all the lights working. Now I was hot, sweat and a little frustrated, but we were off to the boat ramp.

boat ramp

We get to the ramp and slip the boat in the water without incident. Beware flounder..death awaits you. We get about a half mile from the ramp and the motor just stops running. Not a good thing! Still no emergency, I can get us back to the ramp with the trolling motor. I turn it on and get us out of the main channel and started back to the ramp. After about a minute, the trolling motor starts smoking and the wires were burning hot. Ok, now we have a problem.

Our only option now is for me to walk the boat back to the ramp. Fortunately, the water was only about knee deep. Over the side I go–rope in one hand and spot light in the other. So here I am at 11 at night wading the boat back to the boat ramp in the pitch dark in mucky dirty water. What could possibly go wrong?

Please notice the tow rope over my shoulder

Fortunately, we got the boat back to the ramp with out further drama. I even managed to gig a sheepshead while I was dragging the boat.

Once back at the ramp. I turned the key and, you guessed it, the motor started right up and ran perfectly. We sat debating whether to try again or go home. Go home won!

After the boat was on trailer, I noticed that one of the tires was a little low on air. No problem, I would just stop on the way home and put some air in it.

First gas station, air pump not working. I had to drive to a second station to get air in the tire. After airing it up, my wife looked at me and said “I’m glad we are headed home.” I was too, I will try again this afternoon.

My wife was so proud of me..I didn’t yell, cuss or get stressed. The truth is I don’t know anyone that has spent any time on a boat that has not had to be towed back to a boat ramp. It happens. I’m just glad we weren’t further away from the ramp. That would have been a very bad thing.

Here we are Mid-Summer already. I have three day weekend and got off work early today, so I was hoping to head out and chase some fishes this afternoon. Unfortunately, this is what I was greeted by when I got home.

Storm brewing

So, I will try again tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I will even to get the family out for a little flounder gigging tomorrow night, but being a holiday weekend, I suspect there to be lots of boat traffic everywhere.

Speaking of the holiday, if you are venturing out, remember to be very careful. it has been my experience that the summer holidays( Labor Day, July 4th and Memorial Day) bring out everyone that has something that will float. Drinking, inexperienced operators and crowded waterways(especially after dark) can be a dangerous situation.

Anyway, enjoy the 4th, remember our people serving overseas, be safe and be thankful for the day off.