Southern Flounder

Category: Inshore

Trip Type: Inshore

Southern flounder are unique bottom-dwelling ambush predators prized for excellent table fare and exciting fall fishing opportunities.

Appearance

Southern flounder are one of the Gulf’s most unusual-looking fish. As juveniles, they look like typical fish, but as they mature, one eye migrates to the opposite side of the head and both eyes end up on the same side of the body. Their upper side is typically olive-brown with scattered white and dark spots, while the underside is bright white. Their flattened bodies allow them to blend almost perfectly into sandy and muddy bottoms.

Habitat

Southern flounder are commonly found in Louisiana’s bays, marshes, estuaries, channels, and coastal waters. They prefer sandy or muddy bottoms where they can bury themselves and ambush prey. Although they spend most of their lives inshore, they move offshore during the fall and winter spawning season. Remarkably, southern flounder can also travel far upriver into freshwater systems.

Average Size

Most southern flounder caught by Louisiana anglers weigh between 1 and 4 pounds, although fish exceeding 5 pounds are considered excellent catches. Trophy fish can reach double-digit weights.

Best Time to Catch

Fall is widely considered the premier season for flounder fishing in Louisiana. As fish begin their migration toward offshore spawning grounds, they become more concentrated and easier to target around passes, channels, and coastal structure.

Fishing Tips

Fall is one of the best times to target southern flounder as they move toward offshore spawning grounds. Live shrimp, finger mullet, small baitfish, crabs, and soft plastic lures are all productive choices. Focus on sandy or muddy bottoms near channels, passes, creek mouths, and current breaks where flounder wait to ambush prey. Flounder are also a popular target for gigging during the fall months, particularly in October and November.

Louisiana State Record

13.06 pounds — caught by Gary Hargis in 1998. A flounder exceeding 10 pounds is an exceptional catch, making Louisiana’s state-record fish a truly remarkable specimen.

Fun Fact

A southern flounder’s eyes start on opposite sides of its head at birth. As the fish grows, one eye gradually migrates to the other side, allowing it to live and hunt while lying flat on the bottom.