Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishermancraig
Are the Winter flounder present throughout the winter? Or do they leave a offshore in December and then return in the early spring?
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things have changed from the days when flounder were abundant.. Population is way down, and has been for many years now..
Historically, they were in the bays and rivers during the fall winter and spring.. In winter they would become more or less dormant, and just lie on bottom, partially bury themselves in the mud.. During sunnier warmer winters there was good fishing fishing for them even mid winter, but that was not an "every year" occurrence .
In spring after they spawned the majority would head out of the bays and rivers into the ocean, as stated right as the blues flooded into the near shore areas. However, many small ones and a few large adult stragglers would stay in the rivers the bays all summer . I know that for a fact, because I used to catch a lot of them even some very big ones fishing for other species even in mid summer. By Thanksgiving every year the majority would come back from offshore where they spent the summer, and we would have great fishing, until the water got too cold, and they went back into the mud, Then in spring they would come out of the mud, spawn, and then move back offshore... Today, it seems the majority of the large fish are caught out in the ocean.. At least from what I see on the head boats.. Some monsters are caught on many trips while fishing bottom for other species...
Don't know if they will ever return to their former numbers where we had spectacular fishing for them 6 or 7 months every year, even right from the shore, no boat required..
I personally think the explosion in the population of cormorants and seals will keep flounder numbers low in the rivers and bays.. They both eat a lot of them..too many.
