FishIN THE FISH ID CAMERATABLE: ExcellentDIFFICULTY
Flat, left-eyed ambush fish, olive-brown with dark blotches, camouflaged to the bottom. Galveston keepers run 15-18"; 20"+ 'doormats' 3-5 lb are a prize.
⚖ Texas limits · 2026-27 license year 5/day · 15″ min · CLOSED Nov 1–Dec 14 (bag = 0) · possession = daily bag · verify at TPWD →
On the water
WhenSpring through fall, but THE event is the fall flounder run (Oct-Nov): flounder migrate from the bays out through passes/jetties to spawn, stacking at cuts, jetties, San Luis Pass and the dike - best on strong outgoing tide. Note the Nov 1-Dec 14 statewide closure caps the tail of the run.WhereSandy/muddy bottoms near structure and current edges: bayou and channel mouths, drains and cuts, the jetties and rock, the Texas City Dike, San Luis Pass, marsh drains, pier and bulkhead pilings, and drop-offs along the Intracoastal.HowSlow-drag baits on bottom right along structure and drop-offs; hop a jig/soft plastic slowly on the bottom; drift live mud minnows/finger mullet on a Carolina rig near cuts. Give a slow sweep - flounder grab and hold, so pause before setting the hook. Gigging at night is a Galveston tradition (subject to the closure).BehaviorLie-in-wait ambush predators that bury in sand and inhale bait passing overhead. They pin along current-swept structure during the migration, intercepting shrimp and finger mullet funneled through the cuts.The fightModest - dead-weight resistance and stubborn head-shakes; a big doormat can flare in current. The soft take is the real challenge, not the fight.
Baits that work
Live mud minnows (bull minnows) - classic flounder bait
Live finger mullet
Live shrimp
Soft plastics on a jighead (white/chartreuse/glow) dragged slow
Berkley Gulp! shrimp/minnow (exceptional for flounder)
Small mullet/minnow-tipped jigs
Tackle
Rod & reel7' medium/medium-light spinning or baitcaster with a sensitive tip, 2500-3000 reel.Line10-15 lb braid (sensitivity to feel the soft bite).Leader15-20 lb fluorocarbon, 18-24".Terminal1/8-3/8 oz jigheads; 1/0-3/0 kahle or wide-gap hooks for live bait; 1/4-3/4 oz egg sinker.RigCarolina/fish-finder rig with a light egg sinker; jighead with soft plastic dragged on bottom; drop-shot near pilings.
The bait clock
☀ DawnMud minnow or Gulp! shrimp on 1/4 oz jighead
Work drains and points early as bait exits marshes on the falling tide.
☼ MiddayGulp! swimming mullet bounced slowly on bottom
Flounder are ambush feeders that bite all day; slow-dragged scented plastics cover drop-offs.
☾ DuskLive finger mullet on Carolina rig
An easy meal drifted past channel edges as flounder reposition on the evening tide change.
★ NightGigging with lights in calm shallows (not rod-and-reel)
Night flounder harvest in Galveston is a gigging fishery; hook-and-line bite is poor after dark.
[{'months': [10, 11], 'note': 'Fall run to the Gulf: passes and jetties stack fish; mud minnows/finger mullet excel (Nov harvest rules apply).'}]
Tide stage and bottom structure matter far more than time of day for flounder.
Don’t confuse it with
Gulf Flounder
Southern flounder are the usual target — mottled without distinct eye-spots. A Gulf flounder shows three prominent dark ocellated spots in a triangle. Same limit, but know what you've got.
Handling & releaseHardy on the bottom, but often deep-hook because they hold bait; use wide-gap/circle hooks and set slow to improve release. Undersized and closure-period fish must be released - get them back quickly.On the tablePrized flatfish - thin, white, delicate and sweet fillets, mild with fine flake. Great whole-stuffed/baked, pan-fried, or fried. Among the best-eating inshore fish on the Texas coast.As baitA gamefish/table fish, not used as bait. Its own preferred baits are mud minnows and finger mullet.
The bar to beat
Texas state record
13.0 lb · 28.0″ — Herbert Endicott
Sabine Lake, TX, 1976
World record
20.56 lb — Larenza Mungin
Nassau Sound, Florida, 1983
Records as compiled in the IronJetty guide (Aug 2026) — verify current marks with TPWD records / IGFA. One of the longest-standing Texas saltwater records (1976).
