Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

Winter Flounder, Flounder, Sole, Lemon Sole, Georges Bank Flounder, Blackback Flounder
Winter Flounder … photo courtesy of the Virginia Institute for Marine Science

Also known as … Flounder, Sole, Lemon Sole, Georges Bank Flounder, Blackback Flounder

 

Winter flounder are a right eyed flatfish, not to be confused with its left eyed cousin the summer flounder.   During the summer it lives in deeper off shore waters and then spends the winter in shallow coastal estuaries, rivers, and bays.   They do not have teeth, unlike their cousin the summer flounder which does have teeth.   They are sought by many for their tasty meat.  

  Winter flounder fishing is not an easy task, many use small chumming apparatuses even cat food cans with holes punched in them.  Back in the day many would fish for them in our inland bays with canned corn.  Disturbing the bottom and making noise will also attract them, they are naturally curious.  In recent years they have been harder to find in many areas, due to over fishing and destruction of environment or habitat.  They use estuary habitats to spawn and with constant destruction of these habitats it has been a factor in their decline.  Also due to the fact not many people fish for them anymore.  They were a very popular fish for winter netters on the inland bays using funnel nets near slough outlets during out going tides.

 

Delaware Creel Limits …

Winter flounder

Feb. 11 – Apr. 10

12 inches

2

 

Comments are closed.