Flounder gigging South Texas with underwater fishing lights

There are 25 types of flounder distributed around the Texas coast.

The largest – and most sought after - is the southern flounder, their range extends from North Carolina to Mexico with the greatest abundance occurring west of the Mississippi River.

Every year the flounder move offshore to spawn in the fall, the best time of year for flounder gigging the South Texas coast is between October and December.

Some fish stay in the shallow bays over winter and the bulk of the fish trickle back into the shallows over spring and early summer after spawning.

Some of the most popular areas to catch southern flounder by gigging are Port Aransas, Aransas Pass and Rockport.

Where to Catch Flounder+Gigging Light Instructions

When choosing a likely place look for a bottom that has a light covering of silt or mud rather than clean sand as the flounder often feed on the crabs, shrimps and other marine life hiding in the sediment. Flounder in South Texas can be quite large - the biggest southern flounder caught weighed 13lbs or 6kg.

The best time to gig flounder is night fishing over the incoming tide on still dark nights when the water is clear.

Rain and/or wind can stir up the bottom sediments and make the water too dirty to see the fish.

If it is windy find a sheltered bay, or fish in the lee of offshore banks to minimize the distortion caused by the ripples and the clouding caused by waves in shallow water.

Too much moon can make the fish easily spooked and night flounder gigging difficult.

When using an underwater light on the outgoing tide you may have to fish as deep as two feet or 60cm - on the incoming tide the fish are usually in very close - often laying in only inches of water.

See Flounder Gigging Boats for options to fish soft mud areas or the outgoing tides

Always check out the area you intend to go flatfish gigging during the day. If you are wading use wetsuit booties or neopreme boating shoes that fit tightly as anything else can get stuck in soft mud.

More Instructions on How to Gig A Flounder Fish

Waders Fishing Safety

Avoid using gumboots or fishing waders for spearing flatfish near areas of soft mud or near channels as it is difficult to extract them from mud and they are a drowning hazard should you fall into deep water.

Flounder Gig Tips

Keep the points on your flounder gig tips sharp to avoid the spear slipping or bouncing off the head or gills of the fish and always cover the tips with cork or plastic tubing when not in use to avoid accidentally impaling yourself or others.

American and European Flounder Light Orders

PFK tackle frequently ships a LED underwater battery powered lights to the USA and around the world for flounder gigging. Find all the information on our Flounder Gig Light page.

Contact Us for more information about our flounder lights.

U.S. Info

Yes we do ship our LED Underwater Flounder Gigging Lights to the United States and around the world.

Contact Us for more information about our flounder lights.