Top 3 Lures That Catch Tons Of Summertime Flounder
- By: Austin Moon
- on June 23, 2021
It’s flounder time!
Flounder are cruising into inshore waters in numbers right now.
And if you want to catch them, you’ll need to have the right lures with you.
In this video, you’ll learn:
- The best paddletail, jerk bait, and shrimp lure for summer flounder
- How to enhance your lures for more strikes
- And more.
Check it out below!
Top 3 Lures For Summer Flounder [VIDEO]
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In the fall, flounder are making their way back towards the inlets and out into the ocean.
By winter they are pretty much gone offshore.
And in the spring they are coming back into inshore waters.
Once summertime rolls around, the flounder are here in numbers!
Best Paddletails For Flounder
Flounder like big baits.
And big paddletails are great for finding and catching doormats.
Here are the two large paddletails I recommend for summer flounder:
The Slam Shady Bomber is made of very dense material and puts off a ton of vibration.
It’s great to use in murky water conditions.
But if you find the tail bitten off of your Bomber, you may want to switch up to the Z-Man bait because the ElaZtech material can better stand up to those smaller fish.
Best Jerk Baits For Flounder
Jerk baits work in deep water and shallow water but they don’t give off any vibration.
In shallow water on calm days where that vibration could spook fish away, this is a great option.
And if you wanted to use a jerk bait in murky water, you can add a Battle Rattle to create a little noise attractor.
Here are the best jerk baits for summertime flounder:
Best Shrimp Lures For Flounder
A shrimp lure can be deadly to flounder!
Here are my go-to shrimp lures:
And of course, it’s never a bad idea to add some Dr. Juice Saltwater Scent to any of your lures if you’re having a tough time getting strikes.
Conclusion
The flounder bite is really heating up!
And if you have big baits, get ready to catch tons of flounder this summer.
What’s your go-to summertime flounder lure?
Let me know in the comments below!
And if you know someone who wants to catch more flounder this summer, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Where I fish for flounder (and other fish) in the mid-Atlantic a lot of people use tandem rigs. I haven’t heard you guys speak of them too often. I know you like to keep things really simple, which I LOVE. Just curious your thoughts on tandem rigs, if you ever use them or if you think they are affective. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
Leaving in Bluffton S.C. where the tides 6 sometimes 9 ft with extreme current.What kind of strategies can be used in such drastic currents.
Hey Jay, I hope you have an awesome trip!!
Check out the two links below, they were both filmed in NC where the tides and stragetgy will be practically the same as SC!!
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/best-spot-fall-flounder/
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/flounder-spots-lures/
Thanks Jay, let us know how your trip goes goes in the community, and let us know if you have any questions we can help with at all!!
I just saw that Florida is imposing a closed flounder season for the first time (as far as I know). It starts this week on the 15th and continues through the end of November. Please check out my info and announce it to your members if I’m correct. You could save someone a lot of money!!
Thank you Bob, I really appreciate the great information. I agree this is very important that everyone is aware of the recent changes!! I have been spreading the word, as well as encouraging others to do the same!
I have good luck with Voodoo shrimp.
Thanks for the comment Richard!! Absolutely Voodoo Shrimp are great baits as well, I have caught a ton of fish on them!!
Great video Austin! Loved how you used your hand as the backdrop to keep the camera focused on the rattles. I have a question. I’m fishing the dirty and murky waters of Jacksonville FL. Are jerk shads still a good option for that type of water? I’ve been avoiding them because of the water clarity. Even though the water is so dirty are they still a good option if the water is super calm or should I just twitch retrieve the paddletail?
Thanks so much Christopher!! Absolutely Jerk Shads are still excellent baits here!! I do prefer to use them on very calm low wind and clear sky days when fishing shallow water! If you are fishing for Redfish under these conditions you will likely know if you lure is spooking fish by seeing Redfish or seeing Redfish wakes running from your bait, switching to a Jerk Shad will not spook them like baits with vibration might in those conditions! I have used them on very windy days as well and great success though, but normally prefer a bait with vibrations when it’s windy and rough!
Love the Insider info… just would like to see how they’re being rigged.
There are so many different jig heads, so seeing how they’re being rigged helps narrow it down.
Thanks so much for the comment Greg!! Check out these links for rigging information!! https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/how-to-use-rig-retrieve-slam-shady-paddletails/
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/bomber-paddletail-lure-mini-course/
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/gulp-jerk-shad-review/
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/best-way-to-rig-jerk-shad/
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/3-best-gulp-shrimp-rigs/
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/power-prawn-shrimp-lure/
https://www.saltstrong.com/fishing-tip/rigging-and-retrieval-tips-for-swimbaits-and-paddletails/
Austin, great video.
Thanks so much.
I remember fishing for these up north with cans of corn and blood worms.
Thanks again
Thanks so much Gary!! That is really cool, I would have never thought to do that!!
Your talking winter flounder, up north these are summer flounder AKA fluke. killies and squid strips.
Austin here around the Galveston TX, area we don’t really have crystal clear waters. We have shades from light brown to muddy. I have always been taught on bright clear days with light color water to use light colored baits. On overcast days use something with light color water use something with sparkles in it. As the water gets darker use darker baits and match the light with sparkle or fluorescent baits. I have had zero luck with Slam Shady Colored baits in dark waters and Alabama Leprechaun colored baits in clear water. So what am I doing wrong, or what is the deal?
Thanks for the comment Jack!! Yea it is the same thing here In Jacksonville, very dark Murky water for the most part, but it can clean up closer to the inlet especially on an incoming tide. The good thing is Slam Shady color will work great in any water clarity!! While dark colors can work great both murky or clear waters as well, I do prefer a darker color in Murky water if I’m not using a slam Shady! One of my favorites is Black and Gold (we have some black and gold paddletails coming called gold digger). Most importantly though in Murky water is scent and vibrations, the color won’t matter as much because visibility is low!! So id key in on baits with good vibration like the Slam Shady Bomber with some added scent, or spinnerbaits or underspins, and adding rattles to baits that don’t have vibrations can be helpful as well!!! The only time I will use baits with no vibration like the Alabama Leprechaun is when I’m fishing when it is calm/flat/ and very shallow, when the fish are spooky and the vibrations could do more harm than good. I haven’t had the chance to fish much clear water, only made a few quick trips to the gulf, ive lived and fished Jacksonville my whole life!!! Check out this video using the Slam Shady Bomber in Murky waters here in Jacksonville! https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/slam-shady-bomber-dark-water/
Thanks Austin, so what you are saying if I understand you right, that scent and vibration can be as important in murky water as using a dark color? Use jerk shads in clam water as not to spook the fish. Is the Alabama Leprechaun a good choice in murky water? personally I like purple in murky water and at night. What is your thoughts?
Hey Jack, I also fish the Galveston area and agree with Austin. I’ve had success with the Slam Shady, especially with adding an underspin and scent (Dr.Juice). Scent and noise/vibration are tops in my opinion for fishing murky water. I haven’t used the Alabama Leprechaun in saltwater yet, but I have caught a few bass with it in both stained and clearer water.
I found this SaltStrong podcast to be very helpful in this regard:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ebiMyHZ6nVdEfFMBYjXKF?si=7d8185cb76cd444a
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/capt-ronnie-kinner-podcast-interview/
Ah like the capt from Charleston South Carolina that saltstrong did an interview with about spinnerbait that’s my number one go to bait for both reds and flounder both with our murky water here in northeast fl Jacksonville st Augustine area the spinnerbait shines for both flash and vibration and yes I do add procure but I also took some of your saltstrong Dr juice scent and mixed it with the procure for double the potency and it makes it last longer lately I have been using the new zman spinnerbait that are tough stainless steel with a trout eye jighead attached and gold blade in size 4.5 a real thumper that attracts flounder and reds at a considerable distance while shrimp and paddletails and jerkbaits all have there place they don’t all have all 3 of the quality that a spinnerbait has where the paddletail has vibration it lacks flash and where the jerkbait has sometimes flash there is no vibration and the shrimp really in my opinion has none of these I usually only use a shrimp in winter or early spring or when they are running in early fall but a spinnerbait has all the sences flash vibration and I add scent so all 3 sences are being used and in murky water to me the more the better thanks for the video and all you do😁
Thanks so much Steven!! Absolutely man I couldn’t agree more, spinnerbaits are great for many different species, especially in our murky waters!! I really need to get out and use them a bit more, they are a great power fishing bait!!
Where are you primarily out of? I noticed the water looks muddy like here in Georgia and was hopeing Salt Strong finally got a pro in Georgia that could focus a little more on less than crystal clear water and our predominant species (not snook). Thanks man!
Wyatt was great out of North Carolina but he moved off to Texas. I know y’all say that the tactics are the same but there are differences in how to fish and what works based on the area. I do alright with slam shady’s but I can’t get anything to hit the Alabama leprechaun.
Thanks for the comment James!! I am out of Jacksonville Florida and primarily fish from St. Augustine to Fernandina! Ill definitely be making some Georgia trips as well though!! One of our employees Richard Thomas has a lot of experience in Georgia and I will likely be making some trips up there with him in the future!!
Excellent! Tight lines!