Another very effective method, which requires some preparation, is gigging. Gigging has evolved into a highly refined sport and the light rigs to illuminate the water are a critical component for successful gigging. With the lights rigged, use a long pole to slip along the shallow-water shell banks, as mud and shell and sand bottoms will all hold flounder. Often, when you find one, there will be several more in the vicinity. One of the fun challenges of this type of flounder fishing is spotting the fish. Sometimes, even though they may be in mere inches of water, they blend in so well they are difficult to spot before they are alarmed and shoot away from the boat.

If you're not seeing flounder while gigging, move to a totally different type of area. The best part of the tide is the last half of falling and the first half of the rising tide. To spot the fish, the water needs to be out of the grass and falling, or not yet back to the grass line. So, plan your trip around the tide -- which is pretty good advice for any saltwater trip.

You should now be armed with some good information to be successful with flounder. Remember, the key to successful flounder fishing is to primarily think in terms of the types of places the fish will be at different stages of the tide. Then, keep the rigs simple and the presentations effective for the prevailing conditions under which you're fishing. Also, keep the bait moving, since flounder are ambush feeders and keep it in contact with the bottom, or very near the bottom, within the easy strike zone of the founder.

And have your flounder recipes ready…you'll likely need them.