Nick Honachefsky shares some early spring tips towards getting in on the hot winter flounder bite in New Jersey for this week’s TackleDirect Blog post.

Winter flounder season is kicking off in New Jersey, and its not hard to get into the game, in fact, flounder poundin’ is quite simple to rig up, its more a matter of finding fish to have a successful outing. To start, light tackle is the norm. A 6-1/2 to 7-foot spinning rod like a St. Croix TIS66MM, matched with a Shimano Stradic 2500 or Penn SLAIII 3500 slammer reel will be the tool. Spool up with 12 to 20-pound Power Pro braid.

Rigs are simple, starting with a size #4 three way swivel with sinker clip. Clip on a 1 to 3 ounce coin shaped sinker or bank sinker to the sinker clip. To the remaining three-way swivel eye, loop on two snelled Chestertown size #10 to #6 hooks, or gold #8 baitholder hooks will also work with the small gap bend. Tip the hooks with tiny 1-inch yellow grubtails or yellow beads.

You want to be looking for water above 50 degrees and up to 65 degrees or so in the spring time. Target back bay channels or flats in the 4 to 15 foot range depths as flounder will sun themselves in the spring, warming up in the sunlight to become active. Many guys rely on the hour before dead high and the first hour of the outgoing for the best bite, before the tides start running hard.

Other schools of thought like the mid tide hours when chumming as the fast moving current brings disperses the chum far and wide to attract flounder to move in. Baits for flatties include bloodworms, sandworms, tapeworms, clams or artificial like yellow dyed Fishbites Bag ‘O Worms. To get a good chew going, anchor up on a ledge, fill a stainless steel can chumpot with mussel or clam mix, draping it over the side of the bow, and set your rod spread at the stern of the boat, allowing the chum to filter back in the current to where your baits are laying. Move your baits with little bumps of the sinker every minute or so and if you don’t get bit within 1 minutes, pick up and check the baits to make sure they are clear of any debris. Flounder poundin’ can be full of fun when you get ‘em chewing, and no doubt, their clean, white flaky meat is gold in the frying pan.