Weed edges are a great place to try for pan-sized flounder like this one caught in Sabine Lake. Photo by Chester Moore Jr.

Fall is flounder-fishing time along the Louisiana coastline. At this point in the yearly round, thousands of anglers are focusing on what many consider the tastiest and most challenging of the inshore game fishes.

Luckily, things are looking good for this species that -- owing to shrimping related bycatch and hurricane-spawned fish kills -- has seen some hard times in recent years. Coastal flounder stocks seem to be holding up well, and are providing some of the most exciting, most rewarding fishing action on offer anywhere.

And luckily for Louisiana anglers, plenty of places for intercepting these delectable flatfish are to be found along the length of our coast.

SABINE LAKE
Sabine Lake offers anglers a shot at excellent fishing from the causeway bridge to Bridge Bayou on the extreme north end.

"It's hard to beat Sabine for solid flounder action," said veteran flounder guide Capt. Skip James, who added that the crucial thing to consider in the fall is that incoming tides produce the most fish until cold fronts start to arrive. "You will find fish feeding on both incoming and outgoing tides, but until the big cold fronts blow through the incoming is by far the best to fish."

James recommended that anglers fish with soft plastics like the Old Bayside Shadlyn or Speck Grub tipped with shrimp. "Hop it along the bottom and wait for a thump. Once you feel that, hold for a couple of seconds and then set the hook as if your life depended on it."

CONSTANCE BEACH
Nearby Constance Beach is at once one of the most productive and most neglected flounder fisheries. The flounder action is so good at this lonely stretch of shore near the Texas border that a handful of well-informed anglers from the Lone Star State routinely make the trip over to fill freezers with tasty fillets.

Figuring out the stretch of Constance Beach that you want to target is easy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has put large rockpiles at various points along the beach to protect the fragile shoreline from erosion by water and wind. The rocks serve as great structure for fish to bond to and are a virtual magnet for flounder. Look for high tides to provide the best action and the north and south side of the rocks to hold the most flounder.

CAMERON SHIP CHANNEL
Elsewhere on the extreme southwestern coast, the Cameron Ship Channel between Holly Beach and Cameron is as good a flounder fishing spot as any in the state. One of the critical migratory spots for flounder, it tends to get better with each passing cold front.

At only a few spots can the channel be effectively accessed from the bank, and when the fishing gets hot, anglers will line the banks at those sites along the sides of the channel; meanwhile, those in boats work the edge of the dropoff. Live mud minnows or finger mullet dragged across the bottom are without a doubt the best baits here, although soft plastics like Twister Tails, chartreuse or white flounder worms fished on a heavy jighead, and Flounder Pounders have gained popularity in the area in recent years.

Other good flounder fishing spots in the immediate vicinity include Johnson Bayou Beach and the part of Johnson Bayou near the boat launch at Deep Portage Road.

LAKE CALCASIEU
Veteran flounder angler Kelly Jones of Lake Charles lists Lake Calcasieu as his favorite flounder destination. He fishes the refuge shoreline on the eastern side of the lake from late September until around the week of Halloween.

"If you fish the area as much as I do," he remarked, "you start to know what the right and wrong things to do are. You start to sort of know what the fish's habits are and when they move in what areas."

According to Jones, you can catch these fish at any time during the fall period, but he follows the cycles of the moon to get the best results and to catch the biggest fish. "I've found that during any time of year you should follow the moon movements to catch those flounder," he said. "Your best fishing is going to be on a full moon or the period around a full moon -- that is when the fish bite the best. If you are fishing another moon phase, then there is a chance you will have to work for the fish. On a full moon, catching them is almost a given."

His favorite bait for the big flounder is large live mud minnows fished on shallow flats under a plastic bobber. Since he fishes so much, he traps and catches his own bait. "When you flounder-fish as much as I do," he said, "you have to catch your own bait. Otherwise you could go broke."

Locating the fish at Calcasieu isn't all that difficult. Anglers should look for cuts that feed the marsh and areas of slack water in these cuts (eddies). "Something to keep in mind is not to stay in one area too long," Jones said. "If you're not finding fish, then you should move on to another spot."