He takes precautions to ensure that the quality of the fishing in this area remains high, and advises other anglers to do the same.

SOUTH PASS
When blue northers don't set the winds to howling, asserted longtime flounder fanatic Ray Patrick, anglers can make impressive catches on jigging spoons fished in open water near the famous Mud Lumps out of South Pass.

Most of these flounder are truly nice fish, mostly averaging between 1 pound and 3 pounds. Nevertheless, Patrick noted, the appeal of this kind of fishing lies not in the size of any given fish but rather in the intensity of the overall action.

"Once the flounder get to going through this area, you can really catch some impressive numbers," he said. "They go into sort of frenzy. I catch them on jigging spoons, which are a little different from the way most fishermen target flounder. I have had three men in my boat catch over 100 fish total within three hours. For fall, you can't beat it."

According to Patrick, the key to success lies in finding the big bunches of menhaden and shrimp migrating outward. The flounder are feeding heavily on those holding at the structure of the Mud Lumps. "Since we've had a warming trend lately during the winter lately, the schools of shad tend to be bigger than they were a few years ago," he reported. "And the flounder are just as hungry."

Patrick recommended that anglers use their electronics to search for bait in and around the lumps; once bait's located, the area should be marked. "If you want to try this kind of fishing, bring at least eight good buoy markers and mark the spots where you find shad," he said. "They're pretty much going to hold to the same spots throughout the morning.

"Work the area over really good, and mark as many spots as you can. This way you can just move over if the spot you're fishing isn't producing."

Many anglers are unfamiliar with catching flounder on jigging spoons. It's really quite simple: Fish the spoons in a slow vertical drop around suspended baitfish. Don't get in a big hurry; work your spoon just fast enough to feel it falling.

Most of the time, flounder will hit on the fall, and all that you'll see or feel will be a slight tightening of the line, at which point you should set the hook.

Patrick uses a Cotton Cordell spoon or Crippled Herring in 3/4-ounce silver or silver with blue back. To maximize fishing time, he advised making slight adjustments to the lure. "Most spoons come with treble hooks," he explained, "but they are very difficult to pop off. If you get caught up one of those lumps of oyster or some other junk that has come out of the pass you can forget it."

To avoid losing the bait, Patrick takes off the treble hooks and replaces them with wide-gapped thin-wire single hooks. "Treble hooks are good for the economy," he remarked, "but hard on the angler's pocketbook in these waters." If cold fronts push through, he added, this feeding pattern usually holds throughout October, and the fishing should get even better with the each consecutive cold spell.

DELACROIX ISLAND
Capt. Billy Bucano, who fishes the beautiful marshes around Delacroix Island, said that the flounder action there can be tremendous in the fall. "These marshes hold lots of flounder, and the angler who watches the tides and movements of baitfish can score in a big way down here," he said.

According to Bucano, the dominant variable is tidal movement. He believes that tide may be the most crucial element in the flounder-fishing mix, and that the strength of tides can dramatically influence the feeding habits of flounder, especially in major passes.

"On the Louisiana coast you have lots of passes," he said, "and they will all hold tremendous numbers of flounder during the fall run. Look for big bayous and passes feeding out into open water to find lots of flounder."

Most anglers in the Delacroix area like to fish with live mud minnows or finger mullet. Since the current in these passes is strong, Bucano fishes with 1 1/2-ounce egg sinkers rigged on a swivel attached to a 20-pound monofilament shock leader; he hooks his baitfish through the lips.

As the run begins to fizzle in late fall, look to jetty systems and passes leading into the Gulf for the hottest action. Flounder can't move great distances in a short time, so flounder that leave the bay will gang up at jetties on their way to spawn.

Jetty fishing for flounder is much like fishing in the bays, but in a different environment. The key is to look for lots of baitfish and the spots at which eddies form and tidal exchange is strong. Keeping in mind that jetties extend southward into the Gulf, look for flounder at the southern tip of a jetty. These areas are important to cover because major eddies usually form here, and, as in a marshy cut, these eddies hold heavy concentrations of small baitfish, which in turn draw flounder.