I figured I'd ask the group on what's the best bait/method on catching flatties. I've had good luck with fishing large pieces of cut croaker and live spot. Haven't had much luck with bull gudgeons. I fish a 3 way swivel with 3' of leader and live bait hook with a skirt.

Any other methods other have that could put a few more on the hook?

I use the same setup but usually use cut tube squid or bluefish. I 've used cut croaker in the past but only seem to catch croaker Live menhaden if I can catch them. Just starting to use live spot. Where do you hook em?

Pete

I hook the spot right through the mouth/nose, up through the bottom, high enough up to hang on, but not too high to kill em, given they have to swallow them head first, figured this was the best way

Also, I use a flounder rig with a spinner, beads (red, green, yellow, or clear combos) and bucktail (white and chartreuse). I prefer drifting to trolling or anchoring. I use my trolling motor to control the speed and direction of the drift. I still say the best method is the one that's working and for that I watch others for their success stories.

I have found a vietnamese supermarket in my area that sells fresh spot for $1.99 lb. and FRESH whole giant squid for $1.99 lb. The night before I go fishing, I buy a few pounds of spot and one fresh 2 1/2 lb. squid, about 20 in. long. Then I go to my fish cleaning table and fillet the spot and dress the squid, cutting them into bait size penants. I pack each one in a ziplock baggie and throw them into the freezer until I am ready to leave the following morning. I also precut the spot fillets into bait size penants, that way when you get out there, you just reach in the bag, bait up and DROP! Also, I have found that an 8 ounce bottom bouncer weight with a free swinging arm is a GREAT rig. I have only located ONE place on the internet that sells an 8 ounce and NONE that sell one any heavier . On days that you can't buy a drift, I use a 3 or 4 oz. flat no roll inline sinker casted with my heavy spinning reel dragging a regular 2ft. flounder rig. These are a couple of things that I will try but, as you know, that is the fun of flounder fishing! Try something different! You never know!

My favorite way to fish flounder that are stacked on a drop off is to take a 2-4oz white or chartruse bucktail and on the hook of the bucktail, take a 12-18" piece of 12-20lbd mono and tie straight to the hook, right where the hook bends, then I tie a 2/0 circle hook on the end of this line. I put a 1/2" x 5-6" strip of squid on the back hook, and then put a 1" x 8-9" strip on the bucktail. You will find that the smaller 12-20" flounder will hit the back hook, and the bigger 20+" flounder will hit the bucktail. I also like to fish an outgoing tide, and fish the dropoff going uphill if possible. Hope this helps. It is a really simple rig, just make sure that after you catch a fish on the bucktail that you check the tag line going to the circle hook...it may get frayed a bit...

Where are you guys catichng the fresh spot and minhaden, I tried some gudgens this weekend but no luck, and also How deep is the water that your fishing in
Thanks

I catch my spot, either in the back river as I go out, or while i'm drifting for flounder. Like to use fish bites, beats the hell out of blood worms, put'm in the live well. Give me something to do while i'm drifting, of course you have to wade through the croaker, but it's fishing..........

i know everyone has there own methods, but i am partial to a sliding sinker above a single swivel with a mono leader going to the hook. as far as the specifics that all depends on the conditions. i use 3/0 hooks and the weight ranges from 1 oz to 8ozs depending on the current and your style of fishing. the leader length is based off water clearity, less clear shorter leader, but generally i use about a 16" leader. i use this set up for redfish, trout, blues, and even smaller fish like croaker and whiting. as far as bait i dont use anything unless it is live or i have no other option. mullet is my favorite followed by bluefish and spot. and dont think they have to be small. i caught a 26" flounder last year that had a 14" trout in its mouth half way to its stomach. as far as hooking them i do agree to hook them from the mouth but its not true that they always eat them head first, thats why i always try to wait a few seconds after a hit to let them get it all in. i am sure many other people have tryed to set the hook to early and brought up a fish with scrape on the lower half of its body. i dont know if this helps but good luck.