Species guide · Florida
Southern flounder fishing in Florida
Paralichthys lethostigma, a bottom species also called flounder, doormat and flatfish. Listed for the Eastern Gulf and South Atlantic regions. Shoulder season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm at 69, one of 17 Florida bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Shoulder seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Eastern Gulf
Shoulder season, about 1 more week- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: Oct to Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): Mar to Nov.
Research notes, Eastern Gulf region
Fall migration to passes peaks October and November. Florida closes flounder harvest Oct 15 to Nov 30 and Alabama closes November; catch and release and gigging rules vary by state.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
South Atlantic
Peak season, about 9 more weeks- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Off season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: Sep to Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): Apr to Nov.
Research notes, South Atlantic region
Summer and early fall are best in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina marsh and inlets, with the offshore spawning run in fall. North Carolina's recreational season is short and set each year by NCDMF under its southern flounder plan.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 17
Florida bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's southern flounder score this hour.
Best window today 4 AM-2 PM (72) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 2 PM (74) · 92 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (77) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 9 AM (79) · 22 named spots
Best window today 4 AM-2 PM (65) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 7 AM (69) · 131 named spots
Best window today 2-8 PM (66) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 5 PM (67) · 13 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (72) · Best day Wed, Sep 23 at 3 PM (73) · 21 named spots
Best window today 7-9 PM (73) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (74) · 88 named spots
Best window today 5-9 PM (64) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 7 AM (68) · 20 named spots
Best window today 5-9 PM (72) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (74) · 4 named spots
Best window today 7-11 AM (66) · Best day Thu, Oct 1 at 5 PM (71) · 46 named spots
Best window today 4-10 AM (66) · Best day Thu, Oct 1 at 5 PM (68) · 23 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (67) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 7 AM (72) · 126 named spots
Best window today 6-10 AM (70) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (70) · 79 named spots
Best window today 7-10 PM (65) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 7 AM (69) · 49 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-2 PM (65) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 2 AM (70) · 24 named spots
Best window today 8 AM-2 PM (64) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 9 AM (71) · 81 named spots
Best window today 7 AM-1 PM (67) · Best day Fri, Oct 2 at 7 AM (71) · 195 named spots
Best window today 7 AM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 3 PM (72) · 39 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 52°F to 88°F, best between 62°F and 80°F.
- Water depth
- 1 to 30 ft of water.
- Structure
- Marsh, flat, pass, inlet, channel, jetty and bridge, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers outgoing tide and incoming tide, with moderate current.Flounder ambush bait swept past them, so creek mouths, marsh drains and the edges of passes fish best on a falling tide. A rising tide lets them move onto shallow flats and grassy shorelines. Night giggers look for calm, clear water in 1 to 2 feet.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 15 kt of wind and 2 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
- Methods
- bottom fishing, Carolina rig, drifting, jigging, gigging
- Lures
- soft plastic on jighead, bucktail jig, scented soft plastic
- Bait
- mud minnow, finger mullet, live shrimp, mullet strip, croaker
Regulations
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Synced with FWC Sep 19, 2026. Rules shown verified Sep 13, 2026.
5 per day · Minimum 14 in, total length
Season: No closed season on file
Changes to closed on Oct 15, 2026
Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.
FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder · verified Sep 13, 2026
Other Florida species
- Atlantic croaker
- Atlantic tarpon
- Common snook
- Crevalle jack
- Gray snapper
- King mackerel
- Red drum
- Spot
- Spotted seatrout
- Summer flounder
- Black drum
- Black sea bass
- Bonefish
- Cobia
- Florida pompano
- Gag grouper
- Gray triggerfish
- Greater amberjack
- Little tunny
- Mahi-mahi
- Permit
- Red grouper
- Red snapper
- Sailfish
- Sheepshead
- Spanish mackerel
- Wahoo
- Weakfish
- Yellowfin tuna
- Bluefish
- Striped bass