Flounder Giggin' Anyone?

[fivestring]

Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

While at the coast 3 weeks ago, one of my friends gigged this flounder. It was at low tide around 2200 hours.
It is 24" long and weighed about 6 lbs!
It took 2 gigs to get him off the bottom and into the 5 gallon bucket. Well, he did't completely fit in the bucket!
That is the biggest flounder I have ever seen!

 

[fivestring]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

This is the other side....

 

[Bird]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( That is the biggest flounder I have ever seen! )</font>

I've watched others gig flounder at Port Aransas, but I never tried it myself. My dad and I fished for them with rod and reel. 5# is as big as I ever caught, but Dad got one that was over 8# several years ago. There was a bait house there that gave a little cash prize to whomever brought in the biggest one each month and Dad expected to win that month, but before the month was over someone got a bigger one. Flounder fishing with jigs is definitely a different kind of fishing and took me awhile to get the hang of it, but I love it; fun to catch, great eating, and to me, the easiest to fillet of any fish I know of and the least amount of waste.

 

[rlk]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

Now that is a great flounder.

I tried flounder gigging one night in the sound around Morehead City. I thought it was great until we got around to the back side of one of the islands where there was little to no wind. The mosquitoes almost took me away. I decided right then that it wasn't for me.

It seemed like it took forever for all the mosquitoes bites to stop itching.

Bob

 

[fivestring]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

I hate the needle fish, eels and rays.
The needle fish like to jab you.
The eels like to bite you.
And since it's dark and your walking in knee-deep water.... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
There are gators to contend with, also. I've never seen one but I've seen the pictures and heard the stories!!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Bird, you're right.
Flounder is my favorite seafood. Nothing like fresh flounder and fresh crabs!!!!

 

[Bird]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

Out of curiosity, I just looked up the Texas state record flounder sizes; 14.5# and 34.5" by gigging and 13# and 28" with rod and reel. Records easy to find on the Internet, but then I tried for North Carolina records, found freshwater records, but haven't found saltwater records.

But like you, 6# is a BIG one to me.

 

[Harv]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

Wow, Gary! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

When I first saw your picture, I thought you had yourself a halibut! I had to look close to see which side his eyes were on (halibuts are right-eye).

In my skin/scuba diving days, the real "stud" divers went spearfishing for Pacific Halibut. Them puppies get BIG!. We used some pretty hefty guns (3 rubbers) with line spools on them. You free dive (no tanks) for them in relatively shallow water in certain sandy areas. If you're lucky and observant enough, you spot the telltale outline of the halibut nestled in the sand. They wiggle themselves in so they're mostly covered, so they're really hard to see. Then, 'cuz you won't get good penetration against the sand, you try to sneak up on them from their backside and get ready for them to spook. Just before they bolt, they rise up a tad, and that's when you try to nail them.

If you get a good shot, you've pierced them all the way through so the spear barbs can open up on the other side. Now you've got on a stainless steel shaft attached to about a hundred feet of rope attached to your spear gun. That's when the fun really begins. Them puppies is powerful swimmers and have pretty good stamina. What you do is make your way back to the surface and hold on for dear life. If you're good, and in really good shape, you can "steer" them towards shore. They tend to head the opposite direction from where you're pulling on them, so you try to stay on the seaward side of them. Easier said than done. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Eventually they wear down to where you can drag them to shore, providing you still have the strength left.

The biggest I ever saw taken that way was when a buddy of mine landed a 24-pounder. Took about 45 minutes from shot to shore. We weighed him before and after filleting. 22 pounds of meat on a 24 pound fish! Now, that's good yield! Tasty, too. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Me? Never saw one at the same time I actually had my gun with me. Never fired a shot. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Still have the gun, though. Somewhere.

 

[Golfgar4]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

O.K. Maybe everybody else knows, but I don't.

What's giggin ? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Is it fishing? Trapping? Netting? Blowing up with grenades? Laughing at 'em?

Never heard of this before. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[higgy]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

using a pole with a barbed end on it, normaly there are 3 prongs tht come out in a triangle with the barbs making the points of the triangle, think of a trident but instead fo the prongs being lined up they form a triangle.

We used to use them for hammer handles /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dane

 

[Golfgar4]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

Gotcha! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[fivestring]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

Kinda like frog giggin'!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[cisco]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

Yup, fairly common (in old rednecks, like me) pursuit. Usually done from a Jon boat, at night, with a battery powered lamp suspended over the bow (about 3 feet ahead of it, on a pole) with a reflector to direct light into the water (not into the eyes of the "gigger"). Low tide, calm weather, a mud flat area with 1.5 feet or less (preferably less) of water depth - just float along, though most pole or use an electric trolling motor - and spear, like Poseidon with your trident, any flounder shape lurking on the bottom. You'll get other fish on occasion, and miss lots of flounder, and drink a lot of beer, and swap a bunch of lies, and get eaten alive by mosquitoes (bug repellent is mandatory) - but alligators usually don't bother you - me, I've a shotgun in the boat.
There's, of course as with all fun pursuits, 1 problem ---- when you get back to the dock, at some ungodly hour and feeling kind of sleepy (beer may have something to do with it), there's usually a bunch of flounder in the cooler that must be filleted and bagged.

 

[fivestring]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

I knew that we kept forgetting spmething....
beer, we don't take beer! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

Here is a picture of a flounder gigging "barge". I've seen many of these in the Port Aransas area, but usually a little smaller and with a smaller 2-blade prop on the air motor.

 

[cisco]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

NO BEER????
Probably explains why your colleagues bagged a 6 pounder, while I'm happy if I bag a bunch of 1.5-2 pounders.
As far as the Arkansas gigging platform - does it have a shower, grill, wet bar, stereo system and the like - sure looks fancy. Me, I'm happy if the darn jon boat doesn't leak too much and I don't have to bail between gigging sessions. In addition, it's a bonus if I don't "gig" my own toes or fall over the side at least once during the night. However, some fresh fish, a evening swapping lies with your friends, and "a few" beers makes it worthwhile.

 

[Molerj]

Re: Flounder Giggin\' Anyone?

I bet Rupert would have a great time with you guys. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif