Deep, hard-bottom structure often holds good flounder. These specimens were taken on live bait off an inshore wreck. Photo by Charlie Coates.

There are plenty of reasons why flounder are so popular among saltwater anglers along the Atlantic coast. From their high ranking as table fare to the challenge they present to trophy hunters, these noble lords of the bottom have much to offer their legions of devotees.

Perhaps one of their greatest attributes is that flounder are, well, different. Unique in both appearance and behavior, flounder are not likely to be mistaken for any other game fish that might be tugging on an angler's line.

A cursory look at the flounder's distinctive anatomy reveals a lot about its behavior and lifestyle, divulging helpful clues about how best to target them. The wide, flat body is darkly mottled on one side, capable of changing its hue and pattern to blend in with its surroundings. Two eyes on one side of its head are custom-made for lying half-buried and camouflaged on the other side while gazing upward in search of unsuspecting prey passing overhead. The wide mouth full of razor-sharp teeth allows the flounder to engulf and quickly disable its victims. Add a surprising capacity for short, explosive bursts off the bottom, and you have an extremely efficient ambush-feeding machine, singularly equipped to excel at what it does for a living.

A working knowledge of the flounder's efficiency in both physical configuration and behavior can make the angler better at what it does as well. Flounder, especially the larger specimens, are very much into energy efficiency, loath to expend valuable time and calories without sufficient reward.

Such prudence becomes even more important during the heat of summer, when larger fish are more lethargic, preferring easy meals delivered to their homes. They spend the majority of their time lying hidden on the bottom -- usually in deeper, cooler water than they prefer in spring and early summer -- waiting to ambush a meal of worthwhile size.

Anglers should be able to identify with such a philosophy. Most of us have a limited amount of time for fishing and want to make the most of it. Therefore, our time on the water is best spent fishing where flounder spend most of theirs. We should make every effort to deliver the meal of their choice right to their dinner table.

HOUSE HUNTING
An angler's first challenge is to locate the flounder's summertime home. Playing the odds, we can eliminate all but the lowest level of the water column as well as any barren bottom. To make the best use of our time, we can also pass over all but the most productive, food-rich structure. For large summertime flounder, that means concentrating on relatively deep, hard structure with sharp dropoffs, such as bridge pilings, rockpiles, reefs, wrecks and channel edges.

Once a suitable neighborhood is identified, anglers can narrow their search to the nicest homes within that neighborhood. The largest flounder will cohabit among themselves, claiming the most desirable real estate for their own. Prime locations include the sharpest dropoffs along a channel edge or a patch of rough bottom surrounded by mud or sand. Any change in topography -- especially abrupt change -- is likely to concentrate larger fish. The most favored structure will divert strong currents around it, bringing disoriented prey to the flounder's dining room.

Much flounder-holding structure will be visible above the water's surface, but less evident and less fished locations can be well worth the chart study and sonar work required to find them. Anglers should also be on the lookout for rips or boils caused by tide or current sweeping over structure beneath the surface. Submerged shoals, humps and rockpiles can be hotspots for flounder as they hold on the downcurrent side to take advantage of disabled baitfish being swept over the structure.

Anglers should always be aware of where and how deep they are fishing, so that when they hook a nice fish, they can get their bait back to the same spot at the same depth. Flounder tend to congregate at a particular depth -- even on different structure -- during certain tidal conditions. These patterns can hold up for days or weeks, so a logbook or a good memory can save valuable time on future outings.