Flounder Fishing at Sebastian Inlet

Flounder at Sebastian Inlet

Flounder are the ambush specialists of the lagoon. They bury themselves in sand with only their eyes showing and wait for something to swim over the top of them.

Because of that, catching them is less about finding fish and more about covering the right bottom slowly. Captain Richard Ladrew fishes them deliberately — sand edges, the seam where grass meets sand, the lip of a channel — rather than running and gunning.

They are outstanding on the table, which is most of why people ask for them, and a good flounder is a genuinely satisfying fish to work out.

Where Captain Richard Finds Them

Sandy bottom next to something. The edge of a grass flat, the lip of a channel, around dock pilings, near the inlet where sand shifts with the tide.

Captain Richard pays attention to where bait is moving over clean sand — that is where a flounder will be lying.

Best Time of Year

Flounder are best from September into December as they move toward the inlet to spawn, though part of that window falls inside the annual closure. Outside autumn they are caught incidentally through the year on trips targeting other species.

How Captain Richard Fishes for Flounder

• A live finger mullet or mud minnow on a light jighead, dragged slowly along the bottom.
• Soft plastics worked with a slow crawl rather than a hop. If your lure is leaving the bottom, it is going over their heads.
• The eat is distinctive — weight, then nothing. Captain Richard’s advice is to give a flounder a moment to turn the bait before you come tight.

Rules and Regulations

Current status: 14″ minimum — closed 15 October to 30 November

• The minimum size is 14″ total length.
• The bag limit is 5 per person per day.
• The fishery is closed annually from October 15 through November 30, in both state and federal waters off Florida.
• These limits apply to Gulf, Southern, summer and fringed flounder alike.

Regulations checked September 2026. Size limits, bag limits and seasons change — the current rules are always on the FWC saltwater regulations site. Captain Richard Ladrew fishes to current regulations and will tell you on the day what you can keep. On a Zookeeper Charters trip you are covered under his licence, so there is nothing for you to buy.

Trips That Target Flounder

• Half Day Inshore Fishing — Half Day, $600
• Full Day Inshore / Nearshore — Full Day, $975
• Night Fishing — Half Day, $600