Winter Flounder

Season in Rhode Island

NOAA: inshore spawning in winter and spring. Snug Harbor (April 2024, search summary): a few customers catching winter flounder with holdover stripers. Southern New England stock is low (ecoRI 2018 and the 2024 Point Judith Pond study, search summaries). Weak chart. (Our inference)

Season by region

Where to find them

Salt ponds and coves in early spring; numbers are low in southern New England.

On soft bottom in bays and harbors, often buried.

What to look for

Soft bottom in bays and harbors with moving water near channels.

Bait

Blue mussels (early season), Bloodworms, Sandworms. Small-hook bottom rig with a sinker to hold the bait on the bottom..

Leader

NY Sea Grant: 10 to 15 lb mono on a medium spinning rod; heavier where current is strong.

Common mistakes

• Fishing slack water away from the current
• Hooks too large for the small mouth

Landing

Lift it in with a steady pull or a small net.

Handling

Unhook gently; return short fish quickly.

Keep or release

The southern New England stock is depleted; release is a reasonable choice. Rules are in the regulations file.

Recipes for winter flounder

Typical: unknown. Large: Sea flounder or snowshoes about 5 lb. NY record 7.22 lb (1997).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the RI limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Rhode Island DEM Division of Marine Fisheries before you keep a fish.

Sources

• NOAA Fisheries: Winter Flounder (Official source)
• NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE-138: EFH source document, winter flounder (1999) (Official source)
• New York Sea Grant fish profile: Winter Flounder (Cornell, 2001) (Official source)
• NYSDEC Marine Recreational Angler Records Program (Official source)

All the fish of Rhode Island