In October, falling water temperatures and decreasing daylight put flounder on a feeding binge as they prepare to migrate offshore to the Continental Shelf, where they will spend the winter. October, and even early November, often provide anglers with the year's most consistent flounder bite, and many of the season's bigger fish are hooked in the fall.

There are a number of locations in both Delaware and Chesapeake bays that provide both doormat flounder, and limit catches, in the fall. In Delaware Bay, they include Brown Shoal, artificial reef sites 6 and 7 near Brown Shoal, the uneven bottom contours beyond the outer wall at Lewes, and the open bottom from Cape Henlopen south to Ocean City, Md.

Some of the nicest flounder of the entire season are caught in October as they begin to migrate out of Delaware and Chesapeake bays.

Chesapeake Bay Hotspots
In Chesapeake Bay, flounder hot spots include the edges west of Poplar Island where 12-foot shallows suddenly plunge to 60-foot depths, the lumps and edges in Tangier Sound, and Cornfield Harbor near the mouth of the Potomac River, which features a very pronounced sandbar that's easy to locate on charts.

It's not good enough to just fish near the bottom structure, it's critically important to maintain and, when necessary, re-establish boat positioning so baits are presented right on the edges, lumps, and other bottom structure that are likely to hold flounder.

Upon arrival at the bottom structure to be fished, take a few moments to study the current and wind, and carefully position the boat for the first drift. At the starting point of the first drift, toss over a marker buoy, or enter the location in the GPS. If the drift is productive, return to the marker buoy or use the GPS to get back to the original starting point, and make the drift again, over the same stretch of productive bottom. If no flounder are caught on the first drift, pick up the marker buoy and use a different starting point for the second drift (drop the buoy at each new starting point).

Mark The Fish
When a big flounder is hooked, immediately mark that spot with another marker buoy. Flounder often bunch up in certain locations, so make a number of shorter drifts all around the buoy in an effort to catch any other flounder that may be there. Once that location has been fished thoroughly, retrieve the buoys and set up for another drift at another starting point.

During each drift, it's also important to keep a close eye on the depthfinder. As soon as the wind or current move the boat off the structure, start the motor (or leave it on throughout the drift) and bump it in gear until the depthfinder shows that the boat is once again back over the structure. Depending on wind speed and direction, and the current, it may be necessary to re-position the boat every minute or so, or as many as 20, 30, even 40 times during a single drift. This type of power drifting requires significant effort, but why waste valuable fishing time by allowing the boat to drift along after it has moved off the structure?

Many Productive Baits
Productive baits for fall flounder include long, tantalizing strips of fresh bluefish, croaker, spot, and squid. Artificial baits, particularly Berkley's Saltwater Gulp! 4-inch Sinking Minnow, 6-inch Power Grub, and 8-inch Saltwater Sandworm, are also very effective flounder catchers.

Fish strip baits and artificial baits, on two-hook rigs, commonly called top-bottom or high-low rigs -- a multitude of these are available in saltwater tackle shops. A single-hookm, three-way swivel rig also works well.

Use a sinker that's heavy enough to sink straight down and keep the rig in steady contact with the bottom. The rig should not rise up off the bottom during the drift; it should not be necessary to occasionally play out additional line so the rig falls back to the bottom. When line is played out, the rig will fall back to the bottom farther away from the drifting boat, and this may cause the bait to spin or drag on the bottom, limiting its effectiveness. Hefty sinkers of 10- to 20 ounces are often needed to keep rigs on the bottom, nearly straight down from the boat, so the bait is presented naturally.

Proper boat positioning over productive bottom structure is critically important when targeting big flounder.

Flounder Rigging
Many flounder-pounders fish with baitcasting, light conventional, or spinning reels spooled with 20- to 30-pound braided line. Place the rod in a rod holder and keep an eye on it. When the rod tip dips or jiggles, remove the rod from the rod holder, drop the rod tip toward the water, pause for several seconds, then set the hook and begin reeling in the hooked flounder.

For more information on Maryland's flounder fishing regulations, visit www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations/recregcjrt.html, or call 410-260-8367.

In Delaware, visit www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries/FishingInfo.htm, or call 1-800-523-3336, for the latest information on minimum size limits, possession limits, and flounder fishing seasons.

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