Fishing big baits, deeper water and using heavy-duty hooks are just a few of the adjustments anglers can make to boost their odds of catching a doormat fluke.
Doormat: A fluke (summer flounder) that weighs in excess of 10-pounds.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enamored with summer flounder. I fished for them from boats, bulkheads, rocks, and bridges, as well as from back-bay pontoon party barges.
Family trips took me to Virginia, the Carolinas, and New England, where I fished for fluke. In college at UNC-Wilmington, I received a degree in education but perhaps a Master’s in flatfish because when not studying or waiting tables, I made time for fishing. Many in the region preferred redfish or speckled trout, but I was chasing summer and southern flounder. It was then that I really began to dedicate myself to the pursuit of flatfish after catching multiple “doormats,” the name reserved for fluke over 10 pounds, and many that just missed the mark.