If the predicted snow holds off (I think the weatherman said we're on a yellow snow alert) I'm hoping to get down to the Loughor estuary next week. I'm involved in a species hunt with a Sea Angling forum and hope to get a Flounder or two on conventional sea tackle. As I shouldn't have too far to walk (and am travelling with light gear anyway) I thought I'd also take a fly rod and try to target a few flukes on the fly. What I'm after is suggestions for favourite Flounder flies, I'm guessing shrimp patterns, Crazy Charlies, Gotchas and Clousers will be the order of the day but if anyone has suggestions for alternative patterns I'd be grateful for your help. I should say I'll be using an 8wt rod with a #9 sinking line. Thanks in advance.

__________________
I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

Some years back, when I lived and worked in Stavanger, Norway one of the small almon rivers I used to fish had a very sand bottom for the first mile, and it was not unusual to occasionally pick up a flounder while fly fishing for salmon and sea trout, especially when fishing the fly deep. The locals would often fish a split shot a foot or two above the fly or a fast sink tip to ensure that fly fished deep.

Cheers for that. I was going to add a bit of lead to my patterns just to keep them on the bottom

__________________
I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

I've been sight fishing some flounder recently with small scud flies. They haven't been the least bit interested. So I'm waiting for some good answers

Did a little search and found these:

flounder tips

Flatfish

__________________
Life is like a box of choclates. Ya never know what ya gonna get.

Forrest Gump 1994

What I intend to try is some weighted #2 and #4 tan gotchas and drag them across the mud in fits and starts see if I can get a take that way

__________________
I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

From (limited) experience of estuary fly fishing for flounders, I'd be inclined to use a crazy charlie tying, but use a couple of bright - gold, red or orange - beads instead of the usual eyes. I found this quite successful, which comes as little surprise, bearing in mine the rigs that bait fishers often use of flatties - incorporating lots of brightly coloured beads. I'd have to say that I found rag worms more successful, but the fly was far from a waste of time.

Agree with above I'd definitely use bright beads. When bait fishing for flounders most ppl will use 3 or 4 big beads. Usually yellow, orange or green

__________________
Scott

'If the predicted snow holds off (I think the weatherman said we're on a yellow snow alert)'
I am always on yellow snow alert.
I once caught a flounder on a Coch-y-bondhu I was fishing as a point fly in Spiggie.

Never eat yellow snow!

Having caught a lot of good sized flounder on spoons and moving baits in my "yooff" I'd recommend a pattern with plenty of weight - bouncing along the bottom creating puffs of mud or sand is what you want - that really stimulates the fish. Lead dumbell eyes for the jig/bouncing action and a long ragworm like tail with some red in it would be my pick. They're quite predatory fish at times and will hit an unbaited spoon, but ragworm always accounted for the vast majority of fish.

__________________
Graphic Design and Illustration Services.
www.insightillustration.co.uk