What you're about to watch is 1 minute and 43 seconds of footage that most Cape Cod anglers never get to see. Most anglers never get to see this, because it's happening silently below your hull.
This footage was captured during this recent winter flounder trip, using a GoPro rigged in a Troll Pro camera case. What it reveals may change the way you think about winter flounder fishing — and probably influence your next trip out.
Watch closely for four things:
First, the follows. Flounder will track your rig for a surprisingly long time before committing — or not committing at all. What's happening down there is far more active and deliberate than the subtle tap on your rod suggests. There is a good chance that flounder is following your bait for a long time before striking. I have additional footage showing flounder following rigs for minutes on end.
Second, the competitive strike. There is are several moments in my archive of footage where a flounder has been shadowing the rig — patient, unhurried — and then a second flounder enters the frame. What happens next is no surprise for experienced anglers. Competition is one of the most powerful triggers in fishing, and here you can see it play out in real time.
Third, the presentation. The footage also reveals something critical about what flounder respond to — and what they don't. A rig drifting above the bottom gets noticed but largely ignored). The moment that bait is bouncing and dragging along the sand, flounder behavior changes completely. If your rig isn't occasionally kissing the bottom, you are leaving fish behind.
Fourth, the stealing of the bait. In the video above you'll see flounder adeptly stealing bait from the hook. If you feel a flounder nibbling on your bait, consider giving the fish some slack to allow the flounder time and space to engulf the hook. Continuing to drift with your line taught will only help the flounder tear the bait free.
Winter flounder are one of its most underappreciated Cape Cod residents. Hopefully this footage gives you a new appreciation for what's down there — and puts a few more fish in your cooler.
For the full trip report including gear, rigs, bait, and everything else from this session, visit myfishingcapecod.com/floundering