--- title: "Flounder Fishing & Gigging · Brazosport Fishing Guide" description: "Southern flounder in the Brazosport bays: gigging, the Nov 1 to Dec 14 closure, bag and size limits, and the best local spots. Sourced from TPWD." canonical: https://brazosportfishingguide.com/species/flounder/ source: https://brazosportfishingguide.com/species/flounder/ --- 1. [Home](https://brazosportfishingguide.com/) 2. [Species](https://brazosportfishingguide.com/species/) 3. Flounder ![Flounder caught in the Brazosport bay system](/_astro/inat-flounder.BMLD8G3r_VkfqX.webp "Flounder caught in the Brazosport bay system") Photo: [Fishes of Texas team](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/202093778) / [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) via iNaturalist October – November # Flounder Fishing in Brazosport: Gigging, Regulations, and When to Fish Southern flounder are one of the most valued species in the Brazosport bay system, and the most misunderstood in terms of regulations. Every fall, anglers show up at Quintana or Surfside and discover that flounder season closed while they were making plans. This page covers what you actually need to know: when the fish are here, when and why the closure applies, how gigging works, and where to focus your efforts during the open season. ## When Flounder Are Seen Near Freeport Research-grade iNaturalist observations by month within 75 km of Freeport — a proxy for when the species is active and around, not a catch count. Loading the seasonal pattern… [SOURCE: iNATURALIST · RESEARCH-GRADE OBSERVATIONS BY MONTH WITHIN 75 KM OF FREEPORT](https://www.inaturalist.org/) ## Southern Flounder in the Brazosport System The flounder population in the Texas Gulf Coast bays is southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma), a species that spends most of its life in the bay system and makes predictable seasonal migrations anglers have fished for generations. Brazosport sits at the intersection of the Brazos River, Chocolate Bay, and a network of back bays that provide exactly the transitional habitat (grass beds, soft muddy substrate, shell reef edges) that flounder prefer. **How flounder feed:** Flounder are ambush predators. They lie flat on the bottom, often partially buried, and strike upward at passing baitfish. This biology explains both where you find them (bottom structure, channel drop-offs, tidal current edges) and how gigging works: the fish hold motionless, making them locatable by light. **Size and weight:** A keeper flounder in Texas is 15 inches or longer, with no upper slot. Catches in the 3 to 5 pound class are common in Brazosport bays, and larger fish run past 22 inches. The [Texas state record exceeds 13 pounds](https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/action/staterecords.php?env=SW&age_group=all&list=4), though fish that size are exceptionally rare. ## Flounder Gigging: What It Is and How It Works Gigging is a technique with deep roots in Texas coastal fishing culture. It is legal during the open flounder season and is the most efficient way to locate and harvest flounder in shallow bay environments at night. **The basic setup:** A gig is a multi-pronged spear on a long pole. Anglers wade or drift slowly through shallow water (1–4 feet deep) using a bright light, traditionally a pressure lantern, now more commonly a powerful LED flood mounted on the bow of a flat-bottomed boat, to illuminate the bottom. Flounder reveal themselves by their outline: the distinctive oval shape, two eyes on one side, and the lateral line visible through shallow water. **How to identify a flounder on the bottom:** Look for a flat, leaf-shaped fish lying flush with the substrate. The top side ranges from olive to dark brown with irregular spots, eye side up. In sand they look like a shadow; on shell or grass they are harder to spot and require slow, careful movement with the light. **The gig strike:** Position the gig directly over the fish, then drive it straight down with authority. A hesitant strike misses. The tines hold the fish while you bring it up; handle gigged fish carefully, they are still very much alive. **Equipment:** Entry-level gig poles run $20–$40 and quality matters little. The light matters more: a boat-mounted LED flood of 5,000+ lumens makes fish visible from the bow. Wading with a handheld light and gig is also legal and popular. **Wading safety:** Gigging at night in shallow water is low-risk but requires attention. Stingrays rest in the same shallow habitat as flounder, so the shuffle-step prevents most encounters. Wear wading boots, not flip flops, and keep a phone in a waterproof case. ## The Closure: November 1 Through December 14 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department closes the flounder season every year from **November 1 through December 14**. This is not a bag-limit adjustment or a gear restriction. It is a **complete prohibition on taking flounder, by any method**, during this period. **Why the closure exists:** Southern flounder make a fall spawning migration from the bay system to the Gulf. In late October and November, fish that fed in the back bays all summer move toward Gulf passes in large numbers. This migration is visible as a late-season concentration near passes and jetties, and it is the most vulnerable moment in the flounder’s life cycle. TPWD implemented the closure to protect spawning fish when they are most concentrated and most susceptible to harvest pressure. The [flounder population on the Texas coast declined substantially from the 1990s through the 2010s](https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/coastal/flounderfishing.phtml). The closure is part of a suite of management measures designed to let the population recover, and surveys show improvement since it was implemented, though the stock remains below historical abundance. **What this means for anglers:** If you are planning a flounder-specific trip to Brazosport, do not plan it in November or the first two weeks of December. The fish will be there (more than usual near the passes during the peak migration) but you cannot legally take them. If you arrive at Quintana in early November and watch fish stacking near the jetty, that is the closure doing exactly what it was designed to do. ## Bag Limits and Size Limits During Open Season - Bag limit**5 flounder per person per day** - Minimum size**15 inches total length** - Closure**November 1 – December 14 (all methods)** Flounder under 15 inches are common in shallow bay habitat, particularly early in the season. Practice measuring before you keep, since a 14-inch flounder looks close to legal to an untrained eye, and TPWD wardens actively patrol popular flounder areas near jetties and passes. No slot upper limit applies: legal fish go from 15 inches up, so the largest flounder can be kept. During the open season, gigging at night with a gig or spear is legal with no additional license beyond the standard Texas saltwater endorsement. ## Rod-and-Line Flounder Fishing Gigging gets the most attention, but rod-and-line flounder fishing is productive throughout the open season and is the primary method during daylight hours. The best Brazosport locations: - **Tidal cuts and passes:** [Mitchell’s Cut](/fishing-spots/) and the Quintana Island passes are prime on a moving tide; fish the drop-off on the down-current side. - **Brazos River mouth:** flounder use the soft substrate as ambush positions; wade the edges in knee-deep water. - **Surfside Jetty base:** the riprap base holds flounder feeding on baitfish moving in and out of the channel. - **Grass-bed edges:** the sand-to-grass transition around Chocolate Bay and Christmas Bay holds summer flounder feeding on shrimp and small mullet. **Effective rigs:** A Carolina rig with a 1/4–1/2 oz egg sinker above a swivel, 12–18 inches of fluorocarbon leader, and a live mud minnow or finger mullet on a 1/0–2/0 kahle hook, fished slow and close to the bottom. Flounder strikes are a tap-and-hold: the fish takes the bait and pins it before swallowing, so let it run a few seconds before setting the hook. Soft-plastic paddle tails on a 1/8–1/4 oz jig head also produce when worked slowly along bottom structure. **Water temperature:** Flounder feed actively between 60–78°F. Summer’s hottest months slow midday feeding, so early morning and evening are better. Fall, as water cools from summer highs, triggers aggressive feeding before the spawning migration. **The most reliable rod-and-line pattern is the drains on a falling tide:** as water pulls off the marsh flats through a cut, flounder lie on the down-current edge and ambush bait washing past. Bounce a soft plastic or a jig slowly along the bottom, and set the hook on the first thump rather than waiting; on a small bait a flounder that is left to reposition will swallow the hook. After a hard winter freeze, flounder drop into deeper holes near dock pilings and the ICW, where a slow bottom presentation is the only thing that moves them. For gigging gear and spots, the November closure, and the bag and size limits in detail, see our [Texas flounder regulations and gigging guide](/guides/flounder-regs-gigging-texas/). ## Seasonal Flounder Calendar for Brazosport Period Status Notes January – February Open Post-closure. Winter fish are offshore or near passes. Slow fishing. March – April Open Fish begin returning to the bay as water warms. Improving. May – June Open Active bay fishing. Grass-bed edges productive. July – August Open Summer heat slows midday action. Early/late hours best. September – October Open Best rod-and-line season. Fall feeding before migration begins. November 1 – December 14 Closed Full closure. No flounder by any method. December 15 onward Open Fish that completed the spawn begin returning to bays. Slow for several weeks. Freeport mornings during the fall flounder run (October and November) were fishable about 46% of mornings (good outright 18% of the time, across 305 graded mornings), per our [2021–2025 conditions archive](/methodology/). Sources - [Flounder regulations (TPWD)](https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/coastal/flounderfishing.phtml) - [TPWD fishing regulations](https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/general-rules-regulations/general-fishing-regulations) All regulations are subject to change. See the full [Brazosport regulations table](/regulations/), and confirm current rules at tpwd.texas.gov before fishing. [Find a flounder charter](/fishing-charters/) Flounder Questions ## Common Questions. ### Can I keep flounder I catch during the closure if I release them immediately? No. "Catch and release" does not apply to species under a complete closure. The regulation prohibits taking, not retaining. Flounder must not be intentionally targeted during the [November 1 to December 14 closure period](https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/coastal/flounderfishing.phtml). Is gigging legal from a boat? Yes. A boat with a light and one or more gig poles is the standard setup for gigging. No special permit is required for the boat beyond a standard [Texas fishing license with saltwater endorsement](https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/fishing-licenses-stamps-tags-packages/fishing-licenses-and-packages). Why is the minimum size 15 inches? The [size limit was raised to 15 inches](https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/coastal/flounderfishing.phtml) as part of the same management package that added the annual closure. A 15-inch flounder has had more spawning opportunities, which supports population recovery more effectively than protecting smaller fish. Can I gig redfish or trout at the same time? No. Gigging (spear or gig) is legal in Texas only for flounder and certain non-game species. Taking redfish, speckled trout, or other game fish with a gig is illegal. Where do flounder stage during the fall run near Freeport? During the fall migration toward the Gulf, flounder concentrate in the passes, the Brazos River mouth, and the channel edges and drains that funnel them out of the bays. October is the peak month before the November 1 to December 14 [closure](https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/coastal/flounderfishing.phtml). ## Recent Sightings Near Freeport Loading community sightings… [SOURCE: iNATURALIST · RESEARCH-GRADE OBSERVATIONS WITHIN 75 KM OF FREEPORT · LAST 12 MONTHS](https://www.inaturalist.org/) Plan the Budget ## What Will a Charter Cost?