Southern Flounder migration calendar.
Bottom-bouncing soft plastics, live mud minnows, or finger mullet near current edges. The fall flounder run — October to early November when fish stage at inlets before spawning offshore — is the highest-volume window of the year, but coincides with closures in some states.
Overfished in NC and parts of the Gulf — multiple states have reduced bag and size limits. The fall offshore spawning run is closely monitored.
Where the southern flounder are this year
Region-by-region presence. Sorted by current month — regions where southern flounder are at peak or good status this month appear first.
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama & Mississippi Coast Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Florida Panhandle Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Georgia Coast South Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| Louisiana Coast Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| North Carolina Outer Banks Mid-Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| North Carolina Southern Coast Mid-Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| Northeast Florida South Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| South Carolina Coast South Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| Texas Lower Coast & Laguna Madre Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Texas Middle Coast Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Texas Upper Coast Gulf Coast |
Temperature triggers
- Preferred: 60–80°F
- Avoid below: 50°F
- Avoid above: 86°F
Read the water temperature, not the calendar — fish move when the water hits these thresholds, not when the date does.
Primary baitfish
- Mullet
- Shrimp
- Mud minnows
- Pinfish
Predators follow prey. Track the bait — find the bait, find the southern flounder.
Regulation & sources
NC, SC, GA, and FL each have specific seasons, often closing for the fall spawning run (October–November) when fish stage near inlets. Verify the current closure dates before targeting.
Track southern flounder arrivals on your coast.
Bield: Fish notifies you when water temperatures and bait movements line up for your home region — so you're on the water the day they show up, not the week after.