Flounder · Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island might be the best flounder ground on this coast: the bridge, the drains behind the island, and the West End cuts all load up in the run.
Dauphin Island might be the best flounder ground on this coast: the bridge, the drains behind the island, and the West End cuts all load up in the run. A bull minnow worked through any moving cut in October is never wrong.
Flounder stack where falling water drops bait over an edge: drains, cuts, channel edges, and the down-current side of pilings. October's run pours fish toward the Gulf, and both states protect the tail of it, so plan harvest trips for September into mid-October.
October is the classic run month as fish leave the bays for the Gulf. Florida closes flounder harvest October 15–November 30 and Alabama closes all of November, so the harvest window is September to mid-October.
Flounder grab the bait crossways and turn it before swallowing. Feel the thump, drop the rod tip, count to three, then lean in — an instant hookset pulls the bait away.
Conditions decide more than tackle. The live dashboard scores each Dauphin Island morning from NOAA tide swing, wind, and sky, with solunar windows and marine alerts, and Island Bait and Tackle on the island and Jemison's on the causeway have you covered.
Seasons and limits change. Verify with Florida FWC or Outdoor Alabama before keeping fish.