Flounder guide to Auckland

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    Posted: 10 Feb 2014 at 6:47pm
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Chur guys, So I spent a bit of time talking to a bunch of old farts about floundering. Really starting to get into it now(making my first light next payday). The info took a while to pull together and its effn annoying trying to get it all on one post so I basically summerised what I had learnt.

Flounder (Rhombosolea plebeian, Rhombosolea leporine)

MPI regulations
Min Length- 23cm (Sand flounder), 25cm(Yellow belly flounder) Easily distinguishable, Sand flounder are diamond shaped, yellowbellys have a more rounded form.
Daily bag limit-20 fish per day

Habitat and Feeding Habits
Often Mudflats provide the best areas, Channels which run through these are a good place to find these fish in high aggregations. They feed on crabs and small worms, so cockle beds are often a good place to look.

Ideal time to spear flounder
First off every location is different. You want still/calm night as little wind/swell as possible. It also needs to be dark so either cloudy or Third quarter through to first quarter of the moon. On the incoming tide is the best time to flounder. Obviously every location is different but normally an hour after low tide through all the way to high tide in some cases.  Again every location is different and each will have an ideal window of time.

Equipment.
Lighting- Basically any bright compact light you can carry around and shine into/through the water. (LED headlamp, Underwater light, gigging light, high power torch)

Spears- Can buy them for under $20, a broomstick with a long nail or sharpened reinforcing steel bound and heatshrinked on works well. Tape a pocket knife to your broomstick, whatever you can stab something with will work really.

Locations:

Auckland North: Whangateau, Wenderholm estuary/rivermouth, Waiwera estuary, Orewa Estuary, Okoromai bay, Weiti river, Bayswater, Ngataringa bay, Little shoal, Herald island. There are probably more but these are where I know.

Auckland East: Tamaki river, Panmure basin

Auckland South: Cornwalis, Little Huia, Clarkes beach, Puketutu Island, Big bay, Orua bay.

Feel free to add on to this guys with info and whatever stories you fullas have.

Sticky us a flounder thread please Mods

 



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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote dalgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2014 at 8:01pm
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Slight change to the MPI regulation. The sand flounder size limit is 23 cm but for yellow-belly and other species it is 25 cm.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote bazza Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2014 at 8:22pm
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Originally posted by dalgo dalgo wrote:

Slight change to the MPI regulation. The sand flounder size limit is 23 cm but for yellow-belly and other species it is 25 cm.


Geez ........ would barely be a couple of spoonfulls   of meat on a 23 cm flounder!

Rather than cook one that small would probably be better off cutting it into several chunks to
use as bait .... snapper love it & stays on the hook resisting demolition from the tiny bait snatchers.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Wikipeter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2014 at 8:51pm
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Cheers dalgo, i'll edit it 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jwest Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2014 at 9:31pm
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probably make a good livey, I'm sure a kingy would scoff one

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2014 at 9:35pm
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I do a little flounder spearing. Under water lights are best but I don't use one, just a good headlamp nowadays. I don't fish deep, mostly because I don't have a decent light Big smile. Usually well below knee deep. Sometimes if your light is too bright you'll scare the fish away so once I've seen a flounder I'll move the light so it is not directly on the fish.

I just make a single prong spear using something like a broom handle with a spear prong about 200 long. I usually put a 28cm or so mark on the spear and measure the first one so I get the size right. I don't like pronged spears I just put my hand underneath the fish and lift it out, I've caught my fingers on the barbs and don't like that!

Last time i went out I took a little scoop net to get some piper, easy as. Here's what I got last week, the piper were small so I have them for bait but the bigger ones are well worth eating.


Best gurnard fisherman in my street
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Wikipeter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2014 at 11:12pm
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Nice work Smudge, would you mind showing us out your ways one time
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 1:08pm
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We should be able to organise something, we need light westerly or variable winds, around a midnight high tide. I'm on the Awhitu Peninsula it is quite a drive from Auckland, about 80km
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Daniel K Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 1:50pm
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For floundering spots you're best to ask Bazza
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Originally posted by Daniel Kwon Daniel Kwon wrote:

For floundering spots you're best to ask Bazza
 

Yeah he's been known to score some huge ones at Countdown!LOLClap
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I've seen them in broad daylight in a few spots on the northern side of the Manukau. Taken a couple on fly around Huia.< id="adlesse_unifier_magic_element_id" style="display: none; ">
What's the cheapest type of meat? Dear balls. They're under a buck.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Dagwood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 4:14pm
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Used to do ok as a young fella on the Tamaki River at Glendowie.
Access from the reserve where Riddell Road and Glendowie roads meet.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Davo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 4:32pm
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nice catch Smudge. I may go give it a shot in the shallows down here once this wind dies down. See many rays when you're out floundering? Im not sure reef shoes would do much with some of the monster we've got down here (where are those orca when you need em?!)

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 5:40pm
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Yeah we do see rays but they aren't a worry they are easy to see and leave you alone. The biggest dangers are getting disorientated and getting cut off by the incoming tide.
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Its good getting all this stuff down on one thread...worth a sticky there smudge? Getting my ish ready to make a pvc light...got some 500 lumen leds which should do the trick
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Originally posted by Catchelot Catchelot wrote:

Originally posted by Daniel Kwon Daniel Kwon wrote:

For floundering spots you're best to ask Bazza
 

Yeah he's been known to score some huge ones at Countdown!LOLClap



Actually Al they are much bigger at Pak N Save!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (2) Likes(2)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 9:15pm
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I'll make it a sticky. It would make a refreshing change to have something fishing related in the Briny Bar .....
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote lance@driveline.co.nz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 11:21pm
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Ladies bay on a Midnight tide over a full moon I hear there are a few old flounders about . At least that was what a senior member of this forum told me .... 
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Originally posted by BlackBill BlackBill wrote:

Ladies bay on a Midnight tide over a full moon I hear there are a few old flounders about . At least that was what a senior member of this forum told me .... 


Lots of shriveled piper too
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Finatic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2014 at 1:10pm
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and after a decent storm you get a few brown trout passing through as they head out to seaDead



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What's the cheapest type of meat? Dear balls. They're under a buck.
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