Photo by Ron Sinfelt

The spring flounder run is on, and some of the best fishing in Texas is available in the tea-colored waters of Galveston Bay down to the shallow, clear flats south of Corpus Christi. On this stretch of coastline, the major bay systems, channels and fish passes combine to give anglers excellent access to flounder migrating in from the Gulf.

The Galveston Bay complex is the most consistent producer of big flounder in Texas, particularly around Rollover Pass on East Galveston Bay.

During spring, migrations generally dictate the fishing at this popular hotspot. From late February though early April, each incoming tide will bring schools of flounder through the pass from the Gulf. Anglers armed with live mud minnows and finger mullet can intercept these fish by working the flats on the north side of the pass and in the pass itself.

“I’d probably rank Rollover Pass as the number one spot to catch flounder when the flounder start to migrate,” said dedicated flounder angler Kevin Danielson of League City. “Rollover is a big pass, and the flounder leaving that side of the bay come through there in a big way.

“The key to Rollover is being able to wait out the fish, because sooner or later they will come -- and when they do, watch out! The action will be hot and heavy.”

Danielson ranks the shoreline of Sea Wolf Park as the No. 2 migratory point, because it is another natural flounder travel route.

“A little-know fact about the Sea Wolf area is not to be afraid to fish in the deeper water for flounder. Some of the biggest ones never come up in the shallows and stay deep. If you can fish in the deep holes, you will catch big fish. Don’t try to wade out to these holes, though -- because the current can quite literally kill you.”

Nearby East Matagorda Bay is a real sleeper for flounder fishing, and the flatfish action should start turning on toward the end of the month.

The biggest numbers of fish start entering the bay first during the early part of March and continue through mid-April. In Matagorda, many big flounder stack up around the Intracoastal Waterway and in the Colorado River at this point.

I’d advise anglers to begin their mornings fishing out away from the big points and then to work slowly toward the bank as the sun rises toward the upper reaches of the sky. For some reason these fish tend to start deeper and move toward the bank as the day wears on.

Matagorda’s flounder tend to work the shorelines in spring, so don’t overlook them. Key shorelines are those with stands of roseau cane, which you should fish on high tides, as well as those with any kind of cut coming feeding toward the main body of the bay. Also: Don’t overlook some of the marsh ponds that connect to the main body only by a small cut. One such spot is Boy Scout Lake -- which can be loaded with flounder.