The first step I take in eliminating water in a strange ecosystem is to look for a shoreline that has stands of roseau cane, the intricate root system of which is somewhat like a smaller version of mangrove; it gives baitfish a place in which to linger, hide and dodge larger predators.

Another spot to consider is the surf, particularly structure like bowls and guts that form around rock jetties and piers.

Fishing a bowl involves working along the edges and paying special attention to the upper rims or spots at which the bowl makes a transition to a point. The center of a bowl can be great too, because these are often the deepest points, and in shallow surf sudden depth usually means fish.

Troughs -- “guts” -- are the long depressions or ditches running parallel to the shoreline and sandbars. Surf anglers often talk about fishing “between the sandbars,” which refers to fishing the troughs in the surf. The sandbars can either be the bottom between the troughs or an actual “bar” formed by current.

In deeper water, flounder feed along the sloping sides of a trough, but in deeper surf, they feed in the center. Old-timers say that trout gravitate toward the sharpest edge of the trough.

Sandbars, as we explained earlier, parallel the shore for great distances. For surf-fishing for flounder, concentrate on the inner bars. Most surf-fishing experts agree that fish feed along the outer sloping front side of a bar, tending to gravitate toward the bottom, where the sloping front of the bar ends.

Learning to identify this “surf structure” will go a long way toward enabling anglers to fish the surf without much guesswork. If a beach has rock jetties, wrecks or old pier pilings on it, concentrate some of your efforts there. Live mud minnows or finger mullet is usually the best bait in the surf.

Spring is a great time for catching flounder on the Texas Coast whether you fish the back bays or the beach. Anglers aware of the techniques and hotspots listed here will find themselves armed with enough information to bring home a limit of these challenging and tasty fish.