Best southern flounder lakes in Florida
6 Florida waters hold southern flounder, 6 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The Gulf and south-Atlantic flatfish — creek mouths and drop-offs all summer, then a hard fall run to the passes.
- Indian River — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Choctawhatchee Bay — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Santa Rosa Sound — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Pensacola Bay — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- East Bay — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Escambia Bay — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
When to fish southern flounder in Florida
- Spring 2–15 ft — Post-winter fish set up at marsh drains and creek mouths — work a jig-and-minnow along the bottom seams.
- Summer 3–18 ft — Ambushers hold on channel edges, pilings and bar drops — a mud minnow or paddletail dragged slow.
- Fall 5–25 ft — The fall run — every flounder in the estuary funnels to the passes and jetties before spawning offshore.
- Winter 15–40 ft — Most spawn offshore; stragglers hold in deep channels — slow winter fishing, but the fish that eat are quality.
Also in Florida: best largemouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best red drum (redfish) lakes · best spotted seatrout lakes · best sheepshead lakes
Southern Flounder elsewhere: Texas