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Best southern flounder lakes in Texas

7 Texas waters hold southern flounder, 7 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.

1. Matagorda Bay — 103 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
2. Aransas Bay — 26 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
3. Sabine Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder
4. East Matagorda Bay — 7 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder
5. Copano Bay — 11 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
6. Lavaca Bay — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder
7. Espiritu Santo Bay — 14 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder

When to fish southern flounder in Texas

• 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 Texas: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best white bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best red drum (redfish) lakes · best spotted seatrout lakes

Southern Flounder elsewhere: Florida