Yaquina Bay flounder?

I slayed the flounder in there this year. I had a post about it but it seems to have vanished.

Your post is here: http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=12974.0

I will make the trip to that area for sure, but I'd really like to find a flounder fishery in Oregon. All those bays and inlets... you know somewhere they're out there, and we just don't know it. The seals/sea lions can't get them all.

When you do get one, don't go chasing swallowed hooks. They have sharp stubby little teeth sheathed in those fat little lips with a surprising amount of jaw pressure! If it's hooked deep use forceps or needle nose!

I would think that a high concentration of red rock crab would adversely affect flounder.Yaquina Bay has a healthy pop of little sammy hagars.

I would think that a high concentration of red rock crab would adversely affect flounder.Yaquina Bay has a healthy pop of little sammy hagars.

Awesome nickname for rock crab! Almost had a mouthful of Dead Guy ale come out of my nose when I read that!

Have to disagree though. The population of Hagar crab in the south sound is unreal, and we have quite a healthy population of flounder, sole, and sand dab.

Polyangler, am I correct in assuming that winter flatfish show far less parasite infestation? I don't ever remember any parasites in the flounders we caught in late winter.

I've not noticed a difference between summer and winter caught fish. They definitely have worms, but they don't seem to be as dense in the fillets as we find in all the other flavors of bottom fish. I've noticed far more worms, lice, and other creepy crawlers on their skin though.

I have heard the same thing about the flounder being fished out of newport. I havnt tried for them my self but I might have to when the salmon run is done. Let me know if any one wants to try for them I live in town.

Wes

Wes, wonder if anyone at the Hatfield Marine Science Center would have some fresh info on starry flounder populations. I might send an e-mail to the local ODFW office too.

Guys, here's the e-mail I sent to ODFW's Eric Schindler in Newport:
Hello Eric:
I don't know if you are the best person to ask, but here is my question: Have starry flounder numbers in Oregon bays and estuaries remained stable over the past few decades? I'm particularly interested in Yaquina Bay populations. I kept records of a few fishing trips back in the 1970s, typically in late winter, and noted that we caught starry flounders regularly at the turn of high tide fishing from shore along Idaho Point. I have been told that in intervening years pressure from pinnipeds and other sources has reduced flounder numbers substantially, but know this could very well be urban legend, as everyone seems eager these days to blame the Marine Mammal Protection Act when their fishing falls off. Some of us have been talking up this subject on the North West Kayak Anglers forums.
Thanks if you can shed any light,
Bill Powell

And here is Eric's prompt reply:

Bill:
We don’t keep an actual tally on the estuary catch of Starry Flounder, and do not have an active bank angler survey in place.  What I can say is that it is relatively rare to find an angler with a Starry Flounder these days.   The old time anglers that I have spoken with all reference very good catches of Starry Flounder in many of the coastal bays, but that they are not available in decent numbers anymore.
Whether it is the harbor seals, sea lions, or some other factor I don’t know.  However, the timing of the decline aligns very closely with the adoption of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and a large Starry Flounder would make for an easy target for a harbor seal.

That's pretty interesting/discouraging. Thank you for the update! It was really good of them to reply so quickly.

My Great Uncle used to fish Sand Lake regularly for flounder and did quite well during 1960's and early 70's.  These comments certainly coincide with the dates when I remember harvest numbers dropping significantly and now I haven't heard of anyone catching much of anything there.

Sand Lake has always intrigued me. Would even more so if it were full of flounder.