[strip]

I remember years ago when I was a kid and full of energy I would spend nights in my basement with my mom's blender and cans of cat food and bags of mussels.Mom is still fuming about that blender. Anyway........despite the fact that flounder were quite plentiful back then I spared no effort to make sure my chum was top notch!
These days I ussually buy the frozen chum logs they sell at the tackle shops.

My question is.............is this a mistake??

What do you use??

Southwest winds always.....Seaox

 

[614747]

I head out every year for flounders and though it is slow fishing I enjoy it. I do just as well with the fresh mussels and clam chum that I do with the frozen logs. Though I do like the logs better because they are easier to handle and there is less mess with them

thank you
Frank

 

[618400]

I have the ultimate (although crazy sounding) chum for flounder anf fluke. Take a large can of corn from your pantry (correct -- kernals of corn), and punch two holes in the top with your can opener. Run the end of a spool of 20 lb test through the holes and tie the can off. Basically, you want to drop the can of corn to the bottom and jig it every 5 minutes or so. Flounders and fluke LOVE corn and I guaranty you will be in fish all day.

Why do you think there is a fake kernal of corn on all those fluke hooks in your tackle box? It really does work.

Good fishin'

 

[flybyme.]

i also use a chum log. to spice things up i got to a dock i know and take mussels from under it. i chum up three spots with the mussels using my gps. i return to each spot about an hour to about an hour and a half and the flounder are there. good luck to all.

 

[quiknet]

on't mean to be critical, but if anyone goes with homerun's idea, I'm thinking they're going to strike out (especially for fluke). Corn is a visual chum. The fish see these bright, yellow kernels coming down and they swim over to investigate. When using corn chum, I always seem to catch them shortly after the corn reaches bottom.

I think I'm going to try a new technique with regards to chumming this year. I have been using the commercially made clam logs the last couple of years and I've noticed that alot of the fish I catch are loaded with the clam when I fillet them. It's possible that alot of the fish are simply sitting back in my slick, eating the free handouts and never making it to my hooks. So this year I'm going to use whole mussels which I will lightly crack before putting them into the pot. Hopefully, the strong smell of mussel juice will bring the flounder right under the boat, and they'll be hungry as there won't be anything to actually "eat" in the slick. I'll let you know the results.

 

[618400]

To each his own, Quick....no offense taken....I've been using corn chum for over 30 years off LI, RI and the MA waters and it has VERY RARELy failed me. Also, I am not sure I would classify corn solely as a visual stimulant because you will often catch fluke and flounder loaded with corn in their bellies if you use this method. Obviously they eat the stuff. But hey, what might work for soe might not work for others. I've never user clam chum and perhaps that is equally as effective.....Good fishin'

 

[PGB53]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that although flounder do eat corn,because it is very hard to digets (as you may know if you've ever eaten it) the kernels can become lodged in their digestive tracts and actually kill them. For this reason I no longer use kernel corn as chum when floundering

 

[614827]

Different chum:
So far everyones been on the money about chum.
I thought that the corn kernels were digetsable and not harmfull to Winter Flounder. I wonder if the DEC on L.I. can answer that question one way or another.
Try this:
5 gallon pail
Fill 1/4 way to top with the whitest sand you can find. Get shells from muscles and clams(A&P,Kong Cullen,fish store). Crush shells up and mix in with the white sand.
When on the water and anchored up, start broadcasting this mixture all around the boat. The white sand AND the white inner part of the shells will flutrter down aTTRACTING fLOUNDER. tHE BITS OF MEAT ON THE SHELLS WILL ATTRACT THEM,NOT FEED THEM. Mix a little rabbit pellets
in this to add to the chum. It really works and is not expensive.
Let me know how you do if you use this mixture.
Keep your feet dry and catch 'em up!
Joe B. ...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com

 

[614827]

P.S.:
If you want to get real sneaky, then do this:
Go to local craft store and buy some glitter in White or Silver. Add this to your chum mixture and it really perks up your chum.
I've been using this for my Tuna chum/Shark chum/Flounder chum and even Bass chum and it works very well.
Keep your feet dry and catch 'em up!
Joe B. ...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com

 

[PGB53]

Ancientmarinertackle.com do you know what that glitter is made of? I don't, but it doesn't seem like something i would suggest we all start dumping in our waters. As fishermen we should always be striving for cleaner, less polluted waters. And unless we are sure what we are putting in them is not harmful I think we should refrain, regardless of how many fish it will attract. But your suggestion about the sand mixed with the shells seems like a very good one and I intend to try it. Thanks for the tip

 

[614827]

PGB53:

I called the manufacturer. He said they are non-toxic and didn't know if they were bio degradable. They are made for kids face painting and to glue on to kids clothing.

Keep your feet dry and catch 'em up.
Joe B. ...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com

 

[614642]

Kernal Chum

Corn from a can is not the chum which flounder have difficulty digesting. Many tackle shops were selling bags of dried corn (animal feed) which the flounder have difficulty digesting.

There are many great suggestions in this thread and AH YES, flounder are my favorite. The chum logs can feed the flounder - probably only if you have a large mesh pot in heavy tide. This scenario is only typical in late season as we target the fish closer to the Inlets as the head for the shelf. Solution - Wrap you post with that handy Duct Tape only leaving 1/2 of the mesh exposed.

If you are chumming heavily in an area with lesser tides, you bait should be among the chum tid bits. Hopefull the flounder will perfer you bait to that of the Chum and viola - MR FLOUNDER takes your bait not the chum.

 

[614747]

taping chum pot

I use more tape than that. I use one 1 quart chum pot for flounder and put 2 bands of duct tape on the top and 1 band on the bottom. It does let out enough chum to attract them to the boat. And some where still full of chum. We had 23 flounders to 1 1/4 ponds on opening day last week and 18 on Sunday.

 

[615953]

When my grandfather lived up here, we used to go fishing every Sunday. On Saturday I would sleep over his house and prepare all the gear and baits for the trip. I remember our flounder chum because my mother always used to have a fit because she said how we did it was painful to the mussels and clams.

We took a 5 gallon bucket, added 2lbs of frozen corn kernels, about 3lbs of mussels, and 20 LARGE clams. Took the "masher" which was a round piece of steel welded onto a steel pole, and pounded the heck out of the corn, mussels, and clams until they were a chunky mush. Added 4 cups of clam juice. Poured and scooped the concoction into coffee cans, and put them in the chest freezer.

Come morning, would take the cans, and dump one can in the small chum pot we had. Lasts about 2 hours. Always seemed to work well.....

 

[Steve20]

Would chum work off of the beach?

-Steve

 

[616012]

Try this when chumming, attach a flounder hook to the chum pot and you may catch your biggest flounder!

The Sea-Cilian

 

[613458]

I'd have to support Homerun on the canned corn issue. When I was a kid, I used canned corn to catch both fresh and saltwater species, from Connecticut to Florida, including, trout, panfish, catfish, flounder, porgy, snapper blues, perch, and crappie. I'm not saying that it's the best way to go, but it has certainly proved itself a useful bait to me.

 

[614519]

About the hook on the chum pot.

You may also hook the smallest flounder on that hook. Gut hooked indeed.

 

[619115]

Where & When to go

Folks,

Corn has been used at least as far back as when it was one of the Indians
main crops.
Wonder if a can of corn would be more productive if given a spin round the blender?
Also as a new boat owner, was wonder
when and where to go, anyone care to help. Should be able to get out a couple miles if need be. I've got a
196 Starcraft fishmaster, 99" beam and 115 four stroke (54 gal. of fuel). Also a trolling moter for the shallows. Am I good to go? Oh I've exceeded safety requirements.

Thanks

 

[615657]

I can't say without using the boat, but from experience, often the best flounder fishing is up in the shallows(1-10 feet of water). Your boat should be plenty. Of coarse this is if weather allows. Good Luck