Guide for Great Saltwater Fishing in Cooler Weather: Part Five

The Flounder Lady Catches Flat Fish in the Late Fall

I was out on the Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the second-longest pier in the Gulf of Mexico, last week talking to one of the Pier Rats (see Day 2) when he asked, “John, have you ever met the Flounder Lady?” When I told him I hadn’t, I asked, “Who’s the Flounder Lady?” He said, “She’s the red-headed lady who usually wears a gray or a black hoodie. She’ll be fishing around the pilings that support the pier. She’s out here almost every day when she comes down to fish. If anyone is going to catch a flounder, she’ll be the one that produces the flat fish. It’s not unusual for her to catch a limit of 10 flounder in one morning. She has the one ingredient that’s required to consistently catch flounder. She has patience.”

If there’s one fish that I really enjoy eating, it’s the flounder, a flat fish that stays on the bottom and attacks baitfish that swim around the pilings at the pier. I like flounder baked, fried, grilled or any other way you can cook it. After the flounder has been cleaned, I prepare the flounder as outlined in this recipe.

Stuffed Flounder Supreme

This simple yet absolutely delicious dish will impress all your friends and is a longtime favorite of our family.

Ingredients:

4 small flounder
Crabmeat stuffing, available at seafood shops and specialty grocery stores
Salt
Pepper
Oil
Lemon Juice
Paprika

Preparation:

Make a slit along the backbone of the dark side of the flounder. Then cut a pocket on each flounder by sliding the knife along the ribs on both sides of the backbone. Stuff the pockets with the crabmeat stuffing, after placing some oil on the insides of the pockets to facilitate stuffing the crabmeat mixture into the cavities. Place each flounder in a rectangle of aluminum foil. Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika and lemon juice on the outside skins of the flounder. Seal the foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Then open the foil, and bake for 15 minutes longer. (If the flounder are larger, you may need to bake the fish with the foil open for 20-30 minutes, to be sure the stuffing is cooked).

The Flounder Lady has developed a technique for catching flounder that produces these flat fish almost every time she shows-up at the pier. She doesn’t have just one piling that she fishes around but starts on the pilings at the shallow end of the pier and fishes every piling out to the end of the pier and back down the other side. She’s such an efficient flounder angler that she’s gained the respect of the tourists and the Pier Rats at the Gulf State Park Pier and is known by her name of the Flounder Lady, with few folks aware of her real name or her hometown.

To learn what’s being caught on the pier, and to see pictures, go to www.gulfshorespierfishing.com. Also to learn hours of operation at the Gulf State Park Pier, call 251-948-7275. For accommodation and restaurant recommendations, contact Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism at 800-745-SAND, or visit www.orangebeach.com or www.gulfshores.com.

This is the final part of a series by John Phillips on saltwater fishing in cool weather. Click here to go back to part four.

John E. Phillips

John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.

Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.

The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.

Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.

While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.

Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.

EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.

EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.

WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."