Southern Flounder

Identification

Tell them apart

Look first: Ringed spots mean summer flounder; diffuse blotches mean southern.

Southern Flounder

1No ringed spots2Eyes on the left

Flounder

1Ringed spots2Both eyes on the leftDrab above

Look at	Southern Flounder	Flounder
1Spots	No ringed spots — diffuse dark blotches on a brownish upper side	Five or more distinct ringed (ocellated) spots, often five in a pattern toward the tail
2Eyes	Both on the left side — not a tell	Both on the left side
3Water	Lower-salinity creeks and rivers, often well upriver	Inlets, surf, channel edges, higher salinity
4Gill rakers	About 9–10 — a hand-lens count, not a glance	About 15 or more on the lower arch

Numbers on the figures match the rows; a grey number has no mark on either figure. Summer flounder is by far the more common of the two in Hampton Roads; southern flounder is an occasional lower-Bay catch.NOAA Fisheries — summer flounder

Local waters

• Brackish tidal rivers and creeks
• Marsh edges
• More tolerant of low salinity than summer flounder, so found further upriver

Catchable both from shore (shore) and by boat (kayak).

When to fish

Typically present: summer

How to catch it

• Fished exactly like summer flounder — a minnow or strip bait dragged slowly with the current — but well up the tidal creeks and rivers where salinity drops.
• Give the fish a moment before lifting; both flounders grab the tail of a bait first.

On the table

• Documented as an occasional visitor to the lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia — its core U.S. range runs Virginia to Texas, with North Carolina and points south the more consistent fishery. This project has not found a Virginia-specific southern flounder regulation distinct from summer flounder's own current size/possession rules — check VMRC's current saltwater regulations directly before harvesting, and do not assume the two species share identical limits without confirming.

Cleaning, chilling, and cooking a legal catch covers the steps between the cooler and the pan.