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So you’re on your location, and your chum slick is filling the water, but now you have to get the catch in the boat. Your tackle would be your next thought.

Tackle is simple and mostly a personal preference. Flounder are relatively small and provide the most fun when caught on light tackle. Most anglers use a light- to medium-action spinning rod with 6- to 12-pound-test monofilament line. A rig should consist of a size-8 or size-9 snelled flounder hook with two 12-inch leaders attached to each end of a wire spreader with a yellow-painted bank sinker attached to the center. This is known as a spreader rig. An alternative rig can be easily made by passing the end of the line through a fish-finder rig, attaching a black swivel to it, and then attaching a leader with a hook to that. Use a snelled flounder hook with a yellow bead, attaching the loop end to the swivel and attaching a yellow bank sinker to the fish-finder. Flounder are curious creatures, often looking for movement as a sign of a potential meal, and the yellow sinkers can help grab their interest, especially when bounced on the bottom at times. More about this topic later.

Choosing a bait also isn't difficult. Bloodworms, sandworms, clams and muscles are the basic four choices. I personally like muscles over clams, because they prove to be especially effective baits and last a long time. Don't cut the bait too big, and in this case, big bait doesn't always equal big fish. The bait should be 2 to 4 inches long, and remember that the flatties have small mouths and suck in their prey.

I will leave you with 10 solid tips and one of my favorite spots to help you land
more fish:

10. When fishing from a boat, if applicable, use two anchors. Keeping your boat steady over a hole or bank will produce the best results, especially when you’re chumming. You don't want your boat to slide all over the river.

9. Try to match the hatch. After your first day out, while cleaning your catch, check the contents of the stomach. This will give you a good idea of what bait to bring out on your next trip. When you find out what the flatties are feeding on, stay with it.

8. If you have a couple of minutes before heading out, use a fine-meshed net with a long-handle and work along dock pilings and bulkheads to collect grass shrimp. These shrimp are on the flounder menu.

7. Play the tides. Flatties become most active 1 to 2 hours before or after slack high or dead low. Plan your trips and the locations you select accordingly. Remember that there is nearly a full tide difference between Manasquan Inlet and the Mantoloking Bridge. Check your tide tables and plan your day based on them.

6. Stir up the mud! Bounce a window sash weight or take a toilet plunger and attach a telescopic handle and bounce it off the bottom around your boat or dock. By bouncing your plunger and sinkers, you’re stirring up the mud which is then flowing down current. The flounder see this and with the scent of chum in the water, they will go looking for food!

5. Once in a while give your chum pot a good shake. If the bite is slow, you may want to let a little extra chum escape out of the pot. Also, don't be afraid to smash a handful of clam shells around your boat or dock.

4. Patience is a virtue, and you’re in a waiting game. Try not to jump around between too many locations. Stick it out for a little bit. Give your chum time to work. Let your tools do the work. When setting the hook on a flounder, also be patient. Give the fish time to eat. By swinging on the first nibble or bite, you could easily remove your bait and hook right out of the fish's mouth.

3. Don't be afraid to go off away from the fleet. After a congregation of boats or anglers sit on one spot, the stock will eventually diminish. Find a spot where nobody is fishing or hasn't fished. There may be fish there and no one even knows about it.

2. Fish frequently. The more time you fish the more fish you will catch. Last time I checked, I didn't see any fish walking down the road. You have to be out on the water to produce great numbers.

1. Watch and learn. If you have the opportunity to fish with somebody who knows what he or she is doing, watch and learn. Flounder fishing is not something that you’ll pick up overnight, but simple tricks of the trade that you’ll learn from the experienced will make worlds of difference. I owe nearly all my fishing knowledge to my father, Capt. Wayne Reina. Without him to watch over me, I would not be in the position I’m
in today.

As I promised, I’ll tell you one of my favorite fishing spots: the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal on the Manasquan River side. If you’re fishing from land, fish the old hospital side of the canal but cast out toward Treasure Island. There is a really deep hold northeast by the red dayboard. Boaters are recommended to anchor between the red dayboard and the green can that marks the channel going up river toward the Route 70 Bridge. Of course, take all safety precautions to make sure you do not impede the flow of boat traffic.