Summer Flounder

They typically grow around 38.1-50.8 cm (15 to 20 inch) in length and weighs around (0.4-1.3 kg 1 to 3 lbs) though they may grow as heavy as 9 kg (26 lbs). The average summer flounder reaches sexual maturity at 2 years and lives up to 20 years. Females are often the largest and oldest specimens. The maximum observed age for females is 17 years while males have a maximum observed age of 15 years.

There are typically 5 to 14 ocellated (eye-like) spots on the body. The teeth are quite sharp and well developed on both upper and lower jaws.

The summer flounder has a range in the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Florida, possibly farther south where the summer flounder may mix and be confused with its close relative the southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) which lacks the eye-like spots of the summer flounder. Paralichthys dentatus is most common to the coastal and shelf waters off of the northeast U.S. where they are commonly called Fluke. In the spring months fluke leave their winter stay in the deep ocean waters, where spawning occurs, to move into the inshore waters along beaches, inlets, bays, estuaries, canals, and creeks where they will stay until autumn or even early winter.

Commercial methods for summer flounder typically include trawling. Recreational fishing is typically done while drifting in a boat or casting from shore using a wide variety of methods which include live or cut baits on a bottom rig, artificial lures, or weighted jigs tipped with strip baits. It is considered an excellent food fish with firm, mild-tasting white flesh.

Adults are highly predatory and considered mostly piscivorous. They are often lie buried with only their head exposed to ambush prey. Prey items includes sand lance, menhaden, atlantic silverside, mummichog killifish, small bluefish, porgies, squid, shrimp, and crabs. While primarily considered a bottom fish, they are rapid swimmers over short distances and can become very aggressive, feeding actively at mid-depths, even chasing prey to the surface.

They are capable of rapidly burrowing into muddy or sandy bottoms.