Fish Id: A Guide To East Coast Fishes

Summer Fluke (left) & Winter Flounder (below right)

Both flat-sided bottom fish, the main physical differences between the two is the design of the mouth and placement of the eyes.

Paralichthys dentatus
Summer Flounder (Fluke)
The Fluke has the larger mouth, full of teeth. A left eye fish. The lateral line curves over the pectoral fin.  Dorsal and anal fins evenly sized and rounded.Coloration varies widely, depending primarily on where the fish was caught, this bottom dweller altering it's color slightly to blend into the sandy or muddy bottom of the bays and harbors it prefers. Variations from light brown to an almost black shade of sable, with light to dark mottled patterns of spots and blotches. Average wieght is about 2-6 lbs, some reaching 15-20 lbs.  Summer months found in shallow waters, moving offshore during the winter. A fast swimmer, it feeds on small fish, squid, crabs and shrimps. Fluke bait

Quicktime Film
 
Short clip of a summer flounder with the genetic quirk of being brown on both sides. On this particular trip they caught two of these fish in the same area.
 ~Courtesy of Rich King Jr.
 
 

Pseudopleuronectes americanus
Winter Flounder
The Winter Flounder's mouth is hardly more than an inch around, and lacks visible teeth. A right eye fish. The lateral line is straight. Dorsal and anal fins angular in shape, moving to a wide point on the anal fin. Coloration varies from coppery brown to dark grey, sometimes olivy dark green. Darker fish usually have visible darker spot pattern. They can be found in extremely shallow water (even 2 feet deep) prefering muddy sand bottoms, as well as clay and gravelly sand.  They can sometimes be caught in only slightly brackish water, up near fresh water areas. They head offshore in the spring, with a usually good run of fishing during the winter months before. Average wieght is only 1- 1/2 pounds, some reaching as high as 5 lbs.
Flounder bait

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