Bycatch can be a problem in fishing. If you’re catching speckled trout, and a big bull redfish crashes the party, stealing your bait and taking you off your point for a 30-minute tug-of-war, you’ll probably be pretty annoyed. The same is true if you’re targeting redfish and a gafftop slimes up your line.

But no one is EVER disappointed — no matter what they’re targeting — to look in the water and see what’s causing the bend in their rod is actually a doormat flounder.

That happened to me during a trip last week to Lake Borgne in Southeast Louisiana. The redfish were biting really well, so that’s what I assumed I had when I set the hook. Another red would have been fine, but I was elated to look down and see that classic flat profile and dark-brown side.

I should have netted the fish, but in the moment, I decided to swing it over the gunwale. Fortunately, the line and hook held.

The fish wasn’t in the cooler 10 seconds before I began to plan when and how I’d prepare it. My go-to with flounder is to stuff the fish with onions, celery, garlic, bell pepper, a mixture of other ingredients and, of course, bread crumbs, but before I do that, I debone it entirely, making the fish a real joy to eat.

I took this one a step further, however. Two days prior, I had boiled six dozen crabs, and picked the leftovers, storing the meat in my fridge. There was plenty enough to add a little to the stuffing, and it made an excellent dish indescribably good.

Check out the video below.

Like the video? Please give it a thumbs-up, and subscribe to the Marsh Man Masson channel on YouTube. Also, leave a comment below. How long has it been since you’ve caught a flounder? Do you plan to debone and stuff the next one you catch?