Summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus

How they feed

• Water58–75°F, best near 65°
• TideOutgoing
• MoonEither
• DepthUsually 10–100 ft

Scored against their own temperature range and tide preference first, then wind, weather and warnings. Solunar periods only break ties. How the score works

Season by state

• MarylandMay–Sep
• North CarolinaMay–Oct
• DelawareMay–Sep
• VirginiaMay–Sep
• New JerseyJun–Sep
• New YorkJul–Sep
• South CarolinaApr–Oct
• ConnecticutJul–Sep
• Rhode IslandJul–Sep
• FloridaApr–Nov
• GeorgiaApr–Oct
• MassachusettsJul–Sep

The Maryland, Delaware and Virginia months are the Chesapeake-region season. Everywhere else it is carried over by water temperature: a month counts at a spot when its usual water is in the range that marks the mid-Atlantic season (67°F and warmer), from the spot’s own gauge where it has one and an estimate from air temperature where it doesn’t. Each state lists the months that hold at half or more of its spots. Where the water temperatures come from.

Keep or release

• Connecticut19" minimum · 3 a day (May 4–Aug 1); 19.5" minimum · 3 a day (Aug 2–Oct 15)3 fish a day: 19" minimum May 4–Aug 1, 19.5" Aug 2–Oct 15; 17" at the enhanced-opportunity shore sites. From the CT 2025 marine rules (last updated May 23, 2025); check CT DEEP for 2026 changes.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Delaware tidal16" minimum · 4 a dayDelaware tidal waters: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Delaware tidal16" minimum · 4 a dayDelaware tidal waters: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year.Tidal delaware waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Florida14" minimum · 5 a dayFlorida flounder: 14" minimum, 5 per person a day. Closed Oct 15–Nov 30.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Florida14" minimum · 5 a dayFlorida flounder: 14" minimum, 5 per person a day. Closed Oct 15–Nov 30.Gulf waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Georgia12" minimum · 15 a dayFlounder: 12" minimum, 15/person/day.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source
• Maryland tidal16" minimum · 4 a dayMaryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Maryland tidal16" minimum · 4 a dayMaryland Chesapeake Bay: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year.Tidal bay waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Massachusetts16.5" minimum · 5 a day5 fish a day, May 24–Sep 23: 16.5" minimum from shore, 17.5" from a boat.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New Hampshire15" minimum · no daily limitNew Hampshire marine: 15" minimum, no daily bag limit, no closed season. Sale prohibited.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New Jersey18" minimum · 3 a day3 fish at 18", May 4–Sep 25.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New Jersey17" minimum · 3 a dayDelaware Bay and tributaries: 3 fish at 17", May 4–Sep 25.Tidal delaware waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New York19" minimum · 3 a day (May 4–Aug 1); 19.5" minimum · 3 a day (Aug 2–Oct 15)3 fish a day: 19" minimum May 4–Aug 1, 19.5" Aug 2–Oct 15.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• North Carolina15" minimum · 1 a day2026 season Sep 1–14 only (Proclamation FF-27-2026): 15" minimum, 1/person/day, hook and line or gig, and every flounder kept must be reported to DMF. A separate ocean-only Gulf flounder season ran Mar 9–22 south of Portsmouth Island. Seasons are set each year by proclamation.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source
• Rhode Island19" minimum · 6 a day19" minimum, 6 fish a day, Apr 1–Dec 31. At listed shore sites (Fort Adams, Fort Wetherill, the Harbor of Refuge walls and others) 2 of the fish may be 17".Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• South Carolina16" minimum · 5 a dayFlounder (southern, summer and gulf): 16" minimum, 5/person/day, 10 per boat.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source
• Virginia tidal (VMRC)16" minimum · 4 a dayVirginia tidal waters: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year. Federal waters follow NOAA Fisheries rules.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Virginia tidal (VMRC)16" minimum · 4 a dayVirginia tidal waters: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year. Virginia rivers that empty into the Potomac follow PRFC rules.Tidal bay waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source

Rules change, and they differ by state and often by water. Each spot page shows the limits for its own water. Summer flounder are fished at spots in 12 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia.