# flounder gigging?



## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

Well a buddy and I are wanting to give gigging a shot we are both 16 and have no experience but wanna give it a shot I have a gheenoe and thats about where it ends.... we need everything else . I dont have a trolling motor or pushpole but I am going to make a closet dowel push pole, and also two lawn mower batteries if that'll do anything for the lights.... the least expensive way would be the best he has two giggs so pretty much the most important part is the lights.the plan is to hit middle tide and work the outgoing then maybe wait and hit the incoming I know of alot of sandbars real close to my dock and thats pretty much my plan scout the sandbars. If anyone has any ideas or help that they can give for a you newbie gigger I would really appreciate it. Like what to look for and where and either a inexpenisive gigg light i could pick up a b&t, boatersworld, westmarine, gander mountain, walmart or I could always make one. I will be gigging in St. Augustine where the water is real murky thanks for any help


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Big sandbar, north end Salt Run/Davis Shores, incoming tide
Beltpack battery with forehead light.
Sailboat spreader lights mounted below gunnel on outside of hull.


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## reelriot (Jan 28, 2008)

Hey kangaroo. I wouldn't worry about a push pole for gigging. I gig in st augustine and got my gig from avid angler. They have bamboo gigging rods that sell for 9 dollars and are plenty strong to pole from the front of the boat. I just stand up front and drift with the current. Use the gig to keep you in the depth you want to be in. For lights I use the bright bulbs from a truck. You can buy the bulbs and sockets and the auto store on us-1 just north of 207. I just rigged them with a simple switch and run them straight to a trolling motor battery. Like I said i live in St Augustine and have my gheenoe set up just like i described. If you want to take a look just pm me and we can hook up.

Tucker


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

thanks for the info guys still kinda shady on the lights if possible pics would be great with a little more in depth complete webie here not much info on the net about homemade lights that I can find


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

Two ways you can approach this. One way is cheap but works, the other is bg $$ but will rock your world. 

First, the cheap way.

Ingredients:
1) Hat from local strip club
2) Wal-mart DRIVING lights (not fog lights)
3) Zip Ties
4) Extra wire (coil wire would be better)
5) Liquid electrical tape.
Total cost: ~$25

Top of hat:










Bottom of hat:










Run it right to the 12v battery. This has held up to a season of duck hunting and some other foraging at night. Would be a better rig if it had coil cords on it. Make sure you get a fuse in-line between you and the battery.

Now for the hi-dollar setup: 
Ingredients: 
HID light from Nitrerider: http://www.niterider.com/bike.shtml : $350-$500, or choose the LED options.
Add in the hat band if not included with light of choice: ~$20
Total cost: $370 to $500 and up.

This is a nice setup for those that spend a lot of time in the woods at night. If you need a bright light to spot alligators while duck hunting, to steer your course by boat at night, or to flounder gig/bullynet, this is the bomb-diggity. If you've never had a HID light on your head, you can't really describe it. Same technology that is in the Mercedes/BMW headlamps. Put the battery pack in your pocket and you're good to go.

The setup: 










Hope this helps

-T


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

thanks for the pics also has anyone bought the lights wrapped around in styrafoam for gigging they cost like 10 bucks was thinking of using a piece of sood on front and back with one on left and right 4 lights total so both people could be gigging total cost like 50$ also here is a vid of a setup someon uses in flagler beach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nywK8TgPOw i have 30$ in homedepot credit a buch of flood lights and about 5 batteries but dont really know how to construct thanks for hte help


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

I also envisioned another setup that would slip over the bow trolling motor bracket that is common to gheenoes and you could run lights on either side as you mentioned. 

Lots of options I think, limited by your imagination and budget.

The nice thing about having the light on your head is that where ever you look, the light goes along with your head/eyes. It's hard to impress how nice this is in the real world. 

-T


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

i like that little setup alot, but is it real strong dark water up here in the NE which im sure your aware of


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

back in my airboat and frog gigging heyday we used a single GE aircraft landing light rigged up on an a hard hat insert. We got the lights at Napa Auto parts, I forget the model, but they were kick a$$ and not really very expensive either. Last pretty darn long too.


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

> i like that little setup alot, but is it real strong  dark water up here in the NE which im sure your aware of


The HID light will shock you how bright it is. Regular halogen lights cannot compare.


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## knotmyfault (Apr 25, 2007)

Here's a mounted rig you can use/make.
Also, these submersible lights can now be purchased at wally world. I think they're made by Brinkman
http://www.fishinglightsetc.com/FlounderLight.html

Get a long pole at HomeDepot and a frog gig at uncle buddy's tackle shack and mount. Push pole/gig/self defense weapon all in one (works on copperheads in me yard).


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

> Here's a mounted rig you can use/make.
> Also, these submersible lights can now be purchased at wally world. I think they're made by Brinkman
> http://www.fishinglightsetc.com/FlounderLight.html
> 
> Get a long pole at HomeDepot and a frog gig at uncle buddy's tackle shack and mount. Push pole/gig/self defense weapon all in one (works on copperheads in me yard).


Now that's cool.

-T


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

flounder gigging......... absolute dumbest idea of my life [smiley=suicide.gif]


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

details??????

-T


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

Spent all day buying giggs, charging batterys, buying lights, riggin the boat etc..... hit the right tide turn on the lights in the beautiful waters of St. Augustine and we can't see nothin in 4' of water to trying to figure out what to do we decide to fish the dock about a 4lb catfish that swallowed my hook so we come up with the great idea of lets shoot it with the hawaiian pole spear : so we do not that much fun after the first time  so we swing it back and forth ( a bleeding fish ) and shot at it someone hit one of the lantern so in reaching overboard for it I almost flip the boat over and get soaking wet and the pole spear fell into the water to never be seen again no one was willing to jump into our green waters with blood in the water.
3days of planning, 100$, one wet idiot, and two broken egos, pricless..... not a trip I plan on taking again unless under professional supervision


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

4' of water was your problem dude. Less is more.


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

4inches not ft we went about as shallow as anyone could


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

Sorry you had a frustrating experience but all I can say is maybe your expectations were a bit too high. Gigging flounder, frogs or bully netting lobster, anything like that is not a slam dunk over alternative methods. In some ways its harder because of all things you have to overcome when the sun is on the other side of the planet. It's obviously your first go at it too, so there's going to be plenty of miscues. Keep at it, work out the kinks and success will happen.


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

> 4inches not ft we went about as shallow as anyone could


Sorry. In your write-up you said you were in 4' of water so I just assumed you were actually in 4'. (4") Thats how you write 4 inches...for future reference. I know you are still in grade school so I am going to give you the benefit of doubt that the wonderful St. Johns school system hasnt covered measurement information for you all yet. ;D


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## Un-shore (Sep 27, 2007)

> Sorry you had a frustrating experience but all I can say is maybe your expectations were a bit too high. Gigging flounder, frogs or bully netting lobster, anything like that is not a slam dunk over alternative methods. In some ways its harder because of all things you have to overcome when the sun is on the other side of the planet. It's obviously your first go at it too, so there's going to be plenty of miscues. Keep at it, work out the kinks and success will happen.


x2, as long as nobody loses an eye!


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

im is in priveet skool  thanks guys for the help I would love to give it another try, but I don't think the clarity of the water will get that much better but who knows with all these hurricanes/ tropical storms


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

How to:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=prQfm8HlbbY


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## kangaroo14 (Apr 27, 2008)

thanks I watched that video before I bought all the supplies and planned on buying one of those lights but they were $66 a pop  so we went with the flood lights in styrofoam  for $8 a pop. I would love to get into gigging, but I really don't have the setup. I would love to get ahold of a older B-whaler tender and fix her up, but space is the problem with me only a certain amount of room on my floating dock and $85 per cube to add on : once again thanks for the help


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

That video was a good find. Thanks for posting it.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

ditto, that was a cool vid, I looked at a few of the other gigging one's too. The whole operation is very similar to bully netting crawfish on the flats in the key's, except you use a gig instead of a net on the end of the push pole.


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

I wanna see you do it from an airboat
and slat 'em off into the cooler at speed
                      ;D


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## gheenoeit (Aug 20, 2008)

I'v been asking folks about Flounder gigging in Fl as I have done alot of it up in N. Carolina. ususally in the inlet @ 2 am and buddy had johnboat rigged to the t... 
Had generator that kept lights bright. Lights were staged all over the bow and hanging just over water. he used something to seal each light so we could even bring them down in the water. 

Good luck. We used to make good $ off of those founders when we got home.

Most gave to fam and ate ourselves though.
Gheenoeit!


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