As one might guess from its name, the winter flounder is most commonly caught in the cold months of the year. It moves into the lower Hudson from late winter to early spring to spawn. However, small flounder can be caught in New York Harbor even in the summer. The winter flounder is an important sport fish, also known to anglers as the blackback flounder or simply as flounder.

Winter flounder are generally brownish on top, but may be dark gray or olive green. Most of those we net are less than twelve inches long, but they may reach twenty inches and a weight of two pounds.