Plaice are the main fish likely to be confused with the flounder, but these have a series of bony knobs starting between the eye and working rearwards towards the top of the gill slit on the upper side, whereas the flounder only has a grouping of roughened scales that protrude from the skin above the pectoral fin and to the upper rear of the gill slit. These "prickles" are also evident on the flounder along the anal fin. Flounder have the eyes on the right side, but not infrequently anglers catch flounder that are reversed with the eyes and upper coloured side are on the left side.

COLOURATION
A dull brown when resident over sand but never as rich in colour as the dab. Mostly a grey/green mottled effect, sometimes olive when feeding over mussel beds. Sometimes has very pale orange spots, hence the confusion with plaice. Belly is pale white, occasionally carrying brown or grey blotches of colouring.

BREEDING SEASON
A drawn out breeding season with the first fish moving offshore from the estuaries and beaches during January with others waiting until the end of March before leaving. Spawns in depths upto 60m. The first thin, spawned out fish show back inshore by late March and continue until early June.

DISTRIBUTION
Very common throughout the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean, as far as the Murmansk coast of Russia and the Baltic. Not a serious food fish, but is eaten by most Europeans from time to time.

HABITAT
Prefers the estuarine environment and will penetrate many miles past the upper estuary reaches into pure freshwater rivers. For example, as been seen and caught as high up the Severn River as Shrewsbury. These are mainly juvenile fish, with the adults staying within the estuary confines it'self. Some fish choose a beach existence, but always on beaches either adjacent to estuaries, or with a river outflow in close proximity. Particularly abundant along the salt marsh creeks and happy in only a few inches of water, even in daylight.

DIET
Smaller fish take worms, cockles, sand hoppers and shrimps. Adults prefer crab, but are often found with seed mussels in the stomach during the summer period suggesting a capability to break down the shells by stomach acids to achieve the meat. Also takes sandeels, and in the winter is partial to razorfish after storms.

SEASON
Feeds heavily when returning to shore after spawning in the spring. April sees worthwhile catches, but May and June are good when the crab peel is fully underway. The mid summer months of July, August and early September go quiet, though fish are still to be taken. Once the water temperature peaks in September and the first real prolonged heavy rains come down through the estuaries the flounder start to feed heavily again in preparation for the winter. The best catches of fully fit fish occur from October through to Christmas, with the larger more individual fish showing in the post Christmas period until late March.

SHORE FISHING

MARKS AND SEABED FEATURE
Fishing for flounder Beach flounder tend to hug the shoreline for the bulk of the time, mostly being within 40yds of the shore. They have less of a tendency to seek out and stay in the deeper lateral gullies than do the dabs for instance. They sweep in with the tide working the last few yards of water before dry sand, but on the ebb are further out beyond the gullies that may cut them off, but always within a short range cast.

The only real feature to look for on a surf beach is a small stream or river entering the sea which will draw flounder like a magnet. When a such a stream or outflow passes out over a boulder beach flounder are happy to work across this and will still group here to feed.

The bar areas or mouths of estuaries are excellent places to fish. Flounder stay in the main channels over low water, but span out, again within a few yards of shore, as the tide floods and towards high water. They drop back to the main channel as the tide ebbs.

They seek out seed mussel beds in estuaries, groups of submerged rock that border clean sand, small weed beds and shingle banks. Fishing close to any of these features gives you an edge. Shallow salt marsh creeks always fish best on the flood tide with few fish taking baits after the first hour of the ebb. However, flounder stay in these creeks throughout the low water period in inches of water, half buried in the sand.

Other feature flounder like are mooring piles over mud, bridge supports that form channels or gutters in the seabed, the middle sections of piers over clean sand, and mixed patches of mud, silt and gravel.

TIDES
Flounder are one of the fish least affected by the size of tide in relation to feeding. Neap tides tend to see fish feeding over a longer period almost the whole in and out cycle, whereas spring tides see this feeding spell condensed more towards the slack water periods. Loosely, the last hour of the ebb and first two hours of the new flood are good, followed by the last two hours of the flood and the first two hours of the ebb. It can change though, when applied locally.

WEATHER
Estuary fish are still affected by heavy rain and will slow their feeding activity. They like settled conditions with a stable estuary salinity. Whilst they feed during daylight and even bright sunshine, there is a definite increase in feeding during overcast weather and evening into darkness when the bigger catches are made.

From the beaches, calm summer seas produce flounder with rougher conditions reducing catches. But in the winter, even during storms, migrating flounder will take baits right behind the pounding surf both by night and day.

TECHNIQUES
Flounder like a moving bait, so you need to use methods that capitalize on this.

For all calm surf fishing and in the estuaries the most successful system is with a light lead and longish hook length. You need to judge the flow of the tide and constantly change the weight of the lead picking one that is just light enough to be moved along at a slow pace by the tidal pressure on the line. In most situations from 1 to 2ozs will be about right for close in work away from the main tidal surge.

The idea is to cast out about 40yds, then let the tide pull the lead around in a downtide direction and swing the bait slowly back inshore. In this way you cover a large area and will notice that the flounder are positioned a certain distance from the shore and you can eventually predict just when to expect a bite.

The hook length needs to be 18" long for surf work. If you go any longer tangles will occur as the hook length is lifted by the water tables. Casting into estuary channel and mud flats, then increase the hook length to 3' as the constant one way flow of tide eliminates any likely hood of tangling.

This combination of moving lead and flowing trace gives the bait a high degree of natural presentation and movement which attracts the flounder better than relying on a scent lane.

When water conditions are virtually static with no perceptible tide run ie, low water slack, then cast out 40yds or so and slowly, very slowly inches at a time, draw the bait back towards you. You'll feel the flounder nip at the bait. Don't strike, but keep the retrieve going and only when the flattie pulls the tip over do you strike.

Some surf beaches and estuary channels, or when fishing over seed mussel beds, all with a fast tide run will require static ledgering techniques with the use of a grip lead. Stick with the long 3" hook length and have the trace positioned about 9" up from the lead to keep the bait just off the seabed and bouncing a little in the tide.

Some shallower estuary channels and creeks can be successfully fished with light float tackle. Simply adjust the depth of the bait to work slightly above the seabed for visual attraction and you'll catch flounder using a moving bait like a small ragworm.

TACKLE
Apart from when winter surf fishing when beachcasters are needed and flounder are just a by catch, then light tackle scores best.

Carp rods, spinning rods casting 1 and 2ozs are the best. Choose an action between a medium taper and fast taper to get the best compromise between bite detection and striking. Soft taper rods are a bad choice for flounder being less sensitive as the lead is rolling across the seabed. Reels should be small fixed spools carrying 8 to 10lb line. Less for creek fishing.

Some estuary work may require a bass rod capable of handling upto 3ozs of lead when fish are at longer range and feeding in a channel carrying a fast tide run. A small 6500 multiplier will be the better choice with this rod and holding 12lb line.

RIGS
Some anglers use three hook rigs for flounder at longer range, but this is not selective enough and does not allow a fully moving bait. A two hook rig is best.

Make the rig body length 4' long and from 25 to 35lb line depending on lead weight to be used. Use a Mustad oval split ring at the base to connect the lead. Do not use fixed crimps to trap the hook length connection swivels, but use telephone wire stops that allow the hook length to be repositioned at different distances on the rig by sliding the stops up and down. Start by fishing one hook length at the top of the trace and one at the bottom close to the lead. The hook lengths should be upto 20" long. If a fish comes to the lower bait, shift the other hook length lower and shorten it to 12". Fish on the top hook, then bring the lower hook length upwards. This gets two baits into the current feeding band.

Hook lengths should be 15-20lb line. Amnesia is good in black. Adding sequins, small coloured beads, even a tiny bar spoon just above the hook can help catches by increasing movement.

Hooks need careful consideration. For crab baits, shellfish and mussel a Mustad Viking size 2 is excellent, otherwise try a Mustad Nordic Bend 4446B size 2 or a Mustad 496BB which has an offset point from the shank. Worm baits require a long shank hook such as the Kamasan Aberdeen or Mustad 3261BLN Aberdeen in size 2.

Use a three way swivel to rig an artificial Redgill eel. Tie the main line to the top swivel eye, use a 12lb hook length about 30-inches (75cms) plus long tied to the lower eye, and add a split ring to the middle eye which takes the weight. This casts quite cleanly and presents the eel well.

BAITS
Best by far is crab throughout the spring, summer and early autumn along with mussel. In winter lug is good off the beaches, with ragworm excellent in the estuaries. After Christmas, razorfish is THE bait to use as storms settle down.

BOAT FISHING

MARKS AND SEABED FEATURE
Flounder from a boat Few anglers target flounders from boats and what few are taken come as a by catch mainly from dinghies fishing around the estuary mouths. The same features and marks apply to boat fishing as in the estuary.

Concentrate your efforts around mussel beds and reef patches intersected by clean sand. It's also worth fishing along any part of a main channel that bends or doglegs. Flounders tend to lay in small groups around the inner and outside edges of these and in the entrance and exit of the bend.

TECHNIQUE
To really target flounder, then the trolled baited spoon is the top method, though little practiced nowadays.

This requires a 3" spoon, either coloured white or silver, oval shaped with flutes to make it spin, culminating in a short 6" hook length of mono and the baited hook. Set up the tackle as follows.

Wrap a spiral lead onto the main reel line above a small swivel. Now tie in 8' of 12lb line followed by the spoon, short trace and baited hook. Allow the boat to drift with the tide along the edge of the main estuary channels where possible, providing that the tide is pushing the boat along at enough speed to make the spoon work.

Alternatively, and a lot less hassle and catching virtually as many fish is a rig like the single long flowing trace described for shore fishing allowed to trot backwards from the boat with the tide, or slightly cast away from the boat towards the edge of a passing tidal current.

TACKLE
Stay with the light spinning rod for boat flounder as even a 12lb class rod far over guns a flounder. You may wish to swap reels for a small multiplier like the ABU 5000 instead of a fixed spool, though.

TIDES
For trolling the baited spoon, a medium sized tide gives a controlled, but steady drift. Spring tides can be far too quick in some areas and dangerous around estuary bars. Flounder will feed though, immaterial of tides size, but again preferring that slack water period.

WEATHER
Given that the water should be deeper than that from a shore mark, generally, the weather has less to do with the catch, though very clear water may require casts away from the boat a few yards to clear the scare area. Overcast conditions are ideal, bright skies less so.

BAITS
Crab remains best, lug, rag, mussel, even mackerel strip will still take numbers of fish, though.

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