THE KNOWLEDGE
Learn about the flounder.
The European flounder is one of the commonest species of flatfish found in our coastal waters. It ranges from the White Sea in the far north to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in the south, and is especially common in inshore waters around the UK, where they are widely targeted by shore anglers.
Flounders are an excellent species to target afloat, when bad weather restricts small boats to fishing sheltered estuaries and harbours, especially during winter and early spring.
SPECIES
The colour of a flounder (Platichthys flesus) varies considerably, and should never be used as a positive means of identification. As a general rule, the back of a flounder is a fawn, olive-green or pale brown, usually with spots and larger patches of darker brown.
Occasionally, some irregular reddish spots are present, and these can result in the fish being wrongly identified as being a plaice.
The lateral line of a flounder is nearly straight and runs along the middle of the upper surface, curving around the short pectoral fins, while the belly side is opaque pearly white.
The average size of this species caught around the UK is between 1lb-2lb, but much bigger fish are caught each year. Due to this fish’s preferred distribution, this is one of just a few species that shore anglers regularly catch to a larger size than those fishing afloat. The British boat-caught record is a fish of 5lb 11oz 8dr, which was caught at Fowey in 1956.
WHERE & WHEN
The flounder is found in both the open sea and estuaries, as the species is very tolerant of low salinity levels. Unlike other species of flatfish, the flounder often spends part of its life cycle in freshwater and regularly make its way into rivers.
The species is distributed all around the coast of the British Isles, but are most frequently targeted in or in the very near estuaries and some of our larger harbours. These flatfish are mostly found over both clean sand and soft mud, and everything in between, but rarely over rock.
Traditionally, many of the very biggest flounders caught have been taken by anglers fishing along the South West coast in Devon and Cornwall.
Certainly, flounders are far more abundant in many areas than a lot of anglers realise, and a little experimentation inshore on those days when the weather restricts options elsewhere might just throw up a few surprises.
TACKLE
Whenever fishing for flounders, it will be preferable to use the lightest possible tackle, a spinning rod is perfect. Always ensure your bait is fishing hard on the seabed, which is where the fish feed.
As water depth and the run of tide increases, it will probably be necessary to upgrade your tackle accordingly, but, from my experience, you are never going to need anything more than a 6/12lb-class boat outfit to catch flounders, especially if you are using microthin modern braided lines.
RIG
The traditional rig for catching flatfish is a running leger, often consisting of a long flowing trace in the region of 10-15ft. Such a rig will also prove effective, though in practice rigs with a shorter, more easily managed hooklength are equally effective.
Many anglers jazz up their flatfish rigs with spoons and a colourful assortment of beads and sequins, and these undoubtedly prove
effective for flounders.
If fishing for flounders, long-shank hook, such as the Sakuma 430, between sizes 4 and 2 are perfect.
BAIT
All types of worms work very well, even garden worms when fishing estuaries. A peeler crab is a proven bait for specimen fish, and a good choice when crabs are quickly stripping softer baits. All types of shellfish are effective. While fish baits would not be my first choice, I have caught some nice fish on sandeels and mackerel.
METHOD
Boat anglers fishing estuaries and harbours at anchor for flounders, cast rigs away from the boat, or drop straight back downtide, allowing the tide to drag the bait slowly across the bottom.
If conditions allow, fishing on the drift with your bait slowly trundling across the seabed is effective, especially for locating isolated pockets of fish. Lower your rig slowly through the water column (to avoid tangles) until you feel the sinker tap bottom, and, as the boat continues to drift, allow line to pour freely off the spool. After a short while, check the flow with your thumb, at which point you should feel the lead weight dragging across the bottom.
Keep the reel in freespool and, as soon as you feel a bite (a distinct rattle on the rod tip), allow line to run freely off the spool to prevent the bait from getting dragged away from the fish. After about 20 seconds, use your thumb to check the flow of line and allow it to tighten, then lift your rod. You should feel the weight of the fish.