SPECIES SPOTLIGHT
These flatfish are a staple of winter fishing, with good catches in both daylight and darkness
The focus falls on the flounder.
Flounders are available almost all-year-round throughout the British Isles, but in many areas the best catches, and the main chance of bagging a big one, occur either side of Christmas, with november through January being optimum months.
WHEN AND WHERE
These flatfish are caught on most tides. Although many anglers target the bigger spring tides, it is often the smaller neaps when the flounders don’t need to move far to feed that can give the best fishing because it concentrates their numbers more.
They feed best when the tide is flooding, so the hour after low water and through the middle tide period is good, with bites slowly easing away as high water nears. Being fish that hug the inner surf tables, they can be caught only a few yards out. even in daylight they are not frightened to come into relatively shallow water just a foot or two deep.
A common myth is that flounders do not feed at night. It’s actually the best time, although daylight catches can be good too.
relatively calm seas seem to be favoured by flounders, although bigger fish can be caught in rougher seas, especially in the pre- and post-Christmas period, but generally you should look for steady predictable surf tables with a big gap between each wave. A short surf and heavy waves will push the flounders much further out.
Flounders advance with the tide, feeding as they go, but will sit in shallow gutters and are often found in areas where there are a series of depressions when the flood tide starts to slow towards high water. This is where the tide deposits food and the fish simply face the oncoming tide and follow up any scent trails.
A top spot to try for flounders on any beach is where a small stream or river flows on to the beach. Flounders like an element of freshwater, and fishing the downtide side of where the water accesses the beach is a prime spot.
numbers of flounders will also be higher on beaches that flank the mouth of a small estuary. At this time of year, these flatfish are leaving the estuary prior to heading out to spawn, though this is over a protracted period. They linger on the adjacent beaches, feeding up before slowly filtering offshore.
The knack to shore flounder fishing is to be mobile, so keep tackle to a minimum, and move back with the tide, keeping your baits in that first 30 yards of the surf.
As you drop back, take note of any depressions or shallow tidal gutters because the flatfish will drop into these as they advance, but also swim up them in an uptide direction looking for food. It is ambush fishing, anticipating where the fish will investigate deeper areas until the advancing tide is deep enough for them to move on to newly flooded ground.
A good tactic in light surf is to choose a lead weight just light enough to be gently moved occasionally due to line pressure. Cast out slightly downtide, then let the tide pressure on the line drift the weight and bait along inches at a time in a wide arc. If the weight suddenly stops, leave it there because it has found a depression of deeper water in which the flounders tend to sit. This method covers a great deal of ground and again will find the pockets of flounders.
Bites tend to be three or four small pulls on the rod tip, a pause, and another series of pulls. Experienced anglers watch the rod and wait for the tip to significantly pull over as the fish tries to swim away. Don’t leave it too long though, otherwise this will encourage deep-hooking.
In calm seas and wide surf tables, try dropping your rod tip at a right angle to the surf and as low as you can get it, but still keeping a tight line. This will show up bites far better.
Another good tip is to have a slightly slack line bow of 2ft or 3ft below the rod tip when the rod is sat at a forward-facing angle in the rod-rest, and watch the line bow. You will soon see the natural lift of the waves, but instantly recognise the far more animated lift when a fish actually takes your bait. ■