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Fishing For Flatfish


Chub Frenzy

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I would like to start flatfish fishing so was thinking:

 

Where from the shore are flatfish found - rocks, sand, near piers????

Anyone know anything about Herne Bay, Kent Fishing???

What sort of rig is good for the place flatties are found???

Any Tips?

Many Thanks

ChubFrenzy

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Some flatties are easy to catch and others take a bit more effort. Flounders are at home on sand or slate so long as its flat. Dabs like sand. Soles I have been told like it a bit more muddy. In my experience the best time for flounders is very early in the flood tide. Find a flat beach with a gentle incline from the low to high tide mark. Maybe a slight channel could be helpful ( a couple of foot deeper than the rest of the beach).

 

Start fishing as the tide starts to come in and cast very short (and by very short I mean 5-10 yards). On the early flood most flouders will stick to the waters edge following the tide in with only inces of water over there backs.

 

The fish also like movement and colour. So make your traces up with lots of beeds etc and every 2 or 3 minutes just give a little tug on the rod to move the bait about.

 

Try small pieces of fish strip, ragworm and peeler on small hooks and you wont go far wrong.

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Pretty full answer Glenn - the only thing I would add is that flounders also turn up over fine shingle, and especially where there are alternate sand and shingle beds.

 

IMHO, for dabs and flounders, bits of black lug on small hooks take a lot of beating.

 

 

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When you say small hooks you mean size.........

Thanks for the great info u have been very helpful.

 

 

Well I have had flounder on a 5/o pennel so all things are possible but I would say get down to something like a 1/o or even a size 1. There is a bit of deabte about what to do if you want to return the fish as flatties will often take the hook right down. I initially tried to pull the hooks out but feel this probably kills them. Currently I sacrifice the hook by cutting it off and assume the fish's stomache acid can deal with it. Some people use real fine wire hooks that are easier to extract.

 

I was reading an article on turbot the other day and apparently they can dislocate their jaw and could eat a tennis ball (not that they would want to).

 

Some people have treid float fishing for flounder too and this method can work. Also you could use a flounder spoon and reel it in. Often you can see the fish following it (which shows they like movement) nd contrary to commen belief they will come well off the bottom for a moving bait. Ive had flounders take a spoon off the surface in 10 foot of water and Ive had them take a mid water makerel strip fished below a float. However I would still advise that if your targeting them you nail your bait on the bottom.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...

Have you caught any mackerel yet CF? It's been a hell of a year for them over this side of the country....bloody pests actually when trying for other stuff.

 

Is the flatfish idea because you're bored of catching mackerel?

Edited by Worms

Eating wild caught fish is good for my health, reduces food miles and keeps me fit trying to catch them........it's my choice to do it, not yours to stop me!

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Simple way of unhooking a small plaice or flounder that has swallowed the hook, is use what we call a swivel stick, honest, very simular to a single chop stick, stuff it down it's gob and twist it around the stick for a few turns comes out in seconds more often than not. :fishing1:

Edited by barry luxton

Free to choose apart from the ones where the trust poked their nose in. Common eel. tope. Bass and sea bream. All restricted.


New for 2016 TAT are the main instigators for the demise of the u k bass charter boat industry, where they went screaming off to parliament and for the first time assisting so called angling gurus set up bass take bans with the e u using rubbish exaggerated info collected by ices from anglers, they must be very proud.

Upgrade, the door has been closed with regards to anglers being linked to the e u superstate and the failed c f p. So TAT will no longer need to pay monies to the EAA anymore as that org is no longer relevant to the u k . Goodbye to the europeon anglers alliance and pathetic restrictions from the e u.

Angling is better than politics, ban politics from angling.

Consumer of bass. where is the evidence that the u k bass stock need angling trust protection. Why won't you work with your peers instead of castigating them. They have the answer.

Recipie's for mullet stew more than welcomed.

Angling sanitation trust and kent and sussex sea anglers org delete's and blocks rsa's alternative opinion on their face book site. Although they claim to rep all.

new for 2014. where is the evidence that the south coast bream stock need the angling trust? Your campaign has no evidence. Why won't you work with your peers, the inshore under tens? As opposed to alienating them? Angling trust failed big time re bait digging, even fish legal attempted to intervene and failed, all for what, nothing.

Looks like the sea angling reps have been coerced by the ifca's to compose sea angling strategy's that the ifca's at some stage will look at drafting into legislation to manage the rsa, because they like wasting tax payers money. That's without asking the rsa btw. You know who you are..

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Both from boat (in the estuary) and shore, I've been doing quite well on sole, dabs and flounder, often when others aren't catching.

 

The 'secret' is to nail the rig to the bottom.

 

I use a three boom rig, to broaden the scent trail made by multiple baits.

 

And metal booms to lay the bait hard on the bottom.

 

And a smaller weight at the top of the rig (as well as the larger weight at the bottom), to ensure that the rig lays flat on the sea-bed.

 

To make sure it lies down you don't tighten the line, which pulls the top of the rig off the bottom, but allow a bit of slack to allow the whole rig to lay completely flat.

 

In very muddy areas, the rig and bait will zoom into the mud as it falls, so once it's settled it's an idea to pull the rig out a couple of feet before slackening the line.

 

Short snoods on the booms are tied to a size 4 hook (very small), and baited with rag (for sole) or lug.

 

Especially with sole, don't strike too early, let them play with the bait a bit before taking it.

 

A large disgorger of the type used by freshwater anglers makes dealing with deep-hooked fish that have taken a small hook easy.

 

When fishing from the shore don't cast too far, the flatties are often in very close feeding on shrimp along the shoreline, often in very shallow water, especially as the tide is coming in (when fishing two rods, always drop one in very short).

 

 

 

Unfortunately the rig is also very good at catching eels, and 'eel wrangling' is an art in itself!

 

If there's two of you, one can hold the eel lifting up and forward with one hand toward the head, and down and backwards with the hand nearer the tail.

 

This confuses the eel's squirming instincts and it will remain still enough whilst the other of you unhooks it.

 

If on your own, lay the eel on its back and stroke its belly, this will calm it for a few moments whilst you unhook it.

 

If its taken the hook down, don't mess about trying to get it out.

 

All the eel's vital organs are high up in it's throat and are easily damaged by poking around.

 

Just cut the line as close as possible and let it go. (All eel's have to be returned by law).

RNLI Shoreline Member

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