Flatfish · Estuary and beach

Flounder

The Mersey, Dee and Tyne are classic. Fish the flood tide with a spoon or beads above a crab bait.

Flounder
Image: Jonathan Couch, A History of the Fishes of the British Islands (1862–65), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Know it
Dull brown with a row of small bony bumps along the lateral line and the base of the fins.
Bait
Peeler crab, ragworm, lug
Rigs
Two-hook flapperSpreaderBaited spinnerRunning ledger
Table
Good eating Best in autumn from clean water. Estuary fish can taste muddy; skin them before cooking.

Season

Typical months on the North West and North East coasts, with this month ringed. Seasons shift a few weeks with water temperature and run differently around the coast: see each region's headline fish below.

Irish Sea
North Sea
PeakPresentRareIrish Sea = North Wales to Cumbria · North Sea = Yorkshire to Northumberland

Legal minimum size

Flounder

Last checked 18 October 2026

Measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (rays: wing tip to wing tip). Each region links to its regulator.

AreaMinimum
North West England25cm
North Wales25cm
Yorkshire to the TyneNo legal minimum
NorthumberlandNo legal minimum
Cardigan Bay and the Llyn25cm
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly25cm
Dorset, Hampshire and the Solent27cm (check locally)
Kent, the Thames and EssexCheck locally

No size for this fish is listed in the regional rules we checked for Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales, Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon, South Devon. That may mean none is set, or that the national rules apply: check locally.

and 7 other regions

Rules change, usually each spring. Check the regulator for the area before you keep a fish.

A headline fish in

October to March

Kent, the Thames and Essex

Thames and Medway walls. Rag or peeler crab on a dragged rig in the early flood.

October to April

Lincolnshire and the Humber

The upper Humber walls at Hull and Paull. Peeler crab or rag on a flowing trace.

September to March

Scottish Borders to Aberdeen

Belhaven, the Tay at Broughty Ferry and Aberdeen beach. Small hooks with rag or mackerel strip and a bead.

All year, best autumn

Moray Firth, Caithness, Orkney and Shetland

Lossiemouth, Nairn and Embo beaches. Multi-hook flapper rigs with beads and mackerel or rag.

August to October

West Highlands, Argyll, Clyde and the islands

Leven mouth at Dumbarton and Clyde shores. Small rag on fine hooks with a rolling lead.

Where to catch it

Regions with marks where flounder is one of the main fish, and how many marks.

Cardigan Bay and the Llyn 4Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales 4Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon 4Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 5South Devon 3Dorset, Hampshire and the Solent 3Sussex 1Kent, the Thames and Essex 6Suffolk, Norfolk and the Wash 4Lincolnshire and the Humber 8Yorkshire coast to the Tyne 2Northumberland 2Scottish Borders to Aberdeen 6Moray Firth, Caithness, Orkney and Shetland 5West Highlands, Argyll, Clyde and the islands 1Ayrshire, Galloway and the Scottish Solway 4North West England 3North Wales coast 1

How to cook it

Best in autumn from clean water. Estuary fish can taste muddy; skin them before cooking. Simple ways to cook it at home. More on bleeding, gutting, filleting and freezing in From sea to plate.

Method 1

Pan-fried fillets

Skin the fillets (this helps if the fish came from an estuary), dust in seasoned flour and fry in butter for 2 minutes a side. Finish with lemon and parsley.

Method 2

Grilled whole

Gut and trim the fish, brush with melted butter, season and grill for 4 to 5 minutes a side under a high heat.