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FISH GUIDE · Sea

European flounder: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Platichthys flesus

Try soft-bottomed estuary margins with a worm near the bottom. An accessible, stable presentation matters more than a long cast; the approach remains indicative.

Catalogue names : Flet. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Documented on Northeast Atlantic coasts and in European estuaries and rivers. Not all older regional forms in the DORIS account are treated here as the same current taxon.

  • Documented presence : Northeast Atlantic
  • Documented presence : North Sea
  • Documented presence : English Channel

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Platichthys flesus is a flatfish with variable colour and tubercles along the lateral line and at the base of the dorsal and anal fins. Its orange spots may be dull. Plaice have different ridges behind the eyes; dab have a distinctly arched lateral line. The side bearing the eyes is not enough.

Habitat

Flounder use estuaries and lagoons and can move upstream into fresh water. This sheet covers brackish coastal margins: locate soft bottom, a current boundary or a secondary channel from which you can retrieve the rig. Very low water may move the area available to explore. Do not walk on mud whose bearing capacity you do not know.

Diet

Adults eat bottom-dwelling worms, bivalves, small crustaceans and small fish; young fish also take plankton and insect larvae.

Behaviour

It eats bottom-dwelling prey, including worms, bivalves and small crustaceans. Adults return to the sea to reproduce. For the suggested fishing approach, this means following a feeding spot without assuming fish remain in the same place all year. Avoid concentrations of very young fish and marked spawning areas.

Indicative biological size

Usually reaches around 50 cm according to DORIS; a biological indication, not a legal size limit.

Fishing context and precautions

  1. Choose a margin with safe access and a safe way back. Prepare a terminal-weight rig with a low hook snood that lets the bait touch the bottom. Start with just one hook and check that it cannot reach the weight during the cast.
  2. Present a marine worm on a suitable hook with the point exposed. Thread on the firm part without turning everything into a large ball. A small piece replaced regularly lets you check the presentation; protect the bait from heat and avoid leaving it in fresh water.
  3. Cast gently onto the soft strip you located, then apply light tension. Let the bait work without continually moving the weight. If the line enters the main channel or rolls into weed, reposition it instead of persisting along a path that is difficult to retrieve.
  4. Take up tension at a clear bite and retrieve smoothly. Check that the worm is present, inspect the knots and look for tangles. Then change distance or position, one variable at a time; do not leave a caught fish waiting while preparing your phone.

A distinctive feature

During metamorphosis, one eye moves to the other side of the head; adults may have their eyes on the right or the left.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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