Flounder Fishing in Dorset

Classic winter target; fish 20–50m over mud on the flood and first of the ebb. Ragworm or peeler on a running ledger; keep baits static and avoid too much lead.

Winter staple; cast lug/rag or peeler on a long flowing trace to channel edges on the flood; slowly inch baits back to locate fish.

Small rag/lug or maddies on size 2–4 with a long trace; lob to sand channels. Best on the flood and first of the ebb. Year-round, peak late autumn–spring.

Nov-Mar best on flood and first of ebb; long flowing trace with rag/lug tipped with mackerel; cast to channel run-offs and slowly inch back over mud/sand.

Good in the harbour side and along the channel; ragworm, lug or small crab baits with a running ledger, especially on the ebb.

Best in harbour channels on a flooding tide; rag/lug or small fish strip on a running ledger.

Reliable in cooler months and after rain; small worm/strip baits on a running leger along the inside slope/harbour channel edge.

Harbour channel on the ebb in autumn-winter. 2-hook flappers with rag or lug; small leads to let baits roll over the sand.

Ledger rag/lug or maddies just inside the main flow, especially on the ebb; best in winter to early spring.

Oct–Feb; short 20–50m casts into gutters; small rag or lug, slow lift-and-drop; best on the flood and first of the ebb.

Reliable inside/along the harbour-side flow; ragworm or maddies on a running ledger, especially spring/autumn.

Cast rag or lug on a light running ledger to sandy patches inside the harbour; best on the ebb and in winter; slow lift-and-drag retrieve.

Around the river mouth and sandy gullies in winter-spring. Lug or rag on a flowing trace; add beads and use slow retrieves. First of the flood to mid-tide.

Small rag/lug or harbour rag (maddies) on long flowing traces, lobbed onto mudflats in winter/spring. Let baits trundle with the tide towards the channel.

Winter target; lugworm on a flowing trace cast to channel edges; trickle retrieve across clean sand; last of the flood and first of the ebb.

Often close in; peeler/crab or rag on simple running rigs. Good in coloured water and around any small drains/ditches on the beach.

Classic harbour catch; small strips of rag/lug or prawn on a running ledger, fish the last of ebb/first of flood near silty edges.

Small rag or lug on long snoods, cast to sandy patches inside the channel. Best neap tides in winter, last of the ebb and first of the flood.

Often near the River Char outflow and along the edge of the tide run; rag/lug or small fish strips; can show in brackish water.

Inside/edges of the harbour; small worm/fish baits on light gear, often best around slack water.

Autumn-winter; short to mid range on lug/rag or worm tipped with crab, slow water near groynes on the flood.

Winter to early spring near the Lodmoor outfall; rag/lug or crab on a flowing trace; short casts on a flooding tide.

Autumn–spring; rag/lug on long snoods, slow retrieve. Favour the harbour-mouth end on a flooding tide.

Winter–spring. Short casts into gutters with rag or lug; inch the bait along. Ebb tide and around any small stream mouths or channels.

Can show in cooler months; worm baits on a simple running ledger, fish into the flood when surf is coloured.