Phylum: Chordata - Class: Actinopterygii - Order: Pleuronectiformes - Family: Pleuronectidae
Harbour and estuary flounders are not widely regarded for eating, but a founder caught well out at sea and in the winter time can make a very good meal indeed. In spring, when they spawn, they are not so good to eat. The scales are rough, unlike those of a plaice, which are smooth.
You will find flounders in the sand and mud of every river estuary around the Welsh coast. They even run up river well into the freshwater reaches whenever heavy rains brings the river into a muddy spate.
Most flounders you are likely to catch weigh under 2 lb, but a specimen of 3lb 9oz was caught off Beaumaris (Anglesey, north Wales) in 1986, and this still holds the Welsh rod-caught flounder record.
Worms are an ideal bait for flounders, although big ones do include fish in their diet.
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