Dover Sole
Flatfish
A small-headed, oval flatfish with a distinctly dark, almost uniform brown upper side and a small, curved mouth set well back from a rounded snout.
Facts
- Regarded as one of the finest-eating flatfish in UK waters, prized commercially and by anglers alike.
- Feeds mainly after dark, which is why most shore-caught sole come on night sessions.
- The small, downturned mouth is adapted for picking small worms and molluscs directly off the seabed.
UK fishing rules
MCRS is 24cm.
Where to catch Dover Sole (21 marks)
| Mark | Region | Season | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldeburgh Beach | East | Summer | Small-hook bait rigs |
| Brightlingsea (Bateman's Tower) | East | Autumn | Bait fished at low water |
| Brighton Marina West Arm | South East | Jul–Oct | Worm or squid tipped with lug fished after dark on cleaner sand patches, mid-to-low bays. |
| Cromer Pier | East | Jun–Aug | Ragworm fished close to the seabed after dark in summer. |
| Dungeness | South East | May–Sep | Ragworm/lugworm cocktail on a small-hook flapper, fished tight after dark |
| Eastbourne Seafront | South East | Jun–Sep | Small-hook flapper with ragworm, fished on the bottom |
| Felixstowe (Landguard) | East | Jun–Sep | Small size 4–6 hooks fished after dark |
| Folkestone Mole & Copt Point | South East | May–Sep | Squid/mackerel strip fished at range off Rotunda Beach in the first hour of the flood |
| Frinton-on-Sea | East | Jun–Sep | Lugworm or ragworm on a two-hook flapper |
| Hastings Stade | South East | All year | Fresh lug/ragworm on a two-hook flapper; sticky black lug best for dabs |
| Herne Bay | South East | Jun–Sep | Ragworm/lugworm cocktail on a small-hook flapper |
| Lowestoft South Beach | East | Jul–Sep | Ragworm or peeler crab |
| Mundesley Beach | East | Summer | Small-hook rigs over clean sand, reachable gullies only |
| Pevensey Bay | South East | May-Sep | Small worm baits fished after dark |
| Praa Sands | South West | Oct–Feb (whiting), Jun–Sep (sole) | Worm bait fished on a simple flapper rig. |
| Ramsgate Royal Harbour (East Pier & Harbour Arm) | South East | Mar-Oct | Two-hook flapper rigs with rag or lug |
| Southsea Seafront | South East | Jun–Oct | Ragworm or lugworm fished after dark for the best results, close to the shore. |
| Southwold Pier | East | Jun–Sep | Ragworm, though lug will catch too |
| Walton-on-the-Naze Pier | East | Jun–Sep | Fished tight to the piles after dark on light gear with ragworm, short snoods and small hooks. |
| West Mersea | East | Jun–Sep | 2–3 hook flapper with worm bait, size 1–4 hooks |
| Whitstable Street | South East | Jun–Sep | Ragworm/squid strip — a bonus catch rather than a reliable target |