Dover Sole species guide • Sea fish • Easy (4/10)

Dover Sole junior fishing guide

Solea solea

A clear, plain-English guide to dover sole for parents, coaches and juniors. See where they live, the best starter tackle, simple bait choices and a three-step plan to help young anglers catch their first one safely.

🎣 View starter tackle setups 📋 Log a Dover Sole catch
Junior-first & welfare-aware • 3-step beginner plan • UK venues & seasons
Skill & size • Seasons • Beginner baits

Skill level

Easy (4/10)

Great for coached juniors and confident beginners.

Best time

Spring–Autumn

Pick mild, settled days for junior sessions.

Typical size

1–2 lb common; larger fish over 3 lb possible.

Always match hooks, nets & lines to expected fish size.

Dover Sole

Beginner baits

Black lugworm, Blow lugworm, Cockles …

Keep it simple — small hook baits, little-and-often feeding.

Typical venues: Clean, shallow sand and mud beaches
Scroll down for detailed tackle setups, methods and parent-friendly guidance.
Catch your first dover sole with confidence

Catch your first Dover Sole in 3 steps

A simple, repeatable plan juniors can follow with help from a parent, coach or older angler.

  1. Step 1

    Use them as examples of flatfish variety

    These flatfish often require specific tides, baits and sometimes boat access. Juniors may encounter smaller fish but they are not ideal first targets.

  2. Step 2

    If targeted, use strong but tidy rigs

    Running ledgers or pulley rigs with neat worm or fish baits on strong hooks are best. Keep rigs simple so juniors can understand how they work.

  3. Step 3

    Talk about size limits and habitat

    Use each species to explain different seabeds (sandbanks, reefs, deep water) and why minimum landing sizes exist.

Tackle setups that work

Designed with juniors and fish welfare in mind. Start with an IDEAL or GOOD setup for easier casting and safe unhooking.

👉 Swipe sideways to view different setups.

Beachcaster

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

Surf Rod

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

About the Dover Sole

Dover Sole are slim, right-sided flatfish with small heads and long bodies. They feed at night on worm baits and are a popular target on south coast beaches and estuaries.

Junior tip

Fish small worm baits on size 2–4 hooks at night or in low light. Use light leads so bites show clearly on the rod tip.

Logged a Dover Sole recently?

Add a catch report so juniors can see where they’re being caught, which baits work and how your tackle was set up.

Submit a catch report

Want to discover more species? Browse the full species guide.

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