Turbot species guide • Sea fish • Easy (4/10)

Turbot junior fishing guide

Scophthalmus maximus

A clear, plain-English guide to turbot 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 Turbot 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

2–6 lb common; much larger specimens possible.

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

🐟

Beginner baits

Black lugworm, Blow lugworm, Cockles …

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

Typical venues: Sandbanks, surf beaches and offshore banks with tide.
Scroll down for detailed tackle setups, methods and parent-friendly guidance.
Catch your first turbot with confidence

Catch your first Turbot 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: Fish from safe, flat marks with an adult. Cast straight out, keep the line tight and watch the rod tip for rattling bites. For species with spines (like weever or scorpion fish), let an adult do the unhooking.

IDEAL

Rod: 9–10 ft light beachcaster or pier rod (2–4 oz rating).

Reel: 4000–5000 size fixed spool reel.

Line: 10–15 lb mono or 20 lb braid with short 15 lb trace.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two- or three-hook flapper rig"
  • "Size 2–4 hooks with small worm or fish strip baits"
  • "Optional simple running ledger for rough ground"]

Extras

  • ["2–4 oz plain lead"
  • "Glow beads or small attractors"
  • "Headlamp for low-light sessions"
  • "Disgorger or forceps"]

Light beach or pier setup for small bottom-dwelling sea fish.

About the Turbot

Turbot are thick, circular flatfish with a rough, bumpy skin. They are powerful predators that lie in ambush on sandbanks and attack passing fish baits.

Junior tip

Use strong gear and decent-sized fish baits on clean to mixed sandbanks. Turbot bites can be firm lunges rather than gentle taps.

Logged a Turbot 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.

← Back to all species

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