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I agree with Dave...but it's been a worsening situation with the flounders for a few years. I think it's about poor spawning / recruitment....possibily something has changed where they spawn in Lyme Bay. Evidence, other than the poor catches, is seen in the Summer months. It used to be the case that when I used to launch at Mudeford [and the water is clear in Summer], there would be lots of little postage stamp size flatties zipping about as you paddled in the shallows....now you just see the odd one or two. Alun.

Now that Diane has retired and wants to come out on the boat, I'm thinking about selling MegaByte and buying something with a bit more shelter. Maybe an Arvor 18 or a Quicksilver.

Good luck with whatever you decide to buy Brian

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42729173# Video footage too - thats a start?

Hi Kippercave thanks for the reply i have tried via the PHA to track you down to thank you for the 50 ragworm you gave me about 2/3 weeks ago when i was floundering in my dinghy sorry but they didnt work????? i have never had it as bad as this winter i have fished again today and once again not a bite i have decided to give it 2 more trips then it back to the Needles.My best flounder last year(2017) was 3lbs-5ozs and you are right i have had 1 fish over the 4llbs mark (4-7) what i cant get my head around is the total lack of fish.I will keep in touch with everyone

I have fished the harbour since the fifties.In those days there were far less anglers fishing the harbour and you could catch the flounders all year except when they went out to sea to breed,You could catch them everywhere.An example was the blue lagoon at lilliput. From the entrance to the lagoon on the ebb tide you did not stop catching them until the ebb stopped.It has to be accepted that over the years with more and more taking up angling that the flounders have been fished out.Up until about three years ago you could catch a few flounders in Holes Bay,including some around the four pound mark but no more.They have got less and less over the last few years.I have good information that for the last couple of years pot baiters have hammered Holes Bay.Look out for a grey Poole canoe with two old timers in it.Not registered.They are the boys doing it. If it was not for the plaice and gilt head bream the harbour would not be worth fishing now. As we know trawlers are devastating the bay between Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers.There won't be much left there soon.The plaice will not reach the harbour. To sum up, the harbour is now overfished and in a minute there will be no fish left. It will take years to recover if it ever does. Just out of interest years ago you only caught flounders in the pound to pound and a half range.As the years went by you started to get bigger fish.In those days a four pounder was unheard of. Getting the odd bigger fish is not doubt because there were not so.many flounders and therefore more food for the odd flounders which were left.My opinion.