THE FLOUNDER OR FLATFISH 



Next in importance to the plaice is the 

 flounder, sometimes called the winter floun- 

 der and also the flatfish; it is much more 

 abundant and does not grow to so large a 

 size as the plaice. The flounder is a cold- 

 weather fish, biting from February to the 

 beginning of May, and again from October 

 to December. They are always on the bot- 

 tom, feeding upon shells, young crabs or 

 whatever they can find among the stones 

 and in the mud. They prefer soft, black 

 mud bottoms, and the boat should be an- 

 chored half-way between the middle of the 

 channel and the edges. At high tide they 

 scatter well over the flats; at low tide they 

 gather together in the center of channels. 

 Their mouths are very small, and as they 

 would be unable to seize and kill other fish, 

 they never come to the surface in search of 

 their prey, as do the large-mouthed plaice. 

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