Species profile
Lemon sole
Lemon sole in Irish waters. Catchable Year round, peak Year round. How to tell one from a dab by feel, and why it is not a shore target here.
Eric, Greystones · Reviewed August 2026 · IFI-aligned
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Quick answer
Lemon sole in Irish waters. Catchable Year round, peak Year round. How to tell one from a dab by feel, and why it is not a shore target here.
Lemon sole · Running now
In season
Typical size
Conservation
Season on the coast
Peak and catchable months on the Wicklow shore.
Catchable Jan to Dec
- Peak
- Catchable
- Off season
- This month
Where they live
Clean offshore ground in moderate depth, well beyond casting range. Overwhelmingly a commercial trawl species in Ireland.
What to use
Small worm baits · Fine wire hooks
How to fish them
Not a realistic shore target in Ireland. If one turns up on clean ground it comes to the same small worm bait and fine wire hook that finds dab.
Suggested gear
Starter searches matched to tactics above
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12ft beachcaster rod
Covers the gutters and troughs flatfish sit in on a flooding tide.
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Two-hook flapper rigs
The standard flatfish rig for beaches and estuary mouths.
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Aberdeen hooks, 1/0 fine wire
Long shank and fine wire for the small mouths flatfish have.
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Bait elastic thread
Holds a soft bait together through the cast and the drag back.
Related guides and tools
Marks, tactics, bait, gear, and today's plan for this species
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Eric
Based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, fishing the Irish coast since 2018
Target lemon sole on today's plan
Ranked marks, species windows, and gear for the Wicklow shore.