Listen to the Song – The Master of Disguise – The Flounder
The complete lyrics are included in the companion book, Our Jewels in the Water, allowing readers to follow every song while learning about Britain’s remarkable freshwater fish.
Enjoying the music?
The companion book Our Jewels in the Water includes the full lyrics, additional stories, exclusive photographs and beautiful illustrations for every species.
The Flounder
The Master of Disguise
“Hidden beneath the sand, the Flounder waits patiently, blending so perfectly with its surroundings that only the keenest eye will ever notice it.”
Species Profile
The Flounder (Platichthys flesus) is one of Britain’s most remarkable and adaptable fish. Although most people think of it as a sea fish, the Flounder is equally at home in estuaries and tidal rivers, often travelling many miles upstream into freshwater.
Its flattened body, both eyes positioned on one side of its head and remarkable ability to change colour make it one of nature’s true masters of camouflage. Resting almost invisibly on sand, gravel or mud, it patiently waits before launching a sudden attack on unsuspecting prey.
Few fish demonstrate nature’s ingenuity quite so perfectly.
Clive’s Match Angler’s Notes
As a young lad, I spent countless hours exploring the waters around Cardiff Dock.
Those days taught me lessons that no book ever could.
One memory has stayed with me throughout my life.
I often watched Flounders lying motionless on the bottom, almost impossible to see against the muddy bed. Curious to see how they behaved, I would slowly retrieve a small spinner through the water.
To my amazement, the Flounders would leave their hiding places and begin following it.
At first I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
Here was a flatfish behaving like a predator.
Although they never actually took the spinner, they followed it with determination, sometimes almost to the water’s edge.
That simple observation completely changed the way I looked at Flounders.
Until then I had thought of them as passive fish that simply waited for food to drift by.
Instead, I discovered an active hunter, perfectly capable of stalking potential prey whenever the opportunity arose.
It was one of those wonderful childhood discoveries that reminds you how much there is to learn if you simply stop and watch nature.
Natural History
The Flounder is one of the few flatfish regularly found in both saltwater and freshwater.
It inhabits estuaries, harbours, tidal rivers and the lower reaches of many British rivers, feeding on worms, crustaceans, insect larvae, molluscs and small fish.
Its remarkable camouflage enables it to blend almost perfectly with its surroundings, while specialised skin cells allow it to alter its colouring to match different riverbeds.
Spawning takes place at sea during winter and early spring. The young fish later move into estuaries and tidal rivers where food is abundant before many eventually return to coastal waters.
This remarkable adaptability has made the Flounder one of Britain’s most successful flatfish.
Interesting Facts
- Scientific name: Platichthys flesus.
- One of the few flatfish commonly found in freshwater and estuaries.
- Can rapidly change its colour to match the river or seabed.
- Both eyes are positioned on one side of its body.
- Feeds on worms, crustaceans, molluscs, insect larvae and small fish.
- Often found surprisingly far upstream in tidal rivers.
- A strong and determined fighter on light tackle.
- One of Britain’s finest examples of natural camouflage.
Many older anglers referred to Flounders caught well upstream in rivers and docks as “freshwater flounders”. Although the name is widely recognised in angling circles, they are the same species—the European Flounder (Platichthys flesus).
Behind the Song
When writing The Master of Disguise, I wanted the music to reflect both the mystery and the surprise of this remarkable fish.
The gentle verses capture the Flounder lying unseen upon the riverbed, while the chorus celebrates the moment it suddenly springs into action.
The song reminds us that nature often hides its greatest talents beneath the simplest appearance.
Sometimes the most extraordinary creatures are those we almost fail to notice.
Conservation
Healthy estuaries, docks and lower rivers are essential for the Flounder’s survival.
Pollution, habitat loss and declining water quality threaten many of the environments on which this adaptable fish depends.
Protecting our estuaries benefits not only Flounders but countless other species that rely upon these rich and productive waters throughout their lives.
Clive’s Reflection
Whenever I think about the Flounder, I am taken back to those happy days exploring Cardiff Dock.
Standing quietly on the bank, watching those perfectly camouflaged fish reveal themselves only when curiosity overcame caution, taught me one of my earliest lessons about nature.
The more patiently you watch…
The more nature reveals.
The Flounder taught me that appearances can be wonderfully deceptive.
Hidden beneath the mud and sand lies an accomplished hunter that has mastered the art of remaining unseen.
That is why, to me, the Flounder will always be…
The Master of Disguise.