Brighton has developed a reputation for consistent runs of Plaice, sometimes starting as early as January and running right through into late Summer. The mixed sand, silt gravel & mussel beds, which are abundant off of Brighton, provide a reliable food source for these beautiful and popular eating fish, attracting them in huge numbers. When conditions are right it is not unusual catch 200+ in a single session and the better specimens reach a weight of around 4lb, although the average size is considerably smaller in the 1 -2lb range. We target these fish by drifting inshore using light tackle and combination of baits which include lugworm, ragworm, squid, cuttle-fish, mussels and often a combination of two or more of these fished on a wishbone or spreader rig with a few beads which act as attractors to lure the fish closer to the bait.
Plaice fishing trips are great for beginners – they are relatively easy to catch, we don’t have to travel very far for them and everyone gets to take something home for supper. It is also a very handy fallback option when the weather blows up as we are afforded a degree of shelter in certain states of wind & tide whilst inshore and can generally get out to fish for them when it maybe unsafe to venture out to the far banks and wrecks.
