Flattie techniques (Dabs and Plaice)

[Bob on Stronsay]

I do most of my fishing from rocks but we have lots of flat shallow beaches up on Stronsay and it is easy to spot Dabs and Plaice about but for the amount of time we have fished for them the returns have been small in numbers.

 

I realise a lot of the time I over cast for them and should fish much closer in than I do.

 

What technique is best, using a grip lead with a static bait or using plain leads and letting the bait move about or even still would moving the bait with a slow retrieve work?

 

Bob

[flattiefanatic]

The method I'd favour would be using a plain lead that allows a little amount of movement, just enough lead to keep the bait trickling along the sea bed (you'd have to find out how much lead for yourself by experimenting) fish a one up one down flapper (use your own discretion when choosing hook size, but for Dabs I'd go for a 4 max, Plaice use a 1 or 2) slide 3 or 4 lumi beads (or indeed a colour of your choice, red is a good choice) onto the snood (cant remember the exact size but they're oval size 8mm or so). Bait with Mackerel strip or Lug (or a cocktail) for the Dabs, and use shellfish and worm baits for the Plaice, I find Rag to be a good choice as it will take just about anything.

Edited May 11, 2006 by flattiefanatic

[Bob on Stronsay]

I think we have been over fishing for them.

 

Over casting, over leading etc. Do you hold the rod or use a tripod stand etc?

 

Will give your tips a try.

 

Do you really reckon the beads work as I have yet to catch anything when I have used them.

 

Bob

[seaside]

I think we have been over fishing for them.

 

Over casting, over leading etc. Do you hold the rod or use a tripod stand etc?

 

Will give your tips a try.

 

Do you really reckon the beads work as I have yet to catch anything when I have used them.

 

Bob

 

I tend to hold my rod and everyonce in a while take in a couple of turns on the reel.

 

BTW I find dabs are not too fussy about the freshness of bait, in fact, smelly lug seems to be really effective.

[Kieran Hanrahan]

Hi

 

Seaside is right, dabs like stinky baits - old lug and squid has a use after all! This said it will not do for anything else so you need to be targetting them specifically. They are the most active of the flatfish and will move around quite a bit, especially in a tidal flow. They also tend to shoal, although the specimens seem to be loners. They definitely do react to the bling, so I would use a plain lead, let it move around and twitch it as well, and the longer the snood the better. Adding a floaty bead or two will do not harm at all.

 

As for the plaice, they're a little more fussy and less impressed with the bling IMHO but I am told that it varies from mark to mark. They feed as young fish on mussels, and indeed as adults too, which is why mussel is probably the best plaice bait (assuming the are mussel beds in the area). Very fresh bait will Plaice are active predators as well, so all the tactics mentioned above should work well. One thing about plaice is that they are very greedy buggers, and you can rarely have too big a bait for them.

 

The one point about all this is that the twitching will scare the bejaysus out of any sole that might be in the area - static smelly baits left on the bottom close in is the only option if you want to catch a slip or two...

 

Hope this helps...

[seaside]

.......... snip

 

The one point about all this is that the twitching will scare the bejaysus out of any sole that might be in the area - static smelly baits left on the bottom close in is the only option if you want to catch a slip or two...

 

Hope this helps...

 

Now that's one thing I'd never thought of, probably explains why the only sole I've caught has been at night which is when I use a rod rest rather than hold and twitch.

[Ian Burrett]

A moving bait with Plaice will always outfish a static bait

[Grant]

I was reading that some people from boats have been trying two leads on their rigs- one at the tope of the trace and one at the bottom- for flatties.

 

Was thinking of trying a small bullet weight at the top of my rig, along with the usual one at the bottom- anyone tried this?

 

Would be mainly plaice round here.

[maidstonemike]

These chaps are right, Plaice like a moving bait, and sequins or bright beads. Fish as light as you can, use an arlsey bomb or similar.