Plaice species guide • Sea fish • Very easy (3/10)

Plaice junior fishing guide

Pleuronectes platessa

A clear, plain-English guide to plaice for parents, coaches and juniors. See where they live, the best starter tackle, simple bait choices and a three-step plan to help young anglers catch their first one safely.

🎣 View starter tackle setups 📋 Log a Plaice catch
Junior-first & welfare-aware • 3-step beginner plan • UK venues & seasons
Skill & size • Seasons • Beginner baits

Skill level

Very easy (3/10)

Perfect for first-ever fishing trips with young juniors.

Best time

Spring–Autumn

Pick mild, settled days for junior sessions.

Typical size

1–3 lb common; large specimens over 5 lb possible.

Always match hooks, nets & lines to expected fish size.

🐟

Beginner baits

Black lugworm, Blow lugworm, Cockles …

Keep it simple — small hook baits, little-and-often feeding.

Typical venues: Clean sandy and shingle beaches, estuary channels and inshore banks.
Scroll down for detailed tackle setups, methods and parent-friendly guidance.
Catch your first plaice with confidence

Catch your first Plaice in 3 steps

A simple, repeatable plan juniors can follow with help from a parent, coach or older angler.

  1. Step 1

    Head for clean sand and tide runs

    Plaice favour clean sand and shingle with some tide movement. Choose beaches with safe access and enough room to cast without crossing lines.

  2. Step 2

    Two-hook rigs with colourful worm baits

    Use flapper rigs with beads and spoons and size 2 hooks baited with ragworm, lugworm or tipped with small shellfish. Cast across sandbanks or gullies.

  3. Step 3

    Teach flatfish ID by spots and shape

    Plaice are great for showing juniors orange spots and right-sided bodies. Handle carefully, avoid hot sand and return fish before they dry out.

Tackle setups that work

Designed with juniors and fish welfare in mind. Start with an IDEAL or GOOD setup for easier casting and safe unhooking.

👉 Swipe sideways to view different setups.

Beachcaster

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

Surf Rod

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

About the Plaice

Plaice are right-sided flatfish with bright orange spots on the upper side. They lie buried in sand and shingle and move in to feed on worms and shellfish, giving steady, rod-tip pulls when hooked.

Junior tip

Use simple two-hook flapper rigs with worm or shellfish baits and cast onto clean sand. Keep the lead just holding bottom and watch for slow, steady bites.

Logged a Plaice recently?

Add a catch report so juniors can see where they’re being caught, which baits work and how your tackle was set up.

Submit a catch report

Want to discover more species? Browse the full species guide.

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