THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

Another drift fishing tactic popular down on the
south coast is plaice hopping, which is not that
dissimilar to using the paternoster I was
apologising for earlier, except that it has just the
two booms acting as a spreader, and the wider the
reach the better.
The monofilament droppers need be no more than
twelve inches in length, with a light plastic spoon
fixed mid point, either by a trapped bead or using
a swivel. Bait it according to local preference,
tipped off with either a tiny sliver of mackerel
belly or squid, again to act as a flag.
At anchor, proving there isn't too much run, you
can also cast this out as far down tide as possible,
then lift and twitch is back slowly. Alternatively,
fished on the drift, keep lifting it a few inches then
dropping it back to the bottom taking in the slack
line in the hope of catching a fish’s eye. Brightly
coloured lead lead weights can also be used to add
to the spectacle.
Even from the shore bling comes in useful at
times. Everything that has already been said Charlie Pitchers, Fleetwood Plaice
applies just as much from the beach, the jetty, or
deep water rock marks looking out on to sand as it does from the boat, and the deeper the water, the
easier it is to make good use of attractors. Even the hopping technique of twitching the baits back in
slowly.
All good tactics for numbers of fish. But if it's quality you want, and I'm thinking here of fish in the six
pounds and upwards bracket, despite the fact that a few turn up each year off Bognor, Weymouth, and
out over the Skerries, then really you are better looking at areas where commercial fishing pressure is
at it lowest.
That's what happened when Harry Gardiner took the first ever double figure home waters plaice from
Longa Sound near Gairloch up in the Scottish Highlands back in 1974.
Associated audio interview numbers: 91.
DAB Limanda limanda
Bucket List status – result
Like the plaice and flounder which it superficially resembles, the dab lays on the seabed on the left side
of its body with its eyes and pigmentation on the right. By far the commonest home waters flatfish, and
by far the easiest species to identify.
Simply rub the finger tips from tail to head against the grain of the scales and it will feel rough over
every bit of its upper surface.
No bony knobs from the back of the eyes to the lateral line or rough prickles at the base of the dorsal
and anal fins. Just a drab brown flatfish with a light scattering on faint orange flecks, and a strongly
curved lateral line over its pectoral fin.
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