THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

will be below the mouth. The same is true of the turbot which is really the only other fish with which
brill might be confused.
Both have wide rounded body
shapes, though that of the brill is
noticeably less wide than the
turbot, which is helpful if you
have both at hand to compare, but
pretty meaningless for just one
isolated fish. No problem though,
as nature comes to the rescue in
other ways.
The upper surface of the turbot is
covered in small, well-spaced,
hard 'warts' known as tubercles.
These may not be immediately
picked up by the eye, but are
readily detected by the hand. Brill have no such 'warts' and will feel completely smooth.
For completeness, the first few dorsal rays at the head end are partly free of their connecting membranes
and branched, and there are no patterned markings on the tail.
Colouration is variable according to habitat, with anything from quite a drab brown to beautifully
mottled brown and yellow with a scattering of small white flecks. Much of my experience is with the
latter which can make them very pleasing fish to the eye.
Never a common fish, and nothing like as abundant as its close relative the turbot, which these days
unfortunately is itself becoming something of rarity or specialist catch, brill and turbot fishing is
identical in all but the final outcome.
Every brill I've either caught or seen caught has come on a day when we had turbot too. Never in
isolation. Particularly around the Channel Islands where there are many offshore banks laden with
sandeels, which turbot, brill and bass love in equal measure. But they won't be there hunting for them
in equal measure, with bass the most abundant of the trio and brill the least.
All my personal brill encounters have been around Jersey, Guernsey and Aldernay, drifting the banks
with a long flowing trace of maybe twelve feet of thirty pounds bs monofilament with a 4/0 hook, a live
sandeel, and a watch lead to take it down. It doesn't have to be a watch lead, but there are some pretty
compelling arguments as to which it should be.
For those unfamiliar with the watch lead, this is a circular lead like a polo mint with studs on it. The
reason why it brings something to the bank fishing, whether it be for bass, turbot or brill, especially on
a crowded charter boat, is that it helps prevent tangles. But to do so most effectively, it needs everyone
to be using them.
Bank geography is the underlying problem here, with numerous slopes, scour holes, and gullies sculpted
by the tide. Bomb leads are more subject to gravity than a watch lead and can roll sideways into other
peoples gear. Watch leads can also move down a side slope, but do so much more slowly by virtue of
lying flat on the bottom.
Whatever your ultimate lead choice, make sure it's big enough to keep the bait down, and avoid the
round ball leads you might see some bank anglers using if you want to stay out of trouble.
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