THE PERFECT PLAICE

We all get excited when the first plaice appear, usually in February and March. They are the first real evidence that spring is getting close. The truth is though, these fish are fresh back inshore after a rigorous spawning season and in relatively thin condition. It takes a couple of months of feeding before the plaice start really fattening up and getting back towards their prime, from May onwards.

One of the first habitats to produce well-conditioned plaice are the smaller estuaries that litter the Welsh coast, especially North and Mid-Wales. These estuaries vary in size from small ones, just a hundred yards or so wide, to major waterways like the Dee Estuary. They all have one thing in common; their shallow, sandy, muddy banks heat up quickly in the spring sun encouraging an explosion of food from March onwards which allow the plaice to build up their condition more quickly.

HABITAT

Luckily for us, plaice are predictable in the habitat they prefer when resident in estuaries. Though tolerant of a little freshwater influx, they do not like acidic water and will be within close proximity to the open sea where salinity levels remain higher. It’s hard to put a specific marker down for this, but if you work on them being no further inland than the main holding grounds of peeler crab, you won’t