The best way to catch plaice is to drift over sand banks.

• Bait up the hook and attractor rig.

• Use a weight that is heavy enough to hold   the bottom only, but do not use excessive weight.

• Carefully lower the rig and bait into the   water, allowing the tide to straighten the bait away   from the weight.

• Very slowly let the line out so that the   rig and bait are lowered to the bottom without twisting. You will feel the line go slack for a few moments. It is important to go slowly with this, as tangles from going down too fast must be avoided. A whole drift may prove to have been a waste of time if the rig comes back in a tangle.

• Let the boat drift away from the rig on the   bottom by about 30-50yds. Then hold the line and let   the rig be dragged by the boat movement across the   bottom.

• When you feel a bite, instantly let about   ten more yards of line go from the reel and then hold   and let the boat take up the slack.

• You should then feel the weight of the fish   on the line. Do not strike.

• Always use a net, or you may loose the fish.

Baits:   The traditional most common bait is probably worm   tipped with squid. To bait the hook, fully feed the   worm up and even onto the line, leaving little or   no worm trailing. Then cut a strip of prepared squid,   (i.e. red speckled skin, innards and tentacles discarded   leaving a thin white sheet of flat flesh) about 1.25   - 2"" long by an three sixteenth wide. Hook   it onto the hook once at one end and leave the rest   as a trailing fleshy attractor. A convenient and very   successful alternative are synthetic baits which are   now on the market. I get offered many new ideas, but   this works. Last April I out-fished eight very experienced   fishermen from Bristol with this bait, and the bonus   is that one strip lasts several hours and will not   fall off or get bitten off and has a virtually indefinite   shelf life, even after opening the packet.

Anglo Dawn Charter Boat Will take you straigt to the Plaice.

Devon Angling Centre, Units 4/5 Orchard Way, Chillington,   Kingsbridge, Devon. TQ7 2LB.

Tight lines,