Plaice

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) is a right-eyed flatfish with a brown upper side, bright orange spots, a white underside and a row of bony knobs on the head. It lives on sand and mud all round the UK coast and is best known as a food fish.

For sea anglers, plaice are a spring and summer target that move inshore as the water warms. They also carry a legal size: the UK minimum conservation reference size is 27 cm.

This guide covers telling plaice from flounder and dab, when and where to fish, shore and boat methods, and the size rules by area.

What a Plaice Is: Size, Habitat and Status

A typical shore plaice weighs 1 to 3 lb (0.45 to 1.4 kg). The species is reported to reach about 26in and 10 lb (4.5 kg), but fish anywhere near that size are rare.

Plaice live on sandy and muddy seabeds and also turn up in estuaries. For anglers, the classic mark is clean sand next to rough ground or shellfish beds.

Commercial fishing pressure on plaice peaked in the 1970s and 80s. Stocks have recovered somewhat since, and the IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. Plaice remain a valued table fish, so keeping only fish over the size limit (covered below) matters.

The British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee keeps the official records, which now include length-based sea records. Check the current BRFC list on the Angling Trust website rather than a figure quoted on a forum.

Plaice share their ground with several other UK flatfish, including sole. The commonest mistake on the beach is calling a flounder a plaice.

Plaice vs Flounder (and Dab): How to Tell Them Apart

Most beginners learn “orange spots means plaice”, and the rule fails often enough to matter. Flounder and dab can both show orange spots, so if you log a catch or keep a fish, check something other than colour.

Look behind the eyes. A plaice has a row of 4 to 7 bony knobs running back from the eyes, and smooth skin. Its eyes sit on the right side of the body, which is why it is called right-eyed.

A flounder has no knobs. It has rough, spiny scales along the lateral line and at the base of the fins. Flounder are common in estuaries, and on open beaches they work the gutters and low-water lines.

Feature	Plaice	Flounder
Bony knobs behind eyes	Yes, a row of 4 to 7	None
Skin feel	Smooth	Rough scales along the lateral line and fin bases
Orange spots a reliable sign?	No, other flatfish can show them	No, can show orange spots
Typical ground	Clean sand, sand-bar gullies further out	Estuaries, gutters and low-water lines

Dab can also carry orange spots and often share the same sand bars as plaice. See the dab page for its full ID, the flounder page for more on that species, and the UK fish identification guide for other species.

The quick test: run a thumb behind the eyes. A row of bumps means plaice; rough scales along the lateral line mean flounder.

When and Where to Catch Plaice in the UK

Good sand fished in the wrong month produces no plaice. Timing matters more than tackle, because plaice fishing follows a seasonal run.

Plaice are generally reported to spawn offshore from January to March, in 20 to 40 m of water, with a main spawning ground between the Flemish Bight and the Thames estuary. They move inshore as the water warms in spring, and shore anglers catch most of their plaice between March and September.

Plaice are rarely caught at night, so plan around daylight tides.

Time of year	What plaice are doing	For anglers
Late winter	Spawning offshore	Few shore fish
Spring	Moving inshore	Prime shore time
Summer to early autumn	Still on inshore sand (general guidance)	Catchable from the shore; boats reach deeper sand

Fish clean sand beside rough ground or mussel and shellfish beds. Plaice and dab often hold in sand-bar gullies further out, while flounder sit closer in.

If you only get one plaice trip a year, make it a daylight tide in spring over clean sand next to mussel beds.

Shore Fishing for Plaice: Rig, Hooks and Bait

Shore plaice need only a soft-tipped rod, a multi-hook rig, fresh worm and a few beads. Presentation decides most days.

Rod. A light bass or flatfish rod with a soft tip shows plaice bites.

Rig. A two or three hook flapper rig or a clipped wishbone, tied with size 1 to 2 long-shank hooks, covers most shore plaice fishing. Add beads and sequins to the hooklengths. Plaice respond to this kind of attractor more than any other flatfish.

Bait. Fresh ragworm or lugworm, black lug in particular, is the standard plaice bait. Adding peeler crab or mussel to a worm bait can also help, and a squid tip on the worm tends to pick out larger fish.

Four presentation steps, based on methods described in Sea Angler:

Keep worms fresh and thread them neatly up the long shank, with no loose ends.
Dip the baited rig in the flooding tide just before you cast. This tightens the worm tails so they stay on the hook.
Clip only one pair of grip-lead wires. The rig then creeps slowly with the tide and covers more sand.
Hold the rod until the rig settles, then watch the soft tip for bites.

Best for: daylight spring tides over clean sand. Skip if: you are on heavy weed or rock, where long-shank flappers snag. Fish the sand edge instead.

Boat Fishing for Plaice

A boat reaches sandbanks and shell ground well beyond casting range, and it keeps you in touch with plaice on deeper sand through the summer.

Published boat guidance for plaice is thin, so treat this as a common starting point rather than a rule: a single hook, around size 1/0 to 2/0, on a short trace of about 12in (30 cm).

The shore principles still apply. Use worm baits with a squid tip, add beads or other attractors, target clean sand and shell ground, and fish in daylight.

Whether to drift or anchor depends on the ground and the tide. Follow the skipper’s lead on the mark.

Plaice Minimum Size: 27 cm and Who Enforces It

Ask three anglers on a pier whether size limits apply to them and you may get three answers. The short version: in several English districts, they do.

The UK minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) for plaice is 27 cm, according to the GOV.UK MCRS list (last updated 3 February 2026). That page does not deal with recreational anglers. In English inshore waters, the rules that bind anglers come from Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) byelaws.

IFCA district	Plaice minimum	Applies to anglers?
North Western IFCA	27 cm	Yes, Byelaw 1 Schedule 2 applies to all persons fishing in the district
Eastern IFCA	27 cm	Yes, the Minimum Sizes Byelaw 2019 covers recreational fishing
Kent and Essex IFCA	27 cm	Yes, commercial and recreational; undersize fish must go back immediately
Cornwall IFCA	27 cm (legacy byelaw list)	Check Cornwall IFCA for area exceptions
Sussex IFCA	Check its 2021 byelaw schedule	The 2021 minimum size byelaw covers recreational fishing
Devon and Severn, Southern, Northumberland, North Eastern, Isles of Scilly	Check with the IFCA	Check with the IFCA

Treat 27 cm as your minimum everywhere, then check your district.

English IFCA byelaws do not cover Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and a recreational plaice size for those nations could not be confirmed from an official source. Check with the Welsh Government or Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Government Marine Directorate, or DAERA.

Measure on a flat rule from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. Return undersize fish to the sea straight away, handle them with wet hands, and keep them out of the water as briefly as possible.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum size for plaice?

The UK minimum conservation reference size for plaice is 27 cm. IFCA byelaws apply that size to recreational anglers in districts including North Western, Eastern and Kent and Essex. Check your local IFCA, or the relevant authority in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, before you keep a fish.

What is the best bait for plaice?

Fresh ragworm or lugworm is the best plaice bait, tipped with squid to pick out larger fish. Add beads or sequins to the hooklength, because plaice respond to attractors more than other flatfish. Peeler crab or mussel added to a worm bait can also increase catches.

When is the best time to catch plaice?

Spring is the best time to catch plaice, on daylight tides. Plaice spawn offshore in late winter, then move inshore as the water warms. Shore anglers catch most plaice between March and September, and the fish are rarely caught at night.