Plaice
Pleuronectes platessa
One of Ireland's most recognisable flatfish, distinguished by its vivid orange spots. Found over clean and mixed ground, and a prized spring and early summer target.
How to identify it
Right-eyed flatfish. Brown upper side with bold, bright orange or red-orange spots — unmistakable. Smooth skin. Row of bony knobs or tubercles running from the eyes to the lateral line.
How to catch it
Where to find it in Cork
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Rules
No rod licence for sea angling
The plaice is one of the most instantly recognisable fish in Irish waters. Its bold orange or red-orange spots on a brown upper side make it unmistakable, and the row of hard bony tubercles running from behind the eyes along the lateral line is a further identification feature found in no other common flatfish. The skin is smooth, distinguishing it from the rough-textured dab. Plaice favour clean sandy and mixed ground, moving inshore in spring as water temperatures begin to rise, and the period from March through to early summer represents the best shore fishing of the year for the species.
In County Cork, plaice are found along sandy beaches, in bays with clean ground, and over the mixed shell and gravel banks that characterise much of the county’s coastline. Spring tides and calm settled conditions in April and May traditionally produce the best shore results. The standard approach is a long-snooded bottom rig with small, fine-wire hooks in size 2 to 6, baited with lugworm or ragworm. Thin strips of sandeel can also be effective and are worth including on a two-hook paternoster as a second offering. One practical consideration for shore fishing is that plaice tend to lie on clean ground beyond the disturbed surf zone, meaning a long cast is often necessary to reach productive water — anglers targeting plaice specifically should be prepared to fish at range rather than in close.
From a boat, plaice can be taken over the offshore banks throughout the spring and early summer, with drifting over clean ground using flowing traces and worm or sandeel baits being the most productive approach. Fish tend to become harder to find from the shore as summer progresses and warmer water pushes them back to deeper ground.