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How to catch European plaice

Pleuronectes platessa Linnaeus, 1758

About European plaice fishing

The European plaice is a prominent marine flatfish belonging to the family Pleuronectidae, easily distinguished by its oval, compressed body and smooth skin featuring a dark brownish-green background peppered with striking, irregularly placed orange spots. Both eyes reside on the right side of the head, complemented by a small terminal mouth and a characteristic bony ridge behind the eyes. Growing up to a maximum length of one hundred centimetres and reaching an ultimate weight of seven kilograms, this demersal species inhabits coastal waters down to two hundred metres over soft sandy and muddy bottoms. As an oceanodromous fish, adults generally reside in deeper offshore zones while juveniles nursery in shallow intertidal estuaries and bathing beaches, burying themselves by day and actively foraging at night for thin-shelled molluscs and polychaetes.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    40 cm TL

  • Market value

    Medium

  • Habitat

    Brackish, Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Flatfish, Fluke, Hen fish, Plaice, Plaice-fluke

European plaice

Orange spots

Distinct orange spots scattered across the body distinguish this flatfish species.

Flatfish body

Asymmetrical flatfish body with both eyes on one side identifies the plaice.

European plaice fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    40 cm TL (max 100 cm SL )

  • Typical weight

    0.6 kg (max 7 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    6.8–12.4 °C

  • Depth

    0–200 m

  • Longevity

    50 years

  • Body shape

    Short And / Or Deep

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    71.1

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Active

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Low

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Low

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Peak

  • Night

    After dark

    Peak

When to fish for European plaice

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch European plaice

Tips for catching European plaice

Targeting European plaice successfully requires presenting bottom rigs equipped with natural baits onto sandy or mixed fine-sediment bottoms where these flatfish lie buried during daylight hours. Since they hunt primarily by scent and motion during low-light periods or at night, employing sliding ledger rigs baited with fresh lugworms, sandworms, or strips of razor shell proves highly effective. Surfcasting from shallow sandy beaches during rising tides often brings rewarding sport as the fish move into the very shallows to feed on exposed macrofauna. Keep your tackle sensitive with light ledger tips to detect the subtle taps characteristic of a flatfish picking up a bait, and allow the fish a brief moment to take the hook before striking.

Other names for European plaice

Local and alternate names anglers use for European plaice.

  • European plaice
  • Plaice-fluke
  • Plaice
  • Hen fish
  • Fluke
  • Flatfish

Best equipment to catch European plaice

Compare fishing methods for European plaice — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 0.6 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for European plaice

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How European plaice migrates — Oceanodromous

Migrates within the sea between spawning, nursery and feeding grounds, and never enters fresh water. Follow its seasonal shifts along the coast and offshore.

How European plaice migrates — Oceanodromous 1. Eggs: Laid on the spawning grounds. 2. Larvae: Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds. 3. Juveniles: Grow up in sheltered nursery waters. 4. Adults: Range widely over the feeding grounds. 5. Spawners: Return to the spawning grounds each season.
Spawning grounds Nursery grounds Feeding grounds

1 Eggs

Spawning grounds

Laid on the spawning grounds.

2 Larvae

→ Nursery grounds

Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds.

3 Juveniles

Nursery grounds

Grow up in sheltered nursery waters.

4 Adults

Feeding grounds

Range widely over the feeding grounds.

5 Spawners

→ Spawning grounds

Return to the spawning grounds each season.

It stays in the sea and never runs up into fresh water.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of European plaice

  • Diet

    Carnivore

  • Feeds by

    Hunts animals

  • Hunts

    Dusk · Night

  • Feeds over

    Soft bottom · Intertidal

  • Main prey

    Baitfish

Prey and predators of European plaice

Prey is what European plaice eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.

Prey

What it eats

Predators

What hunts it

Where European plaice lives

Lives on or just above the bottom. Work jigs, bait, and lures along the seabed.

Habitats
Brackish, Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral, Bathyal
0–200 m
Usually 10–50 m
Water column
Demersal
On or near the bed

Where this species lives

Where to fish for European plaice

Mapped fishing spots where European plaice is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.

Poole Bay

Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleEnglandUnited Kingdom

Inner Moray Firth (Inverness Firth)

HighlandAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

Piel Harbour

Westmorland and FurnessEnglandUnited Kingdom

Vest Stadil Fjord

Ringkøbing-SkjernRegion MidtjyllandDenmark

Bønnerup Fiskerihavn

NorddjursRegion MidtjyllandDenmark

Gjerrild Flak

NorddjursRegion MidtjyllandDenmark

Grenå Havn

NorddjursRegion MidtjyllandDenmark

Naveren

NorddjursRegion MidtjyllandDenmark

Starbæk Grund

AabenraaRegion SyddanmarkDenmark

Torø Banke

AssensRegion SyddanmarkDenmark