Flatfish · Beach and boat

Plaice

Fish clean sand from spring into summer. Beads and a long, slow-moving bait help.

Plaice
Image: Jonathan Couch, A History of the Fishes of the British Islands (1862–65), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Know it
Bright orange spots, smooth skin and a row of 4–7 bony knobs behind the eyes.
Bait
Ragworm, lug, mussel, razorfish; with attractor beads
Rigs
Two-hook flapperSpreader
Table
Excellent eating Lean and thin in early spring after spawning. Best from midsummer onwards.

Season

Typical months on the North West and North East coasts, with this month ringed. Seasons shift a few weeks with water temperature and run differently around the coast: see each region's headline fish below.

Irish Sea
North Sea
PeakPresentRareIrish Sea = North Wales to Cumbria · North Sea = Yorkshire to Northumberland

Legal minimum size

Plaice

Last checked 18 October 2026

Measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (rays: wing tip to wing tip). Each region links to its regulator.

AreaMinimum
North West England27cm
North Wales27cm
Yorkshire to the Tyne27cm
Northumberland27cm
Cardigan Bay and the Llyn27cm
Dorset, Hampshire and the Solent27cm (check locally)
Kent, the Thames and Essex27cm (check locally)
Suffolk, Norfolk and the Wash27cm
Lincolnshire and the Humber27cm

No size for this fish is listed in the regional rules we checked for Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales, Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. That may mean none is set, or that the national rules apply: check locally.

and 6 other regions

Rules change, usually each spring. Check the regulator for the area before you keep a fish.

A headline fish in

February to May

Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales

Pembrokeshire sandy beaches in early spring. Ragworm and black lug on a three-hook flapper with beads, twitched back now and then.

Late February to May

Sussex

Seaford, Shoreham and Brighton after calm, clear days. Lug or rag with beads, dragged slowly.

Where to catch it

Regions with marks where plaice is one of the main fish, and how many marks.

Cardigan Bay and the Llyn 1South Devon 2Sussex 4Northumberland 1Scottish Borders to Aberdeen 1Moray Firth, Caithness, Orkney and Shetland 1North West England 1North Wales coast 1

How to cook it

Lean and thin in early spring after spawning. Best from midsummer onwards. Simple ways to cook it at home. More on bleeding, gutting, filleting and freezing in From sea to plate.

Method 1

Grilled whole

Gut and trim the fish, slash the dark skin a few times, brush with butter and season. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes a side, depending on size, until the flesh is opaque at the bone.

Method 2

Fried fillets

Dip fillets in seasoned flour, or in batter, and fry until golden. Serve with lemon or tartare sauce.