| The best way to catch plaice is to drift over sand | | | | - You should then feel the weight of the fish on |
| banks. | | | | the line. Do not strike. |
| - Bait up the hook and attractor rig. | | | | - Always use a net, or you may loose the fish. |
| - Use a weight that is heavy enough to hold the | | | | - Baits: The traditional most common bait is |
| bottom only, but do not use excessive weight. | | | | probably worm tipped with squid. To bait the |
| - Carefully lower the rig and bait into the water, | | | | hook, fully feed the worm up and even onto the |
| allowing the tide to straighten the bait away from | | | | line, leaving little or no worm trailing. Then cut a |
| the weight. | | | | strip of prepared squid, (i.e. red speckled skin, |
| - Very slowly let the line out so that the rig and | | | | innards and tentacles discarded leaving a thin |
| bait are lowered to the bottom without twisting. | | | | white sheet of flat flesh) about 1.25 - 2"" long by |
| You will feel the line go slack for a few moments. | | | | an three sixteenth wide. Hook it onto the hook |
| It is important to go slowly with this, as tangles | | | | once at one end and leave the rest as a trailing |
| from going down too fast must be avoided. A | | | | fleshy attractor. A convenient and very |
| whole drift may prove to have been a waste of | | | | successful alternative is 'Fish & Strips' |
| time if the rig comes back in a tangle. | | | | synthetic bait. I get offered many new ideas, but |
| - Let the boat drift away from the rig on the | | | | this works. Last April I out-fished eight very |
| bottom by about 30-50yds. Then hold the line and | | | | experienced fishermen from Bristol with this bait, |
| let the rig be dragged by the boat movement | | | | and the bonus is that one strip lasts several hours |
| across the bottom. | | | | and will not fall off or get bitten off and has a |
| - When you feel a bite, instantly let about ten | | | | virtually indefinite shelf life, even after opening the |
| more yards of line go from the reel and then hold | | | | packet. |
| and let the boat take up the slack. | | | | |