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Early season plaice fishing session

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It’s been a strange beginning to my year this past three months. I’ve had to work a fair few weekends, so my fishing time has again been limited. In between I’ve had a few whiting, flounder, small turbot, conger and pollack during short evening sessions, but nothing I’d get excited about. Mind you, chatting to mates who have been out, it’s been fairly tough, by all accounts for most.

EARLY SEASON PLAICE FISHING

I was itching to get out fishing and was watching the weather a couple of weeks back during a period of sometimes wet, but often windy weather. I enjoy an early shore plaice trip about mid March, but had to wait while others were picking up the first fish. As luck had it, when I did get a free day, it was during the first real spell of calmish weather. There was still a real hint of chill in the breeze, but you could feel that spring was finally beginning to make her presence felt. Teaming up with my regular fishing buddy, Clive, we felt quite optimistic regarding our chances of a plaice.

I like fresh peeler crab early on for the plaice, but a quick look prior to the trip proved it was way too early. I wasn’t surprised given the rain we’d had and the cold northwest winds. I did have some frozen crab, plus some fresh black lug, and that would have to do.

I started the session with a couple of whiting. Clive got a dab. Bites though were hard to come by. I switched rigs changing from a 2-hook loop rig to a 3-hook flapper, just to get a bit more smell concentrated in the tide flow hoping to pull in any fish that were lethargic and not to keen to chase food down in the cold water. This worked straight away and I picked up a couple of dabs.

About an hour in to the flood, I baited up with crab baits on the bottom two hooks and a black lug section on the top. Having cast out, I let the line fall a little slack, this to make sure all the baits were tight on the seabed. I was watching the line for lift bites. After a few minutes I noticed a slight lift in the line, then a quick tightening, and watched the line fall back loose.

Hitting the fish it put up a spirited scrap and proved to be a plaice about 1.5lbs. It took the bottom crab bait. I ended up with a few more dabs and whiting, but that was the only plaice we saw.

Mostyn early season plaice fishing session
Mike Thrussell shows off his first plaice of the season from Mostyn.

BAIT FREEZER PROJECT

Another little project I had in mind over the early part of the year was to sort out a new bait freezer. The chest freezer I had was donkey’s years old and pretty inefficient compared to modern ones. It seemed to be running more often than not and I dread to think how much electric it was using. I checked the secondhand columns, and there were plenty there, but I decided on a new one and found a 200-litre size that was reduced down in a sale and opted for that.

I was ruthless and chucked away a lot of bait that’s been in the freezer for some time. I saved the good stuff, and that will keep me going for about a month, then I’m buying all new to get some fresh frozen in the freezer, if that make sense. I also aim to get some bait put down over the summer for the coming winter, which I hope for cod might be quite a good one. Watch out for a full feature soon on WSF about how I setup my new bait freezer.

IMPROMPTU DAY AFLOAT WITH GETHYN OWEN & MIKE JNR

The end of March also saw me out for an impromptu short day with Gethyn Owen and my lad aboard My Way out of Holyhead. It was a blustery day and the sea looked like stewed tea. The sun tried to break out through mixed cloud, but mostly failed. It was great to be at sea again though. We found plenty of dogfish, small codling, and huss, plus I bagged two codling about 3lbs each. These on frozen black lug trotted well down from the stern of the boat. I was hoping for a spurdog or two as Geth had had a couple a few days earlier, but we missed out. I don’t see many spurs these days, so catching the odd one makes a nice change.

Codling aboard My Way
An impromptu day aboard Gethyn Owen’s My Way produced this codling.

I’ve said this the past three or four years and without succeeding, but I’m aiming to do a bit more bassing this year. There will be a few fish about from now on, but the season won’t get in to full swing until the lilac blooms. When this flowers, usually towards the end of April and early May, the sea conditions and food supply prove to be just right for the better bass to move inshore, so keep your eyes out for the purple flower appearing.

The post Early season plaice fishing session appeared first on World Sea Fishing - Sea Angling Webzine and Forum.


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