best bait for plaice

[eeler]

Is rag the best bait for plaice? would lug be any good? or mussels?

[kieran]

Mussels - they feed on them when they are young and keep an interest in them.
Lugworm works but I find it has to be fresh to work really well...

FWIW

[samo]

I'd have to say rag is the best.

[eric]

Mussels - they feed on them when they are young and keep an interest in them.
Lugworm works but I find it has to be fresh to work really well...

FWIW

mussels arnt really any good for em. they inhabit mussel beds because thats where their favourite foods live, ie. ragworms. any worms baits are good, but tipping it thin slivers of fish baits is the killer touch. sandeel also works very well for the bigger specimens.

[sea serpant]

rag and lug works but a small section of sandeel can be excellent

[eeler]

cheers lads, tryed this evening with just rag and beads, ended up catching 4 schoolies and two flounder, i,ll try tipping it the next time

[beachcaster]

i find a cocktail of baits works very well for them,ragworm or lug tipped with razor fish and a small piece of makerel.i found cocktails of bait are much better than ragworm on its own.

[petekd]

Cant comment from the shore but had plenty anchored within casting range, rag and mack or nice neat razor baits did the damage.

[Al and Jordan]

i suppose it all depends on what part of the country you're fishing in. i know from my own personal experience that in waterfoot (co. antrim) the bait of choice for them is straight rag. but if i move on round to portrush any old smelly worm bait would be the bait of choice over fresh . last summer i fished 2 rods within yards of eachother and the rod using the smelly, falling apart worms outfished the fresh wriggly worms 3 to 1 . i supose it depends on what they are used to feeding on in any particular area. something like the wrasse. i have wrasse marks where the rocks are crusted in mussels and they go nuts for them. but other rock marks where they will refuse mussels and avoid them like the plague
mabey best advised to do a reccy at low water at your mark to see what natural baits are present and use them
i think the fly fishing guys do something the same with flies called "match the hatch". find out what it is they are naturally feeding on in the area and then copy that. hope this helps man

[eeler]

thanks lads, ill be bringing plenty of different bait the next time, Al, i heard the same about using half rotten worm for dabs so maybe they like it too, theres a lot of small mussels at low water so might try them aswell, iv only caught small ones by accident while bass fishing but id love to catch a couple of decent ones.

[crab leg]

any plaice i ever got were by accident .