fishin 4 flatties

[fergal]

im taking my boat out fishing from red bay in cushendall. im hopeing to try for flounder and plaice or any other flatties. anyone any advice on rigs, drifting or anchoring etc. any help would be appriciated.

[blueskip]

Fergal; for flounders you need to be in shallow water, if I want them, I fish the flooding tide up the estuary with a short anchor rope out, enough to stop me "bottoming" but not enough to stop me keeping up with the tide, staying in say 3/4ft of water.
Dabs you need a clean sandy bottom, the tide run seems irrelevant, but the bottom must be clean sand.
Plaice love shingley, gravelly bottom with sand & mud, especially if there are "spawner" or "spat" mussels about, (the little ones about the size of a pea or less) they feed hard on them. They like a strong run of tide & come for an attractor, either a flounder spoon or Mepp Blade, fished just above the bottom. I use a 9" "dropper" to my weight, this gives me a "running trace" fishing a couple of inches above the bottom, & when they hit that they really hit it.
I have never had any real success drifting for flats because of the run of tide we have, but I know they drift in S.W. England with success.
blueskip

[fergal]

cheers blueskip. the area ill be fishing is generaly clean sand with a few rivers coming in off the land. should i be using one bait or 2-3. i tied up a rig with a bait on the bottom and two above and am hoping to get out this weekend

[blueskip]

Sounds like you have them surrounded there Fergal, try to find an area with the maximum run of tide (within reason) it will make your baits work a bit better!
blueskip

[lil james]

when i fished for plaice it was very successful...the rig i used:
5ft running ledger with zip slider..
about 15 beads and a 1 inch attreactor blade(spoon) and a size 1 hook.

if you are only fishing for flatties, for good sport use 10lb line and a light rod...

good luck with your fishing mate

tight lines james