[roofer32]

is a flounder with spots a plaice??? so many on here seem to think so, but ive seen the pics and they look like flounder!!! :g:

i ask as its seems a common fault to mix a flounder and a plaice, but then ask if a handful of spots make a plaice, or whether they be bright orange spots or not and become the less fancied flounder with lesser spots/marks??????! its under-rated. ....... enjoy. the flounder is as good!

 

[danix]

a plaice is a little more rounded, has red spots rather than orange and slightly darker skin...it also tastes nice whereas flounder doesn't!

 

[sandpiper]

The simplest guide is that the flounder have a very obvious hard lumpy row of scales from the head to the tail, and the spots tend to be 'fuzzy'. Plaice have distinctively smooth skin and well defined spots, spot colours can be similar in both. I notice that plaice have a bright white underside compared to flounder, and taste sweet, flounder tastes bland like whiting.

 

[fyshermen1001]

can see the difference quite clearly hear , but do have to admit its sometimes a little difficult to distinquish the two fish

sorry......................... by the way the top one is the plaice

tightlines......................daz

 

[connorhope]

is a flounder with spots a plaice??? so many on here seem to think so, but ive seen the pics and they look like flounder!!! :g:

i ask as its seems a common fault to mix a flounder and a plaice, but then ask if a handful of spots make a plaice, or whether they be bright orange spots or not and become the less fancied flounder with lesser spots/marks??????! its under-rated. ....... enjoy. the flounder is as good!

Hi roofer, i have not seen many pics of flounders with spots on the threads or posts lately.

Myself and tony c have taken a lot of pictures lately of plaice that have been caught around the Fleetwood area. When taking a photo sometimes the fish is spinning or curled up, and you don't get a very good image. So to write,
[ is a flounder with spots a plaice??? so many on here seem to think so ]. That line seems to imply that a lot of anglers on this site do not no the difference !! or the ones that are writing the thread. This is just a thought. :idea:

Just to give you a rough idea, young Aaron caught his first plaice yesterday, but to look at the photo you would think it was a flounder. At low water we could not get within 20-30yds of the waters edge, so when you caught you had to drag your fish over the mud,[8 inches deep] for 20 yds. Plus the shot of the fish is at an angle.

Hope this helps.

 

[tonythescaff]

it looks like a lemon sole to me, only kidding,:clap2:

 

[connorhope]

Well done again Aaron on catching your first fish, and on your very first outing.:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

 

[midas]

In defence of roofer32 i have seen flatfish photographed and incorrectly identified on this site ive also heard many small flatfish given the name "dab" especially when caught far up estuaries that are clearly flounders and several spotted flounders called plaice. Recently ive had reddy /orange spotted flounders and yellow/red spotted big dabs both of thes could easily be misidentified .The easiest way ive used to explain differences is that flounders have solid white bellies ,plaice are slightly more oval but you can see through the whiteness on there belly they are slightly opaque,dabs when stroked on there back from tail to head have a roughness whereas the flounder and plaice are smooth either way .Please feel free to add to this but its worked for me for 33 years

 

[midas]

Also i forgot to add well done Aaron on that fantastic first fish what a cracker and well done for not losing your wellies in that sloppy mud (you didn,t did you?)

 

[roofer32]

midas has my point spot on. some people, but im not pointing the finger at anybody as its an easy mistake to make, did claim that flounder in their pictures were plaice.

i hope ive not offended anybody, but just wanted to point it out.

also i was making out the flounder was as good a sport as the plaice, but obviously not as tasty. didnt write it correctly in my alcholic stupper.

well done the little fella on the nice plaice. :clap3: ive not caught one myself for years.

 

[Rushy]

In defence of roofer32 i have seen flatfish photographed and incorrectly identified on this site ive also heard many small flatfish given the name "dab" especially when caught far up estuaries that are clearly flounders and several spotted flounders called plaice. Recently ive had reddy /orange spotted flounders and yellow/red spotted big dabs both of thes could easily be misidentified .The easiest way ive used to explain differences is that flounders have solid white bellies ,plaice are slightly more oval but you can see through the whiteness on there belly they are slightly opaque,dabs when stroked on there back from tail to head have a roughness whereas the flounder and plaice are smooth either way .Please feel free to add to this but its worked for me for 33 years

Just to complicate matters.......!!

The top fish in the picture is obviously a plaice.....the bottom fish looks like a flounder but like midas says has the oval shape of a plaice.....

Turn them over and I wasn't so sure......

I emailed Dr Mike Ladle with the pics and he suggested that it was possible for plaice and flounder to hybridise i.e. interbreed but it wasn't scientifically proven I don't think:g:

He also said it could be proven by tissue samples from the fish........too late I'd already eaten them!! And they both tasted the same......of plaice:g:

 

[midas]

Rushy looking at the belly of the bottom fish with its see through whiteness i would def say it was a plaice colouration of the back can vary so much and i think shows what type of area they have been living over ,the colours also fade quite fast after death ive seen some horrible looking grey plaice where the bright red spots have almost dissapeared.I do think that anyone unfamiliar with the three common flatfish automatically associate red spots with plaice and little flatfish seem to get classed as "dabs"

 

[Rushy]

Rushy looking at the belly of the bottom fish with its see through whiteness i would def say it was a plaice colouration of the back can vary so much and i think shows what type of area they have been living over ,the colours also fade quite fast after death ive seen some horrible looking grey plaice where the bright red spots have almost dissapeared.I do think that anyone unfamiliar with the three common flatfish automatically associate red spots with plaice and little flatfish seem to get classed as "dabs"

Midas, that's what I thought. Initially at first glance I thought flounder due to the colouration, but when I turned it over I thought plaice.......especially the shape as well. Flounders have a bigger, uglier head too....plaice are much more delicate. Know what mean about misidentification though..........

 

[cupboardlad]

plaice also have very small mouths and they have the herring bone patern on the underside , that can clearly be seen on the bottom fish , so it was a plaice as well
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
cuberd

 

[danix]

and they are spelled differently!