406 MODERN SEA FISHING 



bait. I have caught not a few of these fish on pieces of sprat, 

 mackerel, and squid. Now and again a plaice as large as 

 seven pounds is captured, and fish of fifteen pounds weight are 

 on record. From three-quarters of a pound to two and a 

 half pounds is the more common size. 



The SAND DAB (Pleuronectes limandd) is likely to be caught 

 wherever there is a sandy shore. Should the run of fish be 

 small the hook may be a size less than that illustrated. As a 

 rule these fish are pale in colour, fairly transparent, and may be 

 distinguished from the flounder by the roughness of their scales. 

 Draw the hand from tail to head along them 

 and they feel like a nutmeg grater. The flounder, 

 on the other hand, is a fish with small scales 

 covered with mucus, and is smooth almost as 

 eel or tench. The sand dab is not sufficiently 

 appreciated. When fresh, unless taken from 

 HOOK FOR muddy waters, it is nearly as good as a sole. 

 It is found all round our coasts, and, so far as 



SIZED 



PLAICE m y experience goes, is particularly plentiful in 



DABS Tenby Bay. Torbay is another noted spot. 



Along with these fish will generally be caught a 



few plaice and flounders. The best baits are those already 



recommended for plaice. 



FLOUNDERS are termed Pleuronectes flesus by naturalists, 

 and flounders, flecks, butts, black backs, and lanterns by com- 

 mon persons. In Norway I noted that the term flyndre was 

 applied to several varieties of flat fish. It has been suggested 

 that the word is derived from the Swedish flundra. They are 

 peculiar among flat fish in ascending rivers for a considerable 

 distance, and even at times adopting a freshwater existence. 

 They seem able to live in highly polluted water, and I have 

 caught them in noxious places where, judging by the colour of 

 their uppermost side, the bottom must have been black mud. 



