Aug. 20, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
299 
The Rod and Reel on Salt Water. 
VI.—The Plaice. 
Among the many excellent food fishes of our 
coast none is growing more rapidly in economic 
importance than the plaice, and there is merit in, 
the selection. Perhaps no species is susceptible 
of more ways of preparation for the table,'and 
under the hand of the skillful cook it can be 
and is palmed off on unsuspecting guests at fash¬ 
ionable hotels and restaurants under a number 
of more or less high-sounding names. Boiled 
striped bass and chicken halibut are two of the 
favorite titles in which it appears on richly enj- 
bossed menus, both dishes being so daintily and 
carefully prepared that the deception is rarely 
or never discovered. 
Like so many of dur fishes the plaice bears a 
variety of local names, and it is difficult to deter¬ 
mine the origin of any single one. Thus we 
have brail, pucker-mouth, fluke, turbot, flounder 
and plaice, all used with equal acceptance with¬ 
in a few degrees of latitude. It seems remark¬ 
able that a general name is not adopted and 
used for many of the more important fishes 
whose identity is well established-. This would 
save much confusion. 
The habits of the plaice are most interesting. 
Judging from its shape few would imagine it to 
be swift of fin. Along the sandy stretches of 
our rivers and bays—where the water is clear 
and the observer's vision keen—there may often 
be seen on the bottom a pair of black eyes peep¬ 
ing out from the sand, intently watching every 
moving object, and woe to the luckless minnow 
or other small fry which ventures near these 
eyes. As swift as thought a brown object goes 
darting through the water and the unsuspecting- 
victim is gathered in, while the plaice drops back 
to the bottom where, with a peculiar motion of 
tail and fin, he instantly disappears in the sand 
with nothing but the watchful eye to mark his 
position. 
It is most interesting 'to see a school of plaice 
in pursuit of the sand lance or mullet in the 
autumn when the latter are trading along the 
beach. So eagerly do the plaice pursue and 
with such velocity do they rise from the bottom 
that they shoot up into the air and may be seen 
by the dozen vaulting two feet or more above 
the water. It is of course only when the surf 
is quiet that this may be observed. 
I he plaice is not solely an American fish and 
has well known European representation. It 
ranges from the Brazilian coast north to Labra¬ 
dor and is rapidly gaining in favor both for 
the table and in the estimation of the angler. 
For a long time it was supposed to sojourn in 
Southern waters during the winter months, re¬ 
turning to our coast as water temperature in¬ 
creased in the spring. If this were the case they 
would naturally appear first in our Southern 
streams and then successively at other points 
North, as do the shad and other migrants. The 
generally accepted theory now is that they drop 
out to the Gulf stream and pass the winter there, 
moving shoreward as the water temperature 
rises. The fact that they appear simultaneously 
along the shores of the Eastern and Middle 
States strongly supports this belief. 
While the plaice can in no sense be classed 
as a game fish, it does afford good sport to thou¬ 
sands of city people, not to mention the hosts 
who angle for them in every tidal stream of the 
Middle States. 
The method employed by the numerous ex¬ 
cursion boats and fishing banks steamers cannot 
be classed as angling, as the tackle used is so 
crude and the sinkers so heavy that no chance 
for play is offered, apd the fish are simply 
hauled in, hand over hand. Still the sport is 
enjoyed. 
If these same people, with no greater expen¬ 
diture of time or money, would go to the nearest 
beach and cast out into the open surf, they would 
entirely escape the crowded condition of the fish¬ 
ing boats and find their chances of success to be 
equally good, and the sport greatly enhanced. 
In all our tidal streams are to be found sand 
reefs, or stretches as they are termed, just at 
the edge of the channels where the water shal- 
UNHOOKING A 35-POUND CHANNEL BASS AT FORKED 
RIVER BEACH, NEW JERSEY. 
lows, which can easily be told by the color of 
the water. It is just here the plaice are to be 
found in the greatest abundance, lying in wait 
for the passing small fry. 
Anchoring the boat quietly where the line of 
sand shows, and being provided with a good 
supply of live green-head minnows which should 
be kept overboard in a live bait can, the experi¬ 
enced hand will proceed as follows: Adjusting 
the float so that the bait will be allowed to 
settle five to six feet, and having provided him¬ 
self with a long swivel sinker, the line is at- 
tached k to one end. To the other end of the 
sinker fasten a short, stout leader not more than 
twelve inches in length. To the end of this 
leader is looped a brass box swivel, to the other 
end of which the snclled hook is secured. The 
hook should be a 5/0 or a 6/0 good quality 
hollow point Limerick hook. 
The object of the swivel between the hook 
and the leader is that as the tideway swirls the 
bait around, the line will be kept in its proper 
position and not unstranded. The sinker should 
be just heavy enough to keep the bait well down. 
and one which will be nicely buoyed by the cork 
float. 
The next step will be hooking on the minnow, 
which should be done by passing the hook 
through, just back of and under the dorsal fin, 
and not deep enough to strike the vertebrae, for 
that would instantly paralyze the bait. Arranged 
as described, the bait can move freely about and 
thus proves a most attractive lure. When over 
the boatside, the line should be allowed to pass 
out freely with the tide until a distance of 200 
or 300 feet has been traversed, when, if there 
has been no result, the line should be reeled ill 
and again allowed to pass out. When the strike 
comes, the float will distappear like a flash, as 
the plaice, on seizing his prey, at once goes to the 
bottom. Caution must now be exercised and a 
little time allowed for the fish to gorge the bait. 
This wait must not be more than the fraction 
of a minute, when the line should be reeled up 
taut and the hook set home firmly, as the fish is 
invariably at the bottom and lying quietly. 
To get the full amount of sport, a light rod 
should be used; not in the -sense, however, a 
trout fisherman would use the term, but what is 
considered light by the salt-water fisherman—a 
good 1/0 multiplying reel and a 15-thread special 
line; in fact, just such a rig as would be good 
for weakfishing. 
I know there are many who will be inclined to 
think the sport tame, but more than *a quarter of 
a century’s endeavor on river and bay through 
many States has taught me not to despise the 
humbler fishes, afid that by studying their habits 
and homes, together with the gentler methods of 
effecting their capture, there is a delight in their 
pursuit. Nor is the fight of a five- to eight- 
pound plaice to be despised when taken on light 
tackle in an open tideway. They may come in 
gently enough until near the surface, but at the 
sight of the boat like a flash they seek the bot¬ 
tom, and many a sore finger is nursed that has 
been caused by the rapidly revolving reel handle 
torn from the angler’s hand by the startled fish. 
Let those who are skeptical give the sport a fair 
trial as described, and the result will be its en¬ 
dorsement. Leonard Hulit. 
Lake Sunapee Fishing Association. 
Blodgett’s Landing, N. H., Aug. 13. — Editor 
Forest and Stream: The second annual meeting 
of the Lake Sunapee Fishing Association was 
held to-day and was presided over by Frank F. 
Hodges, of New York city. Members were 
present from all parts of the lake, including Dr. 
W. C. Kendall, of the Bureau of Fisheries at 
Washington, and Nathaniel Wentworth, chair¬ 
man of the New Hampshire Fish and Game 
Commission. 
Reports were made by the secretary and treas¬ 
urer and the executive committee showing the 
splendid work that has been done by the asso¬ 
ciation during the past year. It was voted to 
accept and to adopt all reports. 1 
Dr. Kendall, who is at the present time at the 
lake studying the conditions for a report to the 
Government, gave a very interesting talk and 
said that it was his intention to remain at the 
lake until late in the fall to see if any of the 
chinook salmon attempted to spawn. This is . a 
question that is interesting the Government at 
the present time. When Dr. Kendall has finished 
his report much valuable information will be 
gained by our association. 
