Kayak Fishing

FLATFISH

NAME

Dab (Limanda limanda)

AVERAGE WEIGHT

Big rod-caught dabs can weigh 0.70 Kg (1½ lbs) or more. The average dab weighs around 340 g (12 oz.)

ALSO KNOWN AS

Common Dab

APPEARANCE

The dab is a right eyed flat fish, meaning that both its eyes are on the right-hand side of its body when viewed from straight on. The plaice and flounder are two other species of flat fish which are also right eyed and have similar appearances.

The dab has a rounded, thin body which is somewhat translucent, its back is sandy-brown in colour and scattered with dark spots, the dorsal and anal fins form a curve around its outline. The underneath is white and its pectoral fins can be orange. The lateral line has a noticeable curve just above the pectoral fin and the scales have rough edges. As mentioned earlier, the plaice and flounder have similar appearances, unlike the plaice the dab has no orange flecks on its back, and unlike the flounder it is somewhat translucent.

NAME

Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa)

AVERAGE WEIGHT

Big rod-caught plaice can weigh 2.25 Kg (5 lbs) or more. The average plaice weighs around 1 Kg (2¼ lbs).

APPEARANCE

The plaice is a right eyed flatfish, meaning that when viewed from straight on, its eyes are both located on the right hand side of its body. It has a diamond shaped body which is brown on the back, dotted with bright orange spots and a white underbelly. It has small scales which produce a very smooth texture.

The plaice closely resembles the flounder and so is often incorrectly identified as such, however there are differences; compared to the flounder the plaice has a smaller head and tail and a slimmer body. In addition the plaice also has a characteristic ridge comprised of bony bumps which runs along the back of its head.

NAME

Flounder (Platichthys flesus)

AVERAGE WEIGHT

Big flounders can weigh 1.56 Kg (3½ lbs) or more. The average flounder weighs around 0.45 Kg (1 lb).

ALSO KNOWN AS

Fluke

APPEARANCE

The flounder is a right eyed flat fish, meaning that when viewed from straight on, its eyes are on the right hand side of its body. Its body is diamond shaped with a dark green-brown back and a pearly white underside, sometimes the belly is the same colour as the back. The flounder has small tubercles at the point where the lateral line meets the gill-cover.