Does not have the line of boney knobs between the eyes and pectoral fin as the plaice does, nor the rough scales above the pectoral fin like the flounder. The dab has a definite lateral line that curves over the pectoral fin on the eyed side.

COLOURATION
Mainly a mid tone sandy brown with very pale yellow spots, especially on the younger fish. Over shingle, dabs take on a more grey colouring and some turn a definite shade of mixed green. The belly is white.

SIZE RANGE
Occasional commercially caught fish have touched 3lbs, but few even make the pound. Most shore fish average between 4 and 8oz, with a 1lb fish a good sized one. The same applies to boat caught fish.

BREEDING SEASON
The main breeding run occurs in the spring from late February through until May, but can be as late as July in some more northern climes. Reaches maturity at 2-3 years of age.

DISTRIBUTION
A coastal fish hugging the land mass of Britain, France and Northern Europe as far as the Barents Sea and around the coast of Iceland. Very common in angling catches from the North and Irish seas.

HABITAT
Mainly found on totally clean sand or sand/mud, occasionally light shingle and flat mussel beds. May venture across rougher ground and take up station on the cleaner sand patches. Some large adults prefer a solitary existence amongst mixed sand and mussel beds at the head of small estuaries, especially during the late spring period and early summer. Is found within a few yards of the shore and out to water depths exceeding 150m.

DIET
Not fussy and more of an opportunist. Generally small shrimps, worms, crustaceans and fish scraps left by predators. Large adults have been found to contain small sandeels and baitfish suggesting an inclination towards a killing instinct when the situation allows.

SHORE FISHING

SEASON
Fishing for dab Dabs can be classed as virtually all year round targets in many areas, but with definite inward seasonal shore migrations. Starts to increase in numbers from early May in the west, but with an upturn in numbers shore wise during September and staying within shore casting range until the end of February when the bigger fish are in.

In the east, a run of fish occurs from February on through the summer and into early winter. The best time being April, May and June. In the south, the migrations are similar to the west, though some good fish move in off the steep to beaches like Dungeness during May and June.

PREFERRED MARKS AND SEABED FEATURE
The chances of catching dabs are high from any sandy surf or steep to beach, also from rock marks, piers, jetties and breakwaters that allow casting onto clean ground.

They have a habit of laying along the sea side inclines of shallow sandbanks as the tide begins to flood, but then will move across the tops of the banks themselves and over the flat sands towards the high tide line advancing just rearward of the furthest surf rollers.

Scooped out depressions in the sands are good holding areas, especially on neap tides when less ground is covered by the advancing tide. This is because the dab can sit in the depression with the tide passing overhead, but water borne food drops into the hole and makes easy pickings. It's a trait of many species.

Dabs often locate themselves in small groups as opposed to shoals and this grouping tends to be most common along the edges of rougher ground that's alongside clean sand. Maybe it's a specific type of food available from that one area that brings the dabs in to congregational numbers.

On steep to beaches, try fishing your baits just beyond the divide line between sand and shingle where the seabed starts to flatten out. The tide tends to be slightly deflected here and food collects allowing the dabs their preferred stationary, let it come to me feeding approach.

From breakwaters, they are more numerous on the downtide side where the tidal run is weaker, and again, often close in to the junction of clean ground and the breakwater it'self. From piers and jetties etc, then try to locate any gutters or holes as before during the main run of tide, but towards slack water they will be more scattered as they begin moving out just prior to the ebb tide beginning.

Having mentioned those bigger fish inside the mouths of smaller estuaries during the early summer, then for these fish look around the mussel beds and through the inevitable gutters and sandbanks that frequent such estuary mouths. The fish tend to feed best here during slack water periods, going to ground during the peak ebb and flood, and heading back to sea when heavy rain floods out the estuary.

TIDES
The size of tide is not crucial. Dabs feed well on neaps and springs. On neap tides they tend to be more static and once you've found their feeding band the same length of casts will continue to find fish.

On springs they move around more and experimenting with the casting range helps you keep in contact with the fish. Try close in on the flood, hitting further distance on the ebb tide.

WEATHER
From the shallower marks, calm seas or seas with just a slight chop on will yield the best fishing. A period of sharp frosts encourages the dabs appetite, and they'll even oblige during easterly winds when the odd dab often makes up the total specie count in the nights bag.

After gales, when the sea has calmed down to just a swell, but remains well stirred up with lots of food washing around the low water line, then numbers of dabs will be tight inshore.

From the steep to beaches, dabs will continue to feed well during quite lumpy seas, but again, storms and prolonged blows will drive them out to deeper water. The same happens from the rock marks into depth.

TECHNIQUE
Marks carrying a lateral tide run need to be fished with static ledgered baits for the best results. Remember we mentioned those gutters and holes that the dabs sit in, then finding these and maintaining casting contact with them is the key to success.

On neaps, and during the period approaching slack water when the fish are moving more, then swapping to an unwired lead and letting the bait pull round with what's left of the tide run helps you locate passing fish better than an anchored one.

Fishing two rods, one at range and one close in, then slowly decreasing the long range distance and increasing that at close range sorts out where the fish are quicker.

TACKLE
Because occasionally you need to throw in excess of 100yds to find the dabs, and the tides may demand a 5oz sinker to hold bottom, a normal 5-6oz beachcaster and reel loaded with 15lb is the standard choice for all steep to beaches, at long range in the surf, and when needing to lift fish onto rock marks, piers, jetties and breakwater.

The other option on shallow surf strands when the fish are closer, is to drop down to a bass rod casting upto 3ozs, small multiplier or fixed spool reel and between 10 and 12lb line and a 25lb shock leader with no more than 2-3ozs of lead. We're not going to con you by saying that in this way the fish will fight, they won't being too small, but it is more fun and makes you more mobile to seek out the groups.

RIGS
The best rig for short and medium range and for neap tides is a three hook rig 5' long with hook lengths of 9" placed just above the lead, in the middle, and just below the swivel connecting the rig to the leader.

For long range work, try a 4' two hook rig with bait clips. The hook lengths need to be 12 long and baits clipped up the rig, not facing downwards.

For extreme range, use a standard one hook rig clipped down with a 2-3ft hook length. This rig is for slack water during spring tides. All hook lengths need to be from Amnesia 20lb breaking strain.

Hook patterns are important. Aberdeen's are best for all baits except crab. You can use a fine wire Blued pattern like the Mustad 3262 or the Tony Kirrage Sea Match hooks in sizes 2 and 4. Mustad's new 3261BLN is a heavier hook and gives the edge if you hook a stray codling etc, and is the best choice of all. For crab and larger fish strips when the bigger fish are about, try the Mustad 32813.

BAITS
Stale black lug left to dry out a little and go sticky is the best dab bait of all. Next go for blow lug tipped of with a tiny cube of mackerel or sprat. Both mackerel strip and herring strip are good for the larger fish, but a fillet of sprat lashed to the hook with fine elastic thread is excellent. Mussels are good when the dabs are close to rough ground. Peeler crab is taken by the bigger fish too, especially in the spring. Squid strip, razorfish strip, white rag an frozen sandeel are also in the running.

BOAT FISHING

SEABED FEATURE
Any clean ground of sand, shingle or mud will hold dabs, but the largest concentrations will be found close inshore over the sandbanks laying a few hundred yards off the beaches, or around the edges of shallow reefs and rocky ground where the sand is coarse.

TIDES
Dabs offshore will feed whatever size of tide you are fishing, providing the tide run is not too fast. In areas where the tide run is fierce, their feeding time will coincide with the period immediately at each side of slack water.

WEATHER
Due to the increased depths when boat fishing, dabs will form part of the days catch on even the roughest days. Given the choice though, target them when there is little swell or the sea is calm. Just like on the shore, the spell after a good blow always seems to wake them up with healthy appetite.

TECHNIQUES
Most anglers expect you to say straight down ledgering as being the best way to catch dabs. It is very effective with the right rigs, but having several anglers baits in a small area of water tends to pull in dogfish and whiting as well as dabs and both the dogs and whiting being quicker off the mark tend to push the flatties out. Try uptiding and you'll find your percentage of dabs to whiting and dogfish is much better.

Using a small flow of tide like on the beach to push the bait around in a wide arc also flushes out those dab hidey holes and the moving bait is again less likely to be snaffled by small whiting and nuisance dogfish.

TACKLE
Keep it as light as possible. Even in the winter a 10' spinning rod capable of casting 1oz with a small fixed spool reel and 8lb line is by far the best fun. A 6lb class rod or a short American baitcasting rod throwing 1oz is also good matched to a tiny multiplier.

To keep the tangles down on a charter boat, choose a 12lb class rod and reel and use enough weight to hold firmly down on the seabed.

RIGS
Be it downtide fishing or uptide, there is only one rig worth considering.

Take 18' of 20lb line and tie a small swivel at the top. Add a micro bead, small plastic boom like an Avis or Drennan Boom and another bead. Hold the beads and boom in place, either with telephone stops or crimps. Lastly, add a size 2/0 Mustad oval split ring to take the weight. The boom should be fixed just above the weight.

The hook length should be from 20lb Amnesia. Tie a large loop a couple of feet long into a 3' length. Now cut the loop leaving one long 18" length and a shorter 6" one. The hooks should be the heavier wired Mustad 3261BLN in sizes 2 and 4.

BAITS
For boat fishing stick with the mackerel, herring and squid cut into 1" x .5" strips. Black lug will still catch well if sticky, but the other baits are far less reliable.

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