Fishbook: Dace

‘Fishbook’: Our species-guide series based on “Get Fishing”
the brilliant how to fish book by Allan Sefton

We profile the UK’s most common as well as some lesser-known fish species to help newcomer anglers find out more about fish that can be caught in our lakes, canals, rivers, ponds and sea.

Understanding the kinds of fish you might catch will add interest and could even make your fishing easier! Here you’ll find out more about…

DACE

Name:
Dace

Scientific name:
Leuciscus leuciscus

Life span:
Between 8-16 years

Typical size:
4-6oz

British record:
1lb 5oz

Waters:
Rivers and small streams throughout England and parts of Wales and Scotland

Interesting fact:
Dace are opportunistic feeders and will search for immature insects on the riverbed and rise to take flying insects from the river’s surface

About Dace

Dace are a silver, herring-shaped fish. They do not grow big. A one pound dace is a specimen fish. Dace are opportunistic feeders and will search for immature insects on the riverbed and rise to take flying insects from the river’s surface.

Dace are widely distributed across the rivers of Britain. There are one or two rivers where they are particularly abundant.

Most dace are caught when float fishing with maggots. Small fish can be a nuisance when other bigger species are the target.

Visit the rest of the How To Fish video gallery here to learn new tricks and discover more about the basics of angling.

Find out more about:

• Grayling
• Rainbow Trout
• Chub

Read more about how you can get into game fishing. Alternatively, find a venue near you where you can #getfishing!

Some of the above content is taken from the new book, Get Fishing – the ‘how to’ guide to Coarse, Sea and Fly Fishing by Allan Sefton published by Merlin Unwin Books. This colourful, lively book is aimed at complete beginners of all ages, those who have been out fishing a couple of times and want to take it further and families of all abilities. It’s also packed with top-tips and info that make it useful for more experienced anglers too. Find out more about, and purchase a copy of the book here.

Header image thanks to David Overland and text reproduced with permission and © Merlin Unwin Books.