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Targeting dace next river season


tiddlertamer

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When I have had a good session with dace it has usually been over a gravelly swim, shallow but the water is flowing with pace.

Maggot/blown maggot on the drop, held back seems to attract their attention.

 

Another situation worth exploring is one of those very chubby swims, where a branch over hangs the stream just above the water, float loose feed through and then hold back on a float so that the bait is sub surface just under the leading edge of the branch.

 

For me the abso best is with the fly rod, dace are stunning performers for the dry fly. The absence of the float makes them bolder but they are so fast, you need to straighten the leader as soon as it is on the water of it will be too late.

"Muddlin' along"

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We get some nice dace on our little trout river, but I only tend to catch them on the nymph, then they can be fast, but on the dry they are impossible. If you are tuned into trout you won't hook them. As wunnus says, gravel runs, or the tail of a pool is where you find them and I often spend a little time targeting them.

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Im assuming you may be referring to the tees?

 

There are times, particularly in the back end of winter in the new year, where the dace shoal up in the lower reaches, and when pockets of larger fish are found, some incredible sport with 8-12oz dace can be had.

 

All this discussion is certainly whetting my appetite for some river dace trotting, i wish you would all stop!

Sssssshhhhhhh! :D

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Sssssshhhhhhh! :D

I wouldn't worry. Mainly 'southern softies' lurking on here... :) Not about to pillage northern waters any time soon...

 

I agree from my experience of catching dace that they like fast flowing gravel shallows. Any advice on what type of float and shotting pattern works well in these conditions?

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days without taking a fish. (Hemingway - The old man and the sea)

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We get some nice dace on our little trout river, but I only tend to catch them on the nymph, then they can be fast, but on the dry they are impossible. If you are tuned into trout you won't hook them.

You need to straighten the line and get ready to strike immediately, otherwise they will have sampled and rejected, and gone!

You will not get a second chance.

I have found that rather like rudd they do tend to get interested in anything red.

"Muddlin' along"

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As a "southern softee" I get to fish the Kennet below Newbury once a year in August and target the dace. Method a 4BB shouldered balsa, shotted with the weights tapering to a number 6, 200 mm from a size 14 fine wire crystal hook and two red maggots, if they're "avin it", or size 16 and single if fussy. For 5 hours fishing I'll feed 2 pints of hemp and a pint of reds, both laced with termeric. Tackle is a 14 foot rod with an ABU 501 open face reel. Holding back is the key, easing the float through and stopping, to allow the bait to swing up, the float usually burying at this point with a good dace. small dace can be a problem, but you just have to fish through them. Pike are also a bother on this part of the Kennet, as the dace don't come in that easily, also of course roach, chub, barbel and the occasional trout can ruin a good day's dace fishing!

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I've had a few on the fly, but they're fast buggers! Way more difficult than trout. Here's one on a mayfly taken during duffer's fortnight:

 

DSCF0570_zps8b850591.jpg

 

This lovely pigeon-chested one was taken trotting:

 

medace_zps9ca83ed1.jpg

 

These are the kinds of swims I tend to find them on my local little river:

 

DSCF0238_zps08d25a86.jpg

 

DSCF0234_zps167acc33.jpg

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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