Common Dace
Dace are small, quick-moving coarse fish found across most of England and Wales. They're a staple of river fishing — easy to locate in shoals, responsive to light tackle, and a genuine challenge to hook cleanly on the surface.
Fly anglers prize them as one of the few coarse fish that rise freely to dry flies, making them a crossover target on chalk streams and freestone rivers alike.
Scientific Name: Leuciscus leuciscus
Also known as Dart, Graining (archaic)
- Slender, streamlined silver body with large scales; lateral line carries 49–52 scales along the flank.
- Yellowish iris with small dark spots — the clearest single ID feature when separating dace from roach or small chub in hand.
- Anal and dorsal fins are concave (curving inward), unlike the convex fins of roach; fins are pale or dusky rather than reddish.
- Common fish run 15–20 cm and weigh under 200 g; the British record sits just above 1 lb 5 oz — anything over 8 oz is a very good fish.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to England and Wales; present in most river systems except those in the far west and south-west. Absent from Scotland as a native species.
- Introduced to Ireland, originally as a bait fish — now established in several Irish river systems where it was not historically present.
- Primarily a river fish, favouring well-oxygenated, moderate-to-fast-flowing water from small overgrown streams up to large lowland rivers.
- Also found in many canals connected to river systems, and occasionally in brackish water near tidal limits.
Key Locations
- River Wye and its tributary the Monnow — reliable dace fishing with fish present in good numbers through the middle reaches.
- Hampshire chalk streams (Test, Itchen, Avon) — clear, weed-rich water makes dace visible and catchable on dry fly alongside trout.
- River Thames and its tributaries — dace are widespread through the middle Thames and rivers like the Kennet and Loddon.
- River Severn system — dace present throughout the main river and many tributaries across the Welsh Marches.
- Many Canal & River Trust-managed canals connected to river systems in the Midlands and North of England hold resident dace populations.
Specific Spots
- Shallow, gravelly runs and glides — dace hold in the faster water between pools, often just below the surface film where drifting insects collect.
- Shaded stretches under overhanging trees or bridge arches, where shoals gather and surface-feed on fallen terrestrial insects.
- The tail of a pool where current accelerates again — dace sit here to intercept food items washing through without expending energy in the deepest slack.
- Weed-fringed margins in summer; dace use the edge of ranunculus or streamer weed as a current break while staying close to the feeding lane.
Common Dace FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Common Dace?
Maggots and casters (the chrysalis stage of a maggot) are the go-to baits, small, light, and perfectly sized for dace mouths; trotted under a stick float on a centrepin, they account for the majority of UK dace catches.
What flies work for Common Dace?
Small dry flies are the most satisfying approach, Elk Hair Caddis (imitating adult caddisflies), Blue-Winged Olive (BWO) duns, and small Klinkhåmers (a parachute-style emerger pattern) in sizes 14–18 cover most surface-feeding situations on UK rivers.
When is the best time to fish for Common Dace?
Summer (June–September): prime surface-feeding period; dace rise freely to dry flies and respond well to hemp and tares on the float. Autumn (October–November): shoals concentrate in deeper glides as water cools; maggot and caster trotting produces consistent catches.
How do you catch Common Dace?
Most UK anglers target dace by trotting maggots or casters under a stick float on a centrepin, feeding little and often to hold a shoal in the swim. Fly anglers work rising fish with small dry flies on chalk streams and freestone rivers, often covering the same water as trout.
What do Common Dace eat?
Aquatic and terrestrial insects form the bulk of the diet, surface-feeding on flies, beetles, and ants makes dace unusually catchable on dry flies and small floating baits like bread crust or maggots fished on the drop.
See it in the app
Most maps show you water.
onWater shows you Common Dace.
- 01 · Species map filter
Map every Common Dace water
Pick Common Dace and the map zeroes in on the waters they call home. No more guessing which lake holds them.
- 02 · Waterbody species
Tap any water. See what lives there.
Species, behavior and seasonal patterns for every lake, river and pond, before you leave the driveway.
- 03 · Angler Intelligence
Ask how to catch Common Dace
Tactics, gear and timing from onWater's AI fishing guide, tuned to the species and the water you're on.
Stop guessing where Common Dace are.
Open the map, filter by Common Dace, and head to water that holds them. Download onWater and plan your next trip in minutes.
- Species map filter
- Angler Intelligence
- Fishing journal
Explore other species
Trout, bass, salmon, panfish and everything in between. Each guide unpacks the behavior, seasons, and tactics that put fish in the net.
No species information available.
Smarter Fishing Starts in the App.
onWater Fish gives you everything you need to plan smarter, fish better, and own every trip from first cast to last.