SHORE DABS

February into March can be a tough time to get bites, but one fish at its peak now is the dab which can be caught nationwide from shallow surf beaches, and deeper steep-to beaches.

TIDE TALK

On shallower surf beaches, look to the bigger tides falling between February 4th and 12th, and again between the 18th and 26th. Dabs can be taken at longer range from dead low water as they wait for the new flood tide to flow. ey will gradually move closer to shore as the tide flow increases with the 2nd to 4th hour of the flood tide best for bites.

is middle tide period sees the dabs at mid to long-range, say 50-yards plus, but typically seaward of the breaking surf tables as they don’t like shallow rougher water. ey like to sit in sandy gullies running parallel to shore that carry the tide flow or seek out sandy depressions where food collects. Choose tides with low water falling in the dark for the best catches as darkness encourages increased numbers of dabs inshore. As the tide ebbs the dabs move back out to longer range resulting in fewer bites, though the middle ebb period will still see a few fish caught if you can reach the long-range gullies that hold their depth longest.

On deeper steep-to beaches, dabs can usually be caught throughout the tide, but likewise stick to the bigger tides falling between the 4th and 12th and 18th and 26th for the best catches. Equally, tides that start to flood in darkness will give the best overall catches, but due to the increased depths daylight tides, especially with some colour in the water, can still give good returns. e greater depth on these beaches will also see dabs caught on the smaller neap tides, but fishing is less consistent as it is on the spring tides.

TACTICS

Beachcasters casting 4 to 6oz with either a multiplier reel loaded with 18lb line and a 60lb leader, or an 8000 sized fixed spool reel loaded with 30lb braid, and an 80lb braid shock leader cover all situations.

Top rig is a 3-hook flapper or 2-hook clipped armed with size 4 Aberdeen hooks. Black lug, blow lug and mackerel strip are the best baits.

HOTSPOTS

Any UK surf or steep-to beach, but known hotpsots are the East Anglian beaches, Dungeness, Chesil Beach, the west Wales beaches, Mersey Estuary and the Lancashire and Cumbrian beaches, also the sandy beaches on the east coast of Scotland.