Dace
Leuciscus leuciscus
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A slim silver dart of the fast water, with concave fins and a yellow eye.
A slender, streamlined silver fish with a small head, a yellowish iris and — the useful identifying feature — dorsal and anal fins with a concave, hollowed-out edge, where the chub's are convex. Dace favour clean, fast, well-oxygenated flowing water, and shoal in the runs and glides of rivers rather than in still water.
Behaviour
Dace shoal in open, flowing water and feed on drifting insects, taking them from the surface as well as from the bed — they rise freely to a hatch, which makes them a familiar sight to fly anglers. They spawn early in the year over gravel shallows, before most other coarse fish. Their preference for clean, fast water means they are a reasonable indicator of river condition.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Carps and minnows (Cyprinidae)
- Size
- Commonly 15–25 cm
- UK status
- Native to Britain; introduced in parts of Scotland
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