Kayak Fishing for Pacific Sand Dabs

[Great Bass 2]

Sand Dabs are one of my favorite fishes to catch and eat. Not being an AOTY participant allows me to spend a lot of fishing time targeting species like sand dabs and crappie. I used to fish sand dabs on “crab and dab” combo trips out of Berkeley and out of San Pedro. Now I target sand dabs only from kayaks. On a nice winter day on Monterey bay, there is nothing I would rather do than hookup with some friends and do some dabbing.

About the Sand Dab:  Three kinds of sand dabs live in the waters off California, but only two are commonly used for food ­ the Pacific and longfin sand dabs. The longfin are more common south of Monterey. Pacific sand dabs occur from Cape San Lucas, Baja California, to the Bering Sea. They seldom inhabit water that is shallower than 30 feet or deeper than 1,800 feet. They are most abundant at depths of 120 to 300 feet. Pacific sand dabs eat a wide variety of food. In addition to such items as small fishes, squid, octopus, they eat an assortment of eggs, luminescent sea squirts, shrimp, crabs, and marine worms. The largest recorded sand dab was 16 inches. Sand dabs do not have air bladders and don’t suffer from barotrauma so small fish can be released successfully as long as they are not gut hooked. Sand dabs are considered a west coast delicacy and will cost you $10-20 in a restaurant.

Here are some things I have found helpful when fishing for sand dabs:

Location
I have caught sand dabs at most locations on the California coast. You can find them in water as shallow as 30’ but they are in greater numbers in 100-300 FOW. They are usually on large flat sandy areas and can be caught year round. Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay are good places to fish for them but any area where deep sandy bottom water is close to shore is good. Most of the common kayak rock fishing locations have sand dab spots within a short paddle. It seems that the farther south you fish, the deeper the water where the sand dabs are found. Out of San Pedro, the sand dab grounds are in 200-300 FOW compared to 100-200 FOW in NCAL. Finding them can sometimes be difficult. Start fishing in 100-150 FOW except at HMB where I would make a few drops inside the reef in 50-100 FOW. If you don't get bit after a minute or 2, move to another spot. You are looking for a congregation of fish and when you find one, you will get bit right away. When you locate a concentration of fish, use waypoints and the track function on your GPS to systematically cover the area which may be 100 yards or greater in diameter. Like other flatfish, the tides affect feeding activity with both sides of the tide being equally productive. Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay are easy launch sites and have some protection from a west swell, however, the sand dab fishing areas are some distance from the launch and are more exposed so check the WX before you go and take all of the standard safety precautions.

Tackle
Because you are usually fishing deep water, a reel which is comfortable to crank makes the retrieve less tedious. Non-level wind reels allow for a faster drop and less line bowing but you have to thumb the line on the retrieve. Spectra 30-65# allows for less weight to be used and gives more sensitivity which is important when jig fishing grubs. I like a rod with a sensitive tip but any rod and reel will get the job done. In SCAL much heavier tackle and weights are used because the fishing depth is much greater (300 FOW) and the heavy weights reduce tangles on party boats.

Terminal Gear and Tactics
There are 2 basic techniques; bait fishing and fishing plastic lures or flies. I prefer fishing lures and seem to catch as many if not more than fishing bait only but either approach will work well. Lures are more convenient for spur of the moment dabbing while rock fishing. Big sand dabs will bite big lures and hooks. Etienne caught a big sand dab on a large diamond jig at San Simeon.

Fishing with Bait
You can use a commercial gangion like the Danielson 1/0 Sand Dab rig which comes with five small 1/0 saltwater hooks spaced 10” apart on 3” dropper loops or tie your own. The Danielson sells for $2 at Outdoor Pro Shop and other stores. You can also use a large Sabiki rig and tip each hook with squid for bait fishing. If you tie your own leaders, you can space the dropper loops as close as 3” apart but I usually space them 6-8” apart with a total gangion length of about 36". Most people use 30-60# mono. I use 80# Maxima Big Game mono leader because it is more durable and stiff so it tangles less. I get 2-3 seasons of fishing from a 80# leader with better quality hooks and swivels so a good investment IMHO. The other reason for using heavier line is that sand dabs are not line shy and every once in awhile, if you are lucky, you may hook a halibut or white sea bass when sand dabbing and the heavy line and quality hooks give you a chance of landing the fish. This actually happened to a couple of my friends recently but the Sabikis they were using were broken off quickly. I use size 1/0, #1, or #2 Gamakatsu or Owner baitholder or worm hooks. There is no limit on the number of hooks but I usually use 4-5. In SCAL, many use 10 hooks and up to 2/0 size or larger. However, if you have a rockfish in possession, then only 2 hooks can be used. Double or triple thread a small piece of squid on each hook, snap on a 4-10oz weight and you are good to go. An 8 oz weight is usually enough to keep you on the bottom unless you are fishing over 200 FOW or the drift is fast. I usually add an 8mm glow plastic bead threaded on the dropper loop right above hook. Eventually the dropper loop right above the hook will become abraded from sand dabs chewing on the line. I once tied a gangion with 20# mono and it didn’t make it through one day of fishing. Adding a snap swivel between the dropper loop and the hook (Alien Rigged) helps prevent chewing on the line and reduces line twist and tangles. When bait fishing, a productive technique is to strip 5 feet of line after the weight hits the bottom so your gangion is laying flat on the bottom for a few minutes. When the drift picks up the slack, wind in a few cranks until your line is vertical then drop to the bottom and repeat the process. The longer your bait is laying on the bottom, the more fish you will catch. Retrieve your bait when you don’t feel any bites after several minutes or if the line feels heavy. If you have a Shelton Descender, bring it with you just in case you catch a rockfish.

Fishing with Lures
A large Sabiki tipped with squid on each hook or scented with liquid/gel scent is one of the more common rigs used for jigging and can be very effective for sand dabs as well as larger bait fish like mackerel and sardines. Look for a Sabiki with 30# test branch lines and 4 hooks like the Ahi 1/0 mini squid. I use the same gangion described in the bait fishing section but use a size 50# snap swivel with a 6mm glow bead and thread a 2” or 3” power grub or Yum wooly grub on a size 1/0, #1 or #2 bait holder or worm hook. Grubs catch more and larger sand dabs compared to Sabikis when I have compared them on the same day. Try both and see what works for you. The snap swivel gives the grub more movement and reduces line twist when retrieving. This innovation came from “Alien” (AKA, Alex) so I call it “Alien Rigged”. Brown, white and green grubs seem to work the best. You can use other grub sizes from 1 ½” to 3” as well as small twin tail plastics. I use a combination of 2” and 3” grubs. The 1 ½” Yum wooly grubs in brown with red flake can very effective but you get more gut hooked fish with smaller grubs and hooks. The Gulp grubs have more scent and can be very effective when fishing is slow but can’t be reused. These grubs also work well for crappie fishing. If you are using unscented grubs, liquid/gel scent or squid strips can be used. ProCure Shrimp/Krill gel is particularly effective for sand dabs. A small strip of squid combined with a grub and glow bead is a killer combo. Bring an extra bag or 2 of grubs because they get chewed up after a few fish. Unlike bait fishing, you want to keep your lures moving since it is a reaction bite. Sand dabs will swim a few feet above the bottom to chase a lure but the best results are usually when your lure is very close to the bottom. I often use 4-6 oz weights for jigging unless fishing over 150 FOW. Most bites occur on the drop right after the weight hits the bottom. Set the hook when you feel a heavy bite. Sand dabs have soft mouths so you don’t need a Roland Martin hook set. Using the larger size #1, 1/0 hook or even larger will reduce the number of gut hooked fish and small fish but you get more short/tail bites so the grubs don’t last as long.

Regulations
According to the 2010 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations: “Other Flatfish” as defined in subsection 1.91(a)(10), which include Pacific sand dabs, may be taken or possessed in all depths all year. There is no limit on Pacific sand dab (28.48).

Storing and Preparing Your Catch
I use a couple of 1 gallon freezer bags filled with saltwater or a mesh game bag to store my sand dabs on the yak. On a dedicated sand dab trip I bring a small ice chest and put them on ice as soon as I catch them. Although you can keep as many as you want, they don’t freeze well so I only keep enough for 1-2 meals. Certain areas in Monterey that used to be very productive are now completely fished out so try to take only what you need. Depending on the size of the dab and your appetite, 3-5 sand dabs are usually a reasonable adult serving. I scale the fish and pan dress them (http://fishcooking.about.com/od/wholefishrecipes/ig/How-to-Pan-Dress-a-Sand-Dab/). On the first cut I take the head off completely. On the second "diagonal" cut, try to cut out the large rib bones near the head. These bones can be nasty if you accidentally swallow them. I use a large serrated knife to saw through them. On the small sand dabs I leave the fins on if I am frying them because the fins are tasty. Really big ones can be filleted. The sand dab guts and heads are excellent crab bait especially if using a hoop. Sand dabs are typically dusted with seasoned flour and pan fried (1-4 minutes per side) but can be prepared in a variety of ways. I really like Peter's soy simmering technique http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,20252.msg234409.html#new

Scott

[bwodun]

great tutorial GB2, thanks, i have been thinking about sand dabs since your last post and had no idea how to go about fishing for them, this will help me get started, thanks again, cameron

[Andy1976]

Thanks I need to start fishing for those.  I mostly go out of Cambria.  What would be the best depth to start at and can you find them on the fish finder easily?

[Great Bass 2]

Thanks I need to start fishing for those.  I mostly go out of Cambria.  What would be the best depth to start at and can you find them on the fish finder easily?

Andy -

If you launch out of Leffingwell head northwest till you get to 110-150 FOW. You can't see them on the FF because they are laying on the bottom, and they are dinky. It is about 30-45" of paddling. There is a sandy area which is just north of the areas that you probably rockfish. Bag some dabs and a few extras for ling bait then drift south east towards Cambria rock for rockfish. This drift will take you though the landlords backyard so watch your 6. I fish the dabs on a 2 or 3 oz Spro white bucktail jig for lings. Cast it out and twitch it along the bottom.

scott

[hamachijohn]

nice tutorial.  the pictures really helped.  post a Hookup the next time you fish for dabs.

Jonathan

[fuzz]

Great tutorial!

I was out in MB the other weekend and only had some tiny sabikis... it was frustrating catching all those baby dabs.  Will definitely stock some large-sized ones for next time. 

[Mooch]

Thanks for sharing this info!  (topic set to sticky)

[BillS]

Thanks for posting that.. good read!   Anybody know if sand dabs are caught out of the bodega or north areas?   Doran maybe?

[Jim I.]

Excellent and comprehensive information!  Thanks.  I'm going to find out from some commercial guys I know where a good spot to fish sand dabs in the Santa Barbara area is and go for it.  It sounds like something new and fun to do.
BTW, thanks for the private heads up on this post.

[Otter]

Awesome write up! I've fished for them a couple of times on the crab combo trips but never targeted them from the yak before.

Sounds like some good clean wintertime fun and they are deffinitely tasty.

-Eliot

[gw]

Thanks for the great post and pictures. 

[wilderneshunter]

Had no clue thanks for the info

[The Nothing]

mmmm
sand dabs are tasty
that's about all i know.  actually, i do know more, but mostly on the retail end (ie, less than $5 a pound, and usually sold dressed - cleaned, scaled, head off, fins off, but not fillets)

[Great Bass 2]

I'm going to find out from some commercial guys I know where a good spot to fish sand dabs in the Santa Barbara area is and go for it. 

Capt Bacon (Wave Walker Charters) fishes them in 150-300 FOW outside the oil platforms off of Santa Barbara and off of Ellwood. I don't know if they are in kayak range. I know some of them are 5 miles or so offshore.

[Pat R.]

Nice write-up Scott thanks for sharing. Last year was my first time I ever fished or seen a sandab thanks to Scott for hooking me up, can't wate to go again this year .

Pat R