They live on sandy bottoms from 150 feet to over 450 depths but they are thicker than fly maggots on a deer carcass at 300 feet in some areas of our drop-off. Usually they range about 3 fish to a pound. Cleaning them is simple. You scale them and cut off the head with a diagonal stroke from the top of the head across the gut. This removes all traces of the innards and its ready to fry.
Some anglers prefer very small dabs so they can be chewed on, bones and all.
The bigger the dab the larger the bones and for this reason I like to catch big ones and filet the bones out. It can be done patiently with a skinny filleting knife . If the filet is paper thin, roll it up and pin it together with a toothpick, and fry it. When you eat it, hold it by the toothpick like you would with your favorite Hours de Oeuvres. Since they are way down there, the wind-up can be tough.