I guess you could say I am addicted to lure fishing for wrasse with soft plastics. The savagery of that initial first stun of the lure transmitted down your braid and rod blank, followed by the excitement of waiting for your rod tip to pull over as a big, beautiful, bold biting, Ballan Wrasse dives for the sanctuary of its snag infested lair can’t be matched. Pound for pound they initially fight harder than any other fish I have caught. Sure some fish fight for longer and go on more runs, but it’s a brutal hit and hold with Wrasse; if you are not on the ball they will leave you disillusioned and wondering what the hell just happened. This and their somewhat brutish beauty matched with a myriad of colours keeps me coming back for more, time and time again. I love nothing more than being out on a rugged foreshore in the middle of nowhere battling the elements and the fish.
Fig 1 A stunning average sized Wrasse
Hopefully I have now wetted your appetite and your brain is racing with questions like where can I find them, what time of year can I catch them, what tackle and rigs should I use, how big do they grow and how do I fish my lures for them? So over the next few chapters we will break these questions down, simplify things and get you on the right track to catching your first fish.
So where can you find wrasse? First things first they are mainly caught in the South of the UK and Ireland. I know of wrasse being caught around Southern Scotland, Anglesey and even Kent but as far as I am aware they are not as widespread as in the South West of England, Wales and Ireland. If you are fortunate enough to live in the Scilly Isles or the Channel Islands you have some of the best wrasse fishing available right on your door step. The main thing you need is water clarity. Do your research and join one of the excellent Facebook groups dedicated to lure fishing for wrasse. I recommend Lure Fishing for Wrasse UK as I am a moderator on the group.
There are others such as Evil Wrasse Cult and my very own Lure Fishing Saltwater group https://www.facebook.com/groups/236479640666905/.
Now you are going to need to know what sort of ground they feed over. My favourite are large shallow reef systems that are partially exposed over low tide, full of rock pools, weed and wrack with lots of hiding holes for small fish and crustaceans; these are what wrasse love to feed on. If you can find reef systems with gullies that run up to high water then these can be even better. If the ground you are walking across is covered in Winkles and Limpets this is is a sure sign of a good mark. They hold a large population of fish and you will be able to fish over both high and low water. Should these reefs continue out into deeper water fish will travel over them as the tide floods searching for food. Don’t worry if you do not have access to ground such as this because breakwaters, harbours and most rock marks will hold fish. I’m not a lover of the deepest of rock marks as at least in my local area they hold less fish albeit they can hold some very large fish. Find the cover and the sort of food they like to eat and you should be successful. By the way, take a small selection of Bass lures as these are also great marks for Bass. Do your research and take a look on Google Earth as that will help you determine access points etc.
Now you have found your marks you can concentrate your efforts and establish when fish will feed on them. As I have already mentioned, if you have water clarity you are in with a chance. You can catch Wrasse all year round if the water has some clarity to it. The Winter months can be gruelling but rewarding, as when you get it right you can contact some really big fish. My favourite times of the year are early Spring and late Summer / Autumn, but as I have said they can be caught all year round. You will catch plenty of fish throughout the summer and except for May I always do well. May at least where I fish can be hard work as the water is prone to Algae blooms and a proliferation of a type of blanket weed which both appear to put fish off.
Rigs. Well to start with learn how to tie a Texas Rig. I have done several videos showing this. You simply cannot beat this rig and it will give you all the sensitivity you need whilst enabling you to get your lures through the toughest of ground. If I had to use one rig this would be it and I use it 95% of the time.
If you are a real rig nerd here is a full video just on the Texas Rig:
On occasions I am fishing through deep kelp beds or similar and it is then that I turn to the Jika Rig. This rig enables you to keep your lure and bait together as they descend to the bottom, thus preventing them from hanging up from different parts of the kelp forrest and never reaching the bottom. This can be a problem with the Texas Rig. You also get a more vertical line angle which helps when fishing into deep water.
These two rigs will serve you well. There are others such as the Cheb Rig, Free rig, Carolina, Dropshot and Split Shot rig but keep things simple when you start so as to build confidence in what you are doing.
Tackle: Braided mainline is the way to go. To this attach a Flourocarbon or Monofilament leader of at least 6ft. I sometimes use leaders up to 15ft when fishing high rock platforms but for most occasions 6-8ft is adequate. If you only have small fish no bigger than 1lb then you can use your LRF or BFS tackle.
Start getting up to 2lb and you will want to use rods rated up to around 12-15grams.
Bigger than 2lb and I would suggest a minimum of 21grams and for the largest of fish 30-35grams. Here is a video i did on basic HRF (Hard Rock Fishing) tackle for Wrasse. This covers the gear I use when fishing for larger fish over typical ground; just scale up or down depending on the ground and size fish you have in front of you.
Balanced tackle is what you need, by this I mean the rod, reel, line and leader need to match each other. If I am using Light Rock Tackle I am fishing a 12lb braid with 10lb leader or at the other end of the scale a minimum of 20lb braid to 15lb leader. Remember Wrasse live in the harshest of environments so you are better off overdoing it as they will beat you up if you go under gunned. I have marks where I fish 35lb braid and 25lb leaders. Learn to tie the FG knot if you can as this will save you tackle. If you struggle to tie this, use a Uni to Uni knot as this will suffice most of the time. You have to accept that you will lose tackle though, it is just part of lure fishing for wrasse. You will need Texas weights from 3-14gr and always use just enough lead to cast the distance you need and heavy enough to get to the bottom and stay there whilst allowing for wind, tide and swell. Hooks need to be Weedless EWG or Weedless Worm hooks and of a thick wire gauge; anything else will bend out. For general wrasse fishing i use size 2 - 3/0 hooks but scale up or down when needed.
How big can Wrasse get? Well the British Record for Ballan Wrasse is just over 9lb for both boat and shore. A 4lb fish is a good fish with anything over 5lb a great fish but fish over 6lb are true specimens and a fish of a lifetime. Fish this size will test your nerve and tackle to the limit so don’t go under gunned.
Now you have your marks, times of year when you expect them to produce, a setup to match the size of fish in front of you and an appropriate rig all you need are some great wrasse lures. This of course poses many more questions and lucky for you I have an easy shortcut:
These are the lures I have utmost confidence in. You don’t need them all but I would suggest a Craw, Senko, Pintail, Ned, Curly Tail Grub and Shad to start off with. Colour wise go for some dark, pink and shad like colours. Think about the action of your chosen lure. However you impart it you must keep it as close to the bottom as possible, usually no more than a foot or two off bottom, but always returning to the bottom. Senkos or Ned’s will need to be rattled and hopped across the bottom. Craws and Creature baits hopped or dragged, Shads or Curly tails lifted and dropped or very slow rolled along the bottom. While your at it why not put some Berkeley Gulp or Isome on. There is no doubting they work. I love using Isome in the XL size when using my BFS outfits. WHATEVER LURE YOU CHOOSE YOU WILL NEED TO ADD PAUSES. Why pauses I hear you ask? Well this is generally when a fish will first stun a bait. If the water is colder make those pauses longer as the fish are more lethargic. Fish slowly and methodically searching the ground in front of you. ONE OF THE BIGGEST TIPS I CAN GIVE YOU IS TO NOT STRIKE UNTIL YOUR ROD TIP PULLS AROUND AND THEN GIVE NO QUARTER. 90% of the time a fish will first stun the bait and then shortly after return to take it fully. If the fish doesn’t return, gently shake or hop the lure a little and wait. This may encourage them to return. If not try again but if there is no response cycle through some alternative lures until you provoke a response. Colour and profile can all make a difference on any given day. Here are a couple of videos about colour and profile but there are many videos on my YouTube Channel of the the same name; aka "The Constant Angler" showing how, when and where I fish them.
Let’s assume you have hooked a fish. How are you going to land it? Hopefully you have brought a net with you. I use a Daiwa ISO, 5.9m, Rockfish Net Handle, paired with an HTO Flip Net. The handle will let you net fish safely from upon high whilst also folding and compacting enough to be carried easily.
On a serious note I would implore you to invest in a lightweight, self inflating life jacket. Make sure it has crotch straps as otherwise it will float over your head. Service this regularly as one day it may save your life. It’s easy to slip or fall off rocks or breakwaters. If I am fishing the open coast or somewhere with a good tide run I will always wear one, especially if on open coasts where freak waves can occur and there are also few people about to help. Another great idea is to always fish with others, at the very least you will be able to pool your knowledge and work out a bite pattern on any given day. Here is one I would recommend but there are cheaper alternatives: https://www.marinesuperstore.com/lifejackets-buoyancy-aids/lifejackets/spinlock-deckvest-lite-170n?attribute_colour=Black&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=pcn&utm_campaign=MSS&utm_term=DV%20LITE&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAopuvBhBCEiwAm8jaMbDkcJgdHtCoRRviDOk5TAycOeBsMvMl0IXJGNpUUb88b47nA8uYgxoC1gUQAvD_BwE
Heres is my good friend Mike Wethersbee talking you through the subject.
Last but not least, enjoy yourself and take time to look around. Lure fishing for wrasse can take you to some truly stunning places. Don’t blame me if you become obsessed with it, just make sure to pass your love of the sport on to someone else.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope it has helped.
The Constant Angler
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