WRASSE
Wrasse are one of the most obliging species to be found in British waters, taking baits with an enthusiasm which makes them very exciting to catch. They are an ideal fish for beginners, providing them with a lot of valuable experience and a great deal of fun in the process.
Shore Fishing
But, just as the angler’s experience grows, so too does that of the fish. The angler aiming to catch a big one needs to bear that quite firmly in mind, especially since his tackle will have to be man enough to do the job. The bigger fish, weighing in at five pounds and above, are not only strong, but quite likely to have been hooked many times in the past. They will be well used to diving for the weeds or the rocks, snagging the angler’s tackle in the process. It is also unlikely that they will take poor quality baits. They will demand either strong, or imaginative, tackle and first class bait presentation.
I say imaginative, because big fish can be caught by unusual methods. I have, for example, taken wrasse on LRF lures spun repeatedly past a bolthole where I know there to be fish. I have also taken fish to four pounds on the pole and by freelining, the easiest method of all. You simply tie a hook on the end of the line, bait it with a live prawn, and drop it into the water where you expect the wrasse to be. Leave the bale arm off and feed the line between your fingers. When a wrasse takes it will pull line away very sharply, with a distinctive twitch on the end of the rod.
I say imaginative, because big fish can be caught by unusual methods. I have, for example, taken wrasse on LRF lures spun repeatedly past a bolthole where I know there to be fish. I have also taken fish to four pounds on the pole and by freelining, the easiest method of all. You simply tie a hook on the end of the line, bait it with a live prawn, and drop it into the water where you expect the wrasse to be. Leave the bale arm off and feed the line between your fingers. When a wrasse takes it will pull line away very sharply, with a distinctive twitch on the end of the rod.
Most wrasse, however, are caught very close in on either leger - or other varieties of bottom tackle, such as the sliding paternoster - or float tackle set to just off the bottom. Leger, however, tends to produce the bigger fish.
One thing to bear firmly in mind though, is distance. More wrasse are likely to be under your feet, in the rocks, than further out on the sand. They like to have plenty of cover, so if you are going to catch them you are going to need to put your bait where the fish are. This means that long distance casting is completely unnecessary and it will be much more to your advantage to just drop your bait a few feet out.
Float tackle fished in this region can be very exciting, and it is a method of fishing that lots of children love. The visibility of the float, combined with the excitement of its sudden descent into the depths, makes it an exciting method to use and to watch. The float dips, the angler strikes. The wrasse bulldozes for the bottom, the angler tries desperately to get it up and away from the weed. The result depends on whichever one is the fastest.
One variety of float tackle which works well, especially when baited with prawns, is the one that I have shown above. I set the float quite shallow, using the sliding stop knot illustrated to fix its position, while the long trace allows the prawn to fish just above the weeds. This makes the prawn very visible, and I have found that bigger wrasse will come up off the bottom after it. It will also catch a lot of bass.
If, or rather when, you catch your wrasse, please don’t be tempted to kill it. They are slow growing, territorial fish, which are vulnerable to sudden drops in their numbers. It is far better to weigh it, photograph it if you will, and then get it back in the water, where it can live to grow bigger and give you an even better fight the next time that you catch it!
One thing to bear firmly in mind though, is distance. More wrasse are likely to be under your feet, in the rocks, than further out on the sand. They like to have plenty of cover, so if you are going to catch them you are going to need to put your bait where the fish are. This means that long distance casting is completely unnecessary and it will be much more to your advantage to just drop your bait a few feet out.
Float tackle fished in this region can be very exciting, and it is a method of fishing that lots of children love. The visibility of the float, combined with the excitement of its sudden descent into the depths, makes it an exciting method to use and to watch. The float dips, the angler strikes. The wrasse bulldozes for the bottom, the angler tries desperately to get it up and away from the weed. The result depends on whichever one is the fastest.
One variety of float tackle which works well, especially when baited with prawns, is the one that I have shown above. I set the float quite shallow, using the sliding stop knot illustrated to fix its position, while the long trace allows the prawn to fish just above the weeds. This makes the prawn very visible, and I have found that bigger wrasse will come up off the bottom after it. It will also catch a lot of bass.
If, or rather when, you catch your wrasse, please don’t be tempted to kill it. They are slow growing, territorial fish, which are vulnerable to sudden drops in their numbers. It is far better to weigh it, photograph it if you will, and then get it back in the water, where it can live to grow bigger and give you an even better fight the next time that you catch it!
The sliding paternoster that I have illustrated here is basically just a leger rig with a weak trace added to the weight, making it unsafe for distance casting. It is, however, perfect for breaking out of snags.