Joined
·
4,137 Posts
We were talking yesterday about wrasse bites.
Kevin White has already used the description "SOS" bite for smaller wrasse pecking at a lure. And a lot of the guys fishing for wrasse on lures reckon they can tell the size of a fish by its bite. Pecks and nibbles and also lures being attacked near the waters edge (see Keith White's post on tag team wrassing) do seem to involve smaller fish. It seems that modern tackle is letting us tell the difference.
Whatever the size of fish, there do not seem to be any sail away runs without any prior indication whatsoever, as can happen with some other species. All wrasse seem to snap or peck at the lure initially.
OK so a lot of wrasse bites, even those rattling the rod tip, can be missed, but the bites of those being hooked still seems to be proportionate to their size.
Curiously, the bigger bites are just as (if not more) missable than the smaller ones. You'd think a bigger fish would get hold of a lure better than a smaller fish wouldn't you? These things are more infuriating than mullet at times.
So anyway, with that first peck at the lure giving you a good indication of the size of the fish, the bites we are all looking for are the ones that feel like someone has just hit the lure with a hammer. So powerful that you are too surprised to strike (in time), your knees knock and you pray that the fish will bite again...
Then, if you are lucky and hook up, the great thing about any fish over a pound or two is the way it seems to stay immobile for a second as if it is trying to work out what is going on, then goes nuts. And straight to the nearest hole/boulder/snag usually.
I was wondering if this momentary stop was genuinely because a lot of these wrasse might not have been caught before? We are certainly fishing the odd spot that doesn't get much bait fishing pressure, if any at all.
Does the strike put them off balance*, or are their reactions sluggish? Err, I don't think so. No, I genuinely think they are surprised. A small fish they have just crunched is pulling them in the opposite direction.
So next time you hook into a solid weight and it doesn't move immediately, hold tight. It could be the wrasse of a lifetime.
I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has noticed this delay syndrome in bigger fish and/or has any theory as to what is happening.
*We have noticed that a lot of wrasse seem to have a balance problem after a hard fight, even if unhooking is very quick. Is there a connection? Do they get dizzy? Or is that just me LOL!
Kevin White has already used the description "SOS" bite for smaller wrasse pecking at a lure. And a lot of the guys fishing for wrasse on lures reckon they can tell the size of a fish by its bite. Pecks and nibbles and also lures being attacked near the waters edge (see Keith White's post on tag team wrassing) do seem to involve smaller fish. It seems that modern tackle is letting us tell the difference.
Whatever the size of fish, there do not seem to be any sail away runs without any prior indication whatsoever, as can happen with some other species. All wrasse seem to snap or peck at the lure initially.
OK so a lot of wrasse bites, even those rattling the rod tip, can be missed, but the bites of those being hooked still seems to be proportionate to their size.
Curiously, the bigger bites are just as (if not more) missable than the smaller ones. You'd think a bigger fish would get hold of a lure better than a smaller fish wouldn't you? These things are more infuriating than mullet at times.
So anyway, with that first peck at the lure giving you a good indication of the size of the fish, the bites we are all looking for are the ones that feel like someone has just hit the lure with a hammer. So powerful that you are too surprised to strike (in time), your knees knock and you pray that the fish will bite again...
Then, if you are lucky and hook up, the great thing about any fish over a pound or two is the way it seems to stay immobile for a second as if it is trying to work out what is going on, then goes nuts. And straight to the nearest hole/boulder/snag usually.
I was wondering if this momentary stop was genuinely because a lot of these wrasse might not have been caught before? We are certainly fishing the odd spot that doesn't get much bait fishing pressure, if any at all.
Does the strike put them off balance*, or are their reactions sluggish? Err, I don't think so. No, I genuinely think they are surprised. A small fish they have just crunched is pulling them in the opposite direction.
So next time you hook into a solid weight and it doesn't move immediately, hold tight. It could be the wrasse of a lifetime.
I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has noticed this delay syndrome in bigger fish and/or has any theory as to what is happening.
*We have noticed that a lot of wrasse seem to have a balance problem after a hard fight, even if unhooking is very quick. Is there a connection? Do they get dizzy? Or is that just me LOL!