[Dave Watson]

Ok here goes :

Had a hour to kill before work today, so decided to hit a mark where I had a good few pollock on the softies a few days ago and some knocks that where def not pollock also!

Was a hour before high so there was a bit of run, had a good few casts with a xslayer on 7g ball head, and was feeling a few plucks to my lure OTD and was thinking there was pollock about as same a few days ago, next cast as soon as my lure hit the water and I had tension, Bang, my rod bent over and my drag screemed - a nice scrap beetween me and the unknown ensued, was thinking it might be a bass but could see no flashes of silver, but knew it was no pollock, it was not till I had it close I could see it was a nice big wrasse, then landed it to my feet!

Got some pics of it, put it in plastic bag and weighed it 83.6 oz, didnt change the units on the scales but to me that works out at 5.2lb of chunky wrasse - my first one to a lure and the biggest wrasse I ever caught - and it swam of strongly when released!

It was caught on rod bar 2.7, 20lb braid, no leader, xslayer (forgotten colour as dont have packet) and a 7g ball head.

Have been doing a fair bit of readin and trying to suss some techs , was the other day that OTD on the pollock kinda clicked into place.

Considering that in the near 2 years I have been plugging, I have only caught 2 x very small bass, a fair few snipe and lots of pollock the biggest being 3lb - I was well happy to feel what its like to have a good scrap and bend in my rod from a nice fish as it was from about 30 yards away in shallowish water.

The only downside and there is 2 : is that I never paid my subs for sinkers this year so cant weigh it in and I hesitated on joining the wrasse challenge a couple of months ago so cant enter it there either which I think would of put me in 2nd place

I was in 2 minds if to say anything about it as feel stoopid for not paying subs or entering challenge - but WTF I cant hide the grin or resist at least telling a few!

The things I now know since this catch - I know what you lot are on about when talking of screeming reels and a bend in the rod and the buzz of a good catch when you put thought into it.



It may not get me any points or prizes But im still well happy with my first wrasse to the Lure :-0

 

[Mick Ward]

That is indeed a porko, must have gone like a daranged pigmy

 

[Tim Murphy]

A beaut Dave! well in sir!

 

[Simon L]

Bloody awesome fishy !!!!

 

[Keith White]

great fish. Big and round.

 

[Stephen Olsen]

Good fish krashtest,well done

 

[Gary A]

Well done Dave, what a clonker.

 

[Mark Sleep]

Cracking fish Dave, thats a beast

 

[Ben Field]

Brilliant! Monster fish!!

 

[Jeremy Taylor]

Very nice, I am going hunting for one this afternoon.

 

[Bagpuss]

Dave

Nice wrasse, but you live on Jersey & you are a serial bass blanker. What is that all about??????

 

[Dave Irving]

Congrats on a real Porker,
Do me a favour next big one you release-point it towards the southeast coast of england and send a couple over here!!

 

[Keith White]

Do me a favour next big one you release-point it towards the southeast coast of england and send a couple over here!!

Must be loads there already Dave. We don't want to held responsible for overcrowding eh..

 

[Dave Irving]

OK Keith,
You caught me - Busted I guess.
There are a few around, But very few marks locally that lend themselves to LRF/HRF. Shallow beaches/reefs little good access to deeper water below the low tide line, that isn't off the side of a 40' wall.
No excuss, I know, but it does make the learning curve even steeper.

 

[Steve Lewis]

Stunning fish there Dave, well done on a good report !

 

[Keith White]

OK Keith,
You caught me - Busted I guess.
There are a few around, But very few marks locally that lend themselves to LRF/HRF. Shallow beaches/reefs little good access to deeper water below the low tide line, that isn't off the side of a 40' wall.
No excuss, I know, but it does make the learning curve even steeper.

I think you might be interested in an upcoming blog article regards a trip that taught us that many things, deep water included, might not be necessary.

 

[Dave Watson]

Cheers for all the comments

i'm still grinning from catching the big wrasse , but cant wait till catch a bigger one .

Nigel - i'm hoping that this action and technique im learning on wrasse can be transferred to Bass and end my serial lure Bass blanking , confidence is higher now so hoping wont be long

Dave - I'm sure they are there m8 as after the past few days I am realising wrasse all around here and I havent even tried some of my bait marks that have had good wrasse from.

have been out 3 times since catching the big one and joined the challenge :

Friday evening after work hit north coast and had 4 wrasse all about a lb

Friday night went lure fishing for first time at night in dark and blanked - confidence dropped and realised its going to take a bit getting used to.

Saturday went out south west to avoid the NE wind and blanked.

Sunday went NE to a diff mark with a m8 and we both started off getting lots of follows from small wrasse but no takers , then it switched and I caught 4 in quick sucssesion biggest being 2lb , moved spot as the tide dropped so my m8 could fish a gulley he knew of , as he fished the gulley , I fished the rough ground next to it , I caught 2 more wrasse about a LB each and then had one real nice one shake the lure just near my feet and dissapear and then a few casts later I was into what felt like a right porker , giving me a great fight and making big dives and then took one last run for reef cover as was near to landing and broke off.

They are all giving great account for themselves in takes and fights and the bigger ones taking OTD are something else.

They have all unhooked easily, none taking the hook deep and have all gone back in as strong as coming out - I used to like catching wrasse on bait but they always seem to take bait hook deep and dont always go back ok , which is a shame as wrasse are so nice looking and each one is a colour surprise

Few more things i've realised :

The reason for a leader, after for the first time today feeling a big fish run the braid across a reef and escape - I will start using a leader from tommorow.

Big wrasse are def not only in deep water, most of mine have been in shallowish water, but rough ground.

The fun to be had from wrasse fishing is superb.

They love hitting a lure OTD

I have had soft lures and jig heads in my box for about 18 months but it is only in the past week that its clicked into place on how to approach fishing them , before I used to loose everyone I cast and had not caught a fish on them so became reluctant to use them - in the past week I have lost 4 jigs/lures and have fished some very rough ground , that I normally would be reluctant to chuck anything more than a surface or shallow plug at for risk of snag up and loss.

Really cant wait for some more big ones and some Bass too - will try in the morning before late shift!.

heres 4 from sundays sesh :

 

[Keith White]

That's a good post Dave.