[Dave Irving]

Right, Hands up I have never deliberately fished for wrasse. Caught a couple on plugs (about a pound in weight) when fishing for Bass.
But I am tempted to get out fishing, and wrasse seems to be the best bet target wise.
So PLEASE help,
Lures, Softies I gather, but what is the question. Tackle etc.
But here is the big one, what would you look for in a wrasse mark, my guess would be deep water over a rocky bottom close to the shore (shore based fishing), but tide state, lots of flow etc I have no idea
Anything you can think of really, no matter how obivous to you. Might be key to me finding and catching them. So anything that has helped you would be greatfully received.
So please help this wrasse googan, bag one.

 

[Ben Field]

I'm in the same boat Dave! Hopefully going out tomorrow morning!

 

[Dave Irving]

Ben, tips welcome tomorrow night!!
Hope you get some, beautiful looking fish.

 

[Tim Griffin]

Ben, tips welcome tomorrow night!!
Hope you get some, beautiful looking fish.

Dave, I am right with you on this one and keen to see the answers. George caught a beauty on ragworm last summer, so I know one mark for sure (bu&&er of a walk though!) and can think of another one. Need to build up some confidence before investing time in this weather though!

 

[Dave Irving]

Tim,
Nice fish, sadly no wrasse marks around here that I know of, but with a few pointers I will head west in search.

 

[Keith White]

You blokes WILL have Wrasse.

This whole, fishing for species other than Bass will most likely teach you more about Bass fishing than, Bass fishing. Serious.

It is, quite frankly, testing everything I knew about saltwater lure fishing.

This time of year, Wrasse will most likely stay close to home but...

They are, according to data, getting close to their potential heaviest as they approach spawning.

I'd suggest reading all the wrasse catch reports and the stuff I wote on my blog to start.

Also, plead Liam H to write something more in depth as he has approached the Wrasse slightly differently.

Methods like deadsticking, wacky, stand up, trick, craws etc have all worked as has drop shot.

Wrasse live in holes. Look for boulders below the extreme low water this time of year and I'd fish them first light either side of low as an optimum time.

We are targeting the outer reclamation arm over low tomorrow. We haven't tried it before but, potentially, it should be ok.

Weight wise.. 5 -7g has been the best for me overall. Slightly tinged sea's with low swell too. Find kelp, barnacles, limpets and red coloured sea anemone's. The non stinging type.
Look for gullies full of boulders, big boulders that hold little gobies and prawns etc. root around some. Expect to lose jigs.

A good method is a texas rigged weedless setup. Try to find stuff that nearly blends in if the water is clear.
Rod wise, Injection has been great but the HRF rods I've seen recently look perfect too.

This is new, expect mistakes but enjoy making and learning from them.

 

[Tim Griffin]

I've got a feeling that there is some seriously under-developed wrasse potential over here in West Wales. Both South Pembs and Cardigan Bay. If the bass are thin at the start of the year, I will target wrasse etc on SPs.

 

[The Squid]

Keith has said just about everything.

I would just add that if you use plugs try suspenders or crankbaits, work them really slow.

 

[Alex Jordan]

We just need to find the ground Dave!

 

[Dave Irving]

Alex,
I can think of a few places to try, But all around the Dorset area. Happy to team up some time and give it a try.

 

[Tim Griffin]

If any of you make it to the Welsh bumble in April I can point out a few likely Wrasse spots and by then we should have all the gear (and maybe some idea!)...

 

[Andy Welch]

My best ever wrasse was caught on a plug while fishing for bass, it was a shade over 6lb and put up one hell of a scrap, certainly wetted my appetite for more.

 

[Tim Murphy]

I'm going out for a chuck this afffy. It's not the best tides and a bright sunlighty day here but I've got some little weedless stand-ups and some "Storm Hot Rattle Craw Tubes" (!) I want to try. If I score I'll put a report up later...

 

[Mike Kennard]

I bought a heavier baitcasting rod last year with a view to using it for piking and wrasse fishing with soft plastics. Has anybody got much experience of using this type of kit? In the HRF dvd (the inspiration behind the rod) it looks extremely effective.
Hopefully I will give it an outing next week with Dave.....

 

[Keith White]

I'd have thought it will give you some idea yes.

Nothing wrong with a baitcaster outfit for Wrasse.

The main thing is to arm yourself with enough jigs, hooks and soft plastics.

Wrasse hunting with jigs is very, very tackle hungry.
But, even if it takes 50 rigs to take a big Ballan, imho, its worth all the effort, especially in winter.

 

[Mark Sleep]

How did you do earlier Keith? Really wanted to come down and have my first proper go, but was busy until 1, gutted

 

[Keith White]

We fished 1 great area.

We did the reef area around the dogs nest. It looked great.

Sadly, in the 2 hours we fished, no bites.

Out tomorrow and Monday night though. If you fancy it, PM me.

We had a dabble last night. 2 better Pollack and 1 lost mystery fish that stripped my SP down to bare bones as it shook its head.

 

[Dave Irving]

Keith,
Glad you mentioned tackle losses, I had just received the same comment from a friend (not of this board) that HRF burns through terminal tackle, Just ordered some slightly more econmonic jigheads/carolina weights/softies. I would hate to get close to working it (or seeing fish) only to run out of gear. Got to say AGM Tackle is a god send.

I have a few softies coming like those used in Japan, think lots of mobile arms/legs, I thought they may prove useful as you mentioned in another thread. Leaving the jighead sitting for periods of time. Target likely rocks/gaps and allow plenty of time for the wrasse to respond?? Roughly how long to wait??
What about fishing drop offs, slow falling lightly weighted softies, or is it better to get it down to the base of the drop off??
Sorry for all the questions, I know there is no way to quickly catch up on years of experience, but given that I may have to guess on the marks, The more I know about technique, the better chance I will have to try a sneak something out.
Thanks to everyone that has contributed, any result will be a team effort as far as I am concerned.

 

[Keith White]

Keith,
I have a few softies coming like those used in Japan, think lots of mobile arms/legs, I thought they may prove useful as you mentioned in another thread. Leaving the jighead sitting for periods of time. Target likely rocks/gaps and allow plenty of time for the wrasse to respond?? Roughly how long to wait??

3 minutes might seem like a long time but, 3 - 5 minutes with a scented or impregnated soft bait is within realistic realms.
In summer, it'll be scoffed up in seconds though as it will in winter IF you happen to drop it in a wrasse nest.

What about fishing drop offs, slow falling lightly weighted softies, or is it better to get it down to the base of the drop off??
Sorry for all the questions, I know there is no way to quickly catch up on years of experience, but given that I may have to guess on the marks, The more I know about technique, the better chance I will have to try a sneak something out.
Thanks to everyone that has contributed, any result will be a team effort as far as I am concerned.

Slow falling, wacky senko...
In the right area's, like down deep ledges etc...

Do it.

Leave it, lift it, shake it, let it fall...

wait.

move along, try again.

"Technique is as limited as your imagination.", Keith White 2010.

 

[Dave Irving]

Thanks Keith,
Begining to feel like I stand a chance of a hook up -IF I can find the fish.