L U R E
WRASSE
Growing in popularity with lure anglers the wrasse
– or ballan wrasse to give it its correct title – is an
incredible species of fish found from Norway down
to Morocco.
Because of their love for boulders and weed, shore
fishing from rocks is the perfect way to target the
species and with their average size being between
1 and 3lb they’re great fun.
In bigger sizes, though, they’re even better. At
the top end wrasse can get on for nearly double
figures, but catch one of over 4lb and you’ve had a
great fish.
At around 4lb a wrasse’s head and body shape
changes and they get bigger mouths making
them even more powerful and harder to get to the
shore.
Given their fierce territoriality, after catching
a wrasse always return it as near to where you
caught it as possible.
equally likely to just nail it.
Another cast, another retrieve
and bang. What had been a sedate
scene of a slow wind on the Stella
has turned into a high octane
blur of straining carbon, frantic
cranking and facial grimacing as
Danny leans into a fish.
These wrasse are strong,
abnormally so for their size, but
looking at the body build you can
see why. In a few high tension
seconds the fish is turned and on
its way in to our rocky perch. Out