Silver Lure Sea Angling Club Newsletter

June 2016

PROPOSALS FOR THE AGM

Could I ask that any proposals to be considered for the AGM, be sent to me as soon as possible, so that I can include them in next month’s newsletter to allow anyone who will be attending the AGM, to know what proposals (if any) will be discussed and voted on, and to propose any counter proposals or amendments as they see fit.

This also avoids the situation where members on the night say that they weren’t aware of what is being discussed.

TREASURER/FUND RAISER

As of Monday, 20As of Monday, 20As of Monday, 20As of Monday, 20thththth JuneJuneJuneJune, the Club finances were as follows:, the Club finances were as follows:, the Club finances were as follows:, the Club finances were as follows:

Treasurers account £93.88

Cash in hand £321.76

100 Club (Cash) £176.10

100 Club (Bank) £1928.18

BOAT CONVENER

Boat report by S. Walker At Portpatrick with Dominic on the rescheduled boat as last week’s boat was cancelled due to weather conditions. To days forecast to be little wind and lots of rain, 9 anglers’ 4 club members and 5 guests headed to one of Dominic’s Huss marks which had produced double figure fish and plenty of L.s.d previously, dropping anchor. Ron had the first L.s.d on board as usual, Ian and the skipper started catching mackerel and soon we had enough fresh bait, Ian then had a 2lb haddock followed by more for John and Jack, codling and whiting coming in regularly and as the tide turned the Bullhuss and L.s.d started feeding. First huss for myself 5lb 7oz and soon everyone apart from Ian was catching them and they were getting bigger, as the tide got stronger Ron and Robert had double figure huss and I had one of 13lb 7oz which was the heaviest fish until I caught one of 14lb 12oz then Richie’s turn but his opened its mouth at the boat and spat the bait out much to annoyance, the rain was relentless and as the tide got stronger 2lb weights were not holding bottom we upped anchor and moved inshore which resulted in a couple of L.s.d and one Bullhuss. Called it a day Ron won the boat with 150 points and I had the heaviest fish. Everyone caught fish with a total of 77 fish 8 species mackerel, cod, coalfish, grey gurnard, haddock, l.s.d, Bullhuss and whiting a good days fishing, hope to see you at Dunbar on Saturday 16th July.

Portpatrick 26th June 2016

Po

s

Peg

Name

No. fish caught

Species Boat Score

Club Points

1 1 R.

Howe 27 L.S.D, Bullhuss

150 100

2 3 S.

Walker 17 L.S.D, Bullhuss

109 73

3 5 R. Ellen 10 L.S.D, Bullhuss 63 42

4 9 Steve (guest) 5 L.S.D, Bullhuss Mackerel 34 -

5 7 John (guest) 4 Bullhuss, Cod, Mackerel 25 -

6 4 I. Walker 6 Haddock, Grey Gurnard, Whiting, Mackerel 21 14

7 2 Robert (guest) 3 L.S.D, Bullhuss 20 -

8 8 Daniel (guest) 4 L.S.D, Haddock 19 -

9 6 Jake (guest) 2 Cod 7 -

Heaviest fish: S. Walker 14lb 12oz Bullhuss

Car boot saleCar boot saleCar boot saleCar boot sale

Sunday 3rd July has been set for the car boot sale.

This date doesn’t clash with any boat or shore outings.

There is the possibility that this could be put back another month due to shortage of donation of

goods and lack of interest in taking part.

Senior winter Boat Championship 2015 – 2016

Senior Summer Boat Championship 2015 - 2016

Pos

Name

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

17 / 0

4 / 2

01

6

Du

nb

ar

22 / 0

5 / 2

01

6

Po

rtp

atr

ick

26 / 0

6 / 2

01

6

Points

1 R. Howe 100 37 100 237

2 S. Walker 92 32 73 197

3 G. McFall 82 100 d.n.f 182

4 R. Ellen 82 d.n.f 42 124

5 I. Walker 32 29 14 75

6 B. Williams d.n.f 21 d.n.f 21

The annual senior boat championship table 2015 / 2016

Pos Name Lo

ch

Eti

ve

24/1

0/2

015

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

15/1

1/2

015

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

19/1

2/2

015

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

24/0

1/2

016

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

28/0

2/2

016

Ob

an

2003

/20

16

Points

1 R. Howe 100 100 92 100 93 95 580

2 G. McFall 52 54 92 99 100 78 475

3 S. Walker 61 42 100 48 63 100 414

4 N. Fennell d.n.f 62 54 91 70 70 347

5 R. Ellen 41 36 48 87 56 62 330

6 B. Williams 37 30 86 96 d.n.f 39 288

7 B. McRae 32 35 54 d.n.f d.n.f 55 176

8 W. Carr 70 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 71 d.n.f 141

9 I. Walker d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 43 51 36 130

10 P Crawford d.n.f 64 d.n.f 35 d.n.f d.n.f 99

11 S. Frayling d.n.f 26 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 26

Po

sit

ion

Name

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

24

/10/2

01

5

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

15/1

1/2

01

5

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

19/1

2/2

01

5

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

24/0

1/2

01

6

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

28/0

2/2

01

6

Ob

an

20/0

3/2

016

Lo

ch

Eti

ve

17/9

4/2

01

6

Du

nb

ar

22/0

5/2

016

Po

rtp

atr

ick 2

6/0

6/2

016

TO

TA

L

1 R. Howe 100 100 92 100 93 95 100 37 100 817

2 G. McFall 52 54 92 99 100 78 82 100 d.n.f 657

3 S. Walker 61 42 100 48 63 100 92 32 73 611

4 R. Ellen 41 36 48 87 56 62 82 d.n.f 42 454

5 N. Fennell d.n.f 62 54 91 70 70 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 347

6 B. Williams 37 30 86 96 d.n.f 39 d.n.f 21 d.n.f 309

7 I. Walker d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 43 51 36 32 29 14 211

8 B. McRae 32 35 54 d.n.f d.n.f 55 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 176

9 W. Carr 70 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 71 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 141

10 P. Crawford d.n.f 64 d.n.f 35 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 99

11 S. Frayling d.n.f 26 d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f d.n.f 26

The table for most number of different species caught for the 2015 / 2016

Heaviest Bag

Heaviest Fish

Name Location Date Weight

R. Howe Loch Etive 24 / 10 / 2015 4lb 13oz Thornback

G. McFall Loch Etive 15 / 11 / 2015 4lb 11oz Thornback

B. Williams Loch Etive 19 / 12 / 2015 9lb 12oz Spurdog

I. Walker Loch Etive 24 / 01 / 2016 11lb 11oz Spurdog

R. Ellin Loch Etive 28 / 02 / 2016 4lb 9oz Thornback

B. McCrae Oban 20 / 02 / 2016 9lb 1oz Thornback

R. Howe Loch Etive 17 / 02 / 2016 3lb 4oz Spurdog

G. McFall Dunbar 22 / 05 / 2016 3lb 3oz Cod

S. Walker Portpatrick 26 / 06 / 2016 14lb 12oz Bullhuss

Greatest number of different species

L.s

.d

Sp

urd

og

Wh

itin

g

Th

orn

back

Gre

y G

urn

ard

Po

uti

ng

Lin

g

Po

or

Co

d

Bla

ckm

ou

th d

og

fish

Co

d

Ballan

Wra

ss

e

Bu

llh

uss

Had

do

ck

Mack

ere

l

To

tal

1 G. McFall x x x x x x x x x 9

1 R. Howe x x x x x x x x x 9

3 I. Walker x x x x x x x x 8

4 B. Williams x x x x x x x 7

4 R. Ellen x x x x x x x 7

4 S. Walker x x x x x x x 7

7 N. Fennell x x x x x 5

7 W. Carr x x x x x 5

7 B. McRae x x x x x 5

10 P. Crawford x x x 3

11 S. Frayling x x 2

Name

Location

Date

Points

R. Howe Loch Etive 24 / 10 / 2015 120

R. Howe Loch Etive 15 / 11 / 2015 74

S. Walker Loch Etive 19 / 12 / 2015 63

R. Howe Loch Etive 24 / 01 / 2016 77

G. McFall Loch Etive 28 / 02 / 2016 86

S. Walker Oban 20 / 03 / 2016 148

R. Howe Loch Etive 17 / 04 / 2016 40

G. McFall Dunbar 22 / 05 / 2016 38

R. Howe Portpatrick 26 / 06 / 2016 150

Future boat trip

Nominated Species for 2015/2016

1. Spurdog 2. Pollack 3. Ballan wrasse 4. Cuckoo Wrasse 5. Cod 6. Coalfish 7. Whiting 8. Ling 9. Bullhuss 10. L.S.D 11. Thornback 12. Haddock

SHORE CONVENER

June 5th outing Auchenlarie

We had a perfect day for smoothies, the intended target, but didn’t even get a sniff of one. However, Robert Finlay back from a brief layoff, showed us the way landing

2 Bass, 2 Tub Gurnard and a flounder. Wullie Pollock landed a flounder, and Swanny, Gordon and Jim landed Tub Gurnard, while myself and Ross blanked. I had high

hopes for a good smooth hound bash but in the event it wasn’t to be.

Name Catch Lb Oz Kg Points

1 R Finlay 2 x Bass, 2 X Tub Gurnard, 1 X Flounder 6 13 3.090 100

2 W Pollock 1 x Flounder 1 5 0.595 20

3 R Swan 2 x Tub Gurnard 13 0.369 12

4 G McFall 1 x Tub Gurnard 0 7 0.198 7

5 J Bryceland 1 x Tub Gurnard 0 7 0.198 7

6 J McLaughlin

7 R Buchanan

Maximum weight 3.090

Total weight 4.451

Name Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Total

Wullie Pollock 26 6 0 0 33 0 0 0 20 85

Scott MacMaster 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28

Ross MacKay 17 100 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 217

Ross Buchanan 100 17 100 100 82 0 50 21 0 470

Robert Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Robert Swan 0 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 12 28

Robert Finlay 68 0 28 17 0 0 0 0 100 213

Joe McLaughlin 56 8 7 28 22 0 100 14 0 235

Jim Bryceland 0 0 0 62 11 73 0 0 7 153

Gordon McFall 54 18 7 82 87 100 0 100 7 455

David McNair 34 20 30 0 65 0 0 58 0 207

Daniel Diez 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11

C Rodgie 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31

0

Venue Date of Trip Places

Dunbar 16 / 07 / 2016 6

Portpatrick 28 / 08 /2016 10

Portpatrick 18 / 09 / 2016 10

Oban/Etive 16 / 10 / 2016 10

Oban/Etive 20 / 11 / 2016 10

Oban/Etive 18 / 12 / 2016 10

GREATEST NUMBER OF SPECIES

LSD

Wh

iting

Da

b

Co

ng

er

Ma

ckere

l

G/G

urn

ard

T/R

ay

Ling

Sp

urd

og

Flo

un

de

r

S/H

ou

nd

Co

d

Ro

cklin

g

PLA

ICE

C/E

EL

Ba

ss

T/G

urn

ard

R McKay x x x x x x

R Buchanan x x x x x x x X

J McLaughlin x x x x x X

B Finlay x x x x

C Rodgie x x

W Pollock x x

D Diaz x x x

D McNair x x x x X X

G McFall x x x x x X x

S McMaster x

J Bryceland x x x x

P Crawford x

R Swan x x

FUTURE SHORE OUTINGS

Month Date Venue Fishing Times

Meeting time/Place

Rods Species Additional info

July Sun 10th Port Logan

12pm-6pm

11am Port Logan farm

1 Pollack, wrasse

August Sat 13th Scotstoun beach

12pm-6pm

11am 2 Flounder, turbot, bass

September Terally 6pm-midnight

5pm Parking area

1 Potentially anything

This is what happens to you when you go on the rocks at Auchenlarie on a big tide.This is what happens to you when you go on the rocks at Auchenlarie on a big tide.This is what happens to you when you go on the rocks at Auchenlarie on a big tide.This is what happens to you when you go on the rocks at Auchenlarie on a big tide.

When Jim and myself (Wullie) got to the bottom of the hill at Auchenlarie, Jim wasn’t too keen on the walk along to the usual rocks that we normally fish due to having a dodgy knee or two, and I wasn’t too keen on the walk either, and had decided weeks before that my preference was to fish the rocks just in front of the exit from the trees.

Gordon, Boab and Robert Swan began to make their way along to the rocks to the left, or so we thought. Almost as soon as they had left, Robert Swan, having decided against, it returned to where Jim and myself were deciding which rock to fish from.

Jim and myself began to set up our gear on the rock to the left, when I put it to Jim, that the rocks to our right were maybe a better option as there was slightly more room for two, and slightly better stances, so we then began to move over, which turned out to be a fortunate move (see pic) and just as we had almost completed the move, Ross and Joe had arrived, and Ross took position on the rocks that Jim and myself had just moved from, and Joe and Robert Swan decided to make camp on the shoreline just behind and to the right of Jim and myself.

Anyway, as time moved on, and the tide was rising, I asked Joe what time high water was at and was told 11.30. Taking that into consideration, it was looking o.k. for Jim, myself, and Ross to continue where we were as the tide would be okay for us to fish on in safety.

I can’t remember if I asked Joe, or Joe volunteered the information, but we were then informed that high tide was in fact an hour later than initially told. By this time, it was too late to get off the rocks and keep dry feet, so I got my spare rod to check the depth of the water to see if we could maybe walk across to the shore and maybe get away with wet shins, knees or thighs, but with my spinning rod not even touching the ground, that idea was ditched.

Ross had decided to make the move to the rocks just behind and to the right of where he was, but this turned out to be lower than the rock he was on, and he made his way back to his original position at the cost of wet feet etc.

So for the remainder of the outing, it was a case of the three of us just hanging on and hoping, or more likely, wishing that the tide would hurry up and start ebbing.

Mr Swan and Mr McLaughlin, who had made the right choice by staying on the shore meantime, were very sympathetic to our predicament by asking questions such as, “Who were that group from Clydebank who sang “Love is all around”? and making swimming motions towards us.

1Jim and myself patiently waiting on the tide ebbing.

Ross on his wee rock

It was with great relief, that the rock I had earmarked on the shore as my tide marker was no longer being washed over with the water, but was beginning to dry out with the sun beating down on it, and the worry was over.

So if you are going to fish the rocks at Auchenlarie, make sure you check your access off, regularly, and be certain of the high tide time…even on a nice calm summers day…or take a canoe with you.

For the shore anglers among us, here are some

details on the fish we hope to target at Port Logan

next month.

Pollack

� Scientific name: Pollachius pollachius � Also known as: Lythe � Size: Up to 3ft and 20lbs (UK shore caught typically 1-5lbs) � UK minimum size: 12inches (30cm) in length � UK shore caught record: 18lb 4oz � IUCN Status: NE (Not Evaluated) � Distribution: Common throughout the whole of the UK and Ireland. � Feeds on: Predator that feeds by hunting small fish and sandeels, but will also scour the seabed for

anything it can find such as worms and crustaceans. � Description: Lower jaw protrudes noticeably and the there is no barbel on the chin. Flanks are brown to

greenish grey, although pollack from some areas have a coppery colour which can be very bright, especially when a fish has just been removed from the water. Lateral line is high and curves upwards. As a member of the cod family the pollack has three dorsal fins.

The large eyes and mouth make it clear that the pollack is a predatory fish that feeds by hunting. While most fish are either demersal (feed on or near the seabed), or pelagic (live and feed in mid-water),

pollack are unusual in the sense that they will feed at all water levels. They will hunt for small fish such as sprats, small mackerel and sandeels between mid-water and the surface, and also scour the seabed for flatfish, worms and crabs and shellfish. Bigger fish tend to live in deeper water, and

especially favour feeding over wrecks, while smaller pollack form into loose shoals and tend to stay in shallower water where they will feed on a wider diet including mussels, crabs, worms as well as any small fish they can catch. Pollack fishing is synonymous with rock marks as pollack favour hunting

among or over rocky and weedy seabed’s.

Life Cycle

Pollack appear to be non-migratory and stay around the same area for the whole of their lives. They will, however, move into deeper water in the colder winter months and may go as far as several miles offshore. During this time, they will also spawn. For this reason, pollack is seen as a summer species by UK anglers as this is the only time they will be caught from the shore with regularity.

Confusion with Coalfish

Sometimes anglers get the pollack confused with the closely related coalfish. While both fish are broadly similar in both appearance, feeding and behaviour there are a number of clear differences, and with a little knowledge it soon becomes easy to tell these two species apart.

Techniques and Methods to Catch Pollack

Inshore pollack live and feed in rocky areas, especially marks that give way to deep water. Because they can be found anywhere in the water column – from scavenging for worms on the seabed to chasing preyfish at the surface – there are a range of different fishing techniques that will catch these fish. Bait fishing with squid, crab, mackerel and worm baits can be effective. Hooks sized 2/0 or 3/0 in a strong pattern are a good choice, with clipped down rigs used if fishing at range or one or two hook flapping rigs used if fishing closer in. Lure fishing is an effective way to catch pollack, with spinners, plugs and especially jelly lures all being taken by pollack. Float fishing can also be an effective tactic with mackerel, ragworm and sandeel baits presented in mid-water accounting for some decent sized pollack. Free lining mackerel strip, head-hooked ragworm or sandeels into deep water is also worth a try. Some anglers even use fly fishing gear and sandeel type flies, as pollack will feed right at the surface of the water, especially at dusk. Whichever methods is used anglers should always keep their wits about them as Pollock can strike at any time and will often hit a spinner or plug when it is very close to being retrieved by the angler.

Reputation as a Sport Fish

Pollack are a powerful and hard fighting fish.

Pollack fight very hard, and many anglers would say that pound-for-pound they are one of the hardest fighting fish that British anglers are likely to encounter. Once hooked pollack will dive, often seeking cover in weed beds or heavy kelp. Pollack that are hooked on light gear and allowed to dive are often lost as they cannot be removed from the weed beds once they have secured themselves there. The variety of methods that can be used to fish for pollack, and the fight that they put up once hooked, mean that they are one of the UK’s highly regarded sporting fish.

Wrasse

Wrasse are a species of fish belonging to the Labridae family. There are over six hundred species of wrasse throughout the world. Most are small fish but some – such as the comically named humphead wrasse (found only in the Pacific and Indian Oceans) – can grow to eight feet in length. There are two main species of wrasse which are of interest to the UK sea angler: the ballan wrasse and the cuckoo wrasse, as well as a number of other smaller wrasse which are often classed as mini-species. All wrasse species live in rocky areas and are adapted to feed on animals found in this environment such as shellfish and crustaceans. They also tend to live in relatively shallow water and are rarely found offshore, meaning they can be easily targeted by sea anglers. Wrasse also have a highly unusual life cycle which is described below.

Ballan Wrasse

� Scientific name: Labrus bergylta � Size: Can grow to almost 3ft and 10lbs. UK shore caught typically 1-3lbs. � UK minimum size: 9ins/23cm � UK shore caught record: 9lb 1oz

� IUCN Status: LC (Least Concern) � Distribution: Fairly common in rocky inshore coastal areas all around the UK, although highest

concentration (and biggest specimens) found in the south and especially the south west of England. � Feeds on: All kinds of shellfish such as mussels, cockles, limpets and winkles. Also eats all manner of

crustaceans and occasionally small fish. � Description: Stoutly built fish with broad body and large scales. Single, long dorsal fin that extends all of

the way along the back and rounded tail fin. Colour ranges from brown/reddish to dark green, with light spots and a paler belly. Mouth is fairly small and lips are prominent. Teeth and jaws are powerful.

Ballan wrasse are the biggest and most common wrasse around the UK coastline. They can grow to around ten pounds in weight, although one of half this size would be a very good catch for a UK sea angler. They stick to rocky areas and will be found in mixed ground, but the heavier, rocky marks will hold the most and biggest fish. Wrasse feed primarily on shellfish. Their thick lips and sharp front teeth are adapted to pull shellfish from the sides of rocks, and they have powerful teeth located further back in their throat to crunch through the shells and get to the flesh inside. They will also feed on crustaceans and can easily consume hardback crabs and small lobsters. Ballan wrasse will come into shallow water and will feed on shellfish attached to submerged cliff faces and inshore rocks. Wrasse also like areas where there is heavy kelp and seaweed cover.

Cuckoo Wrasse

� Scientific name: Labrus mixus � Size: Does not grow much bigger than 12ins and 2lb. UK shore caught typically under 1lb. � UK minimum size: 9ins/23cm � UK shore caught record: 1lb 12oz � IUCN Status: LC (Least Concern) � Distribution: Found all around the UK, but like the ballan it is more common in the south and west. � Feeds on: Crustaceans and shellfish. � Description: Body is somewhat slimmer and elongated compared to the ballan wrasse. Extremely

colourful fish with a clear difference between the sexes. Immature males and females are a mix of pink, orange and red. Females have three black spots on their back behind the dorsal fin while these are absent on males. Mature males have blue heads and orange bodies, with blue stripes and mottled patterns running the length of the body and on the edges of the fins (male cuckoo wrasse pictured above). Similar mouth and teeth as the ballan wrasse.

A female cuckoo wrasse in its natural environment.

Cuckoo wrasse are much more colourful then their ballan cousins, and can have colouration more associated with tropical fish than a species found in the temperate waters around the British Isles. They are much smaller than ballan wrasse, only growing to a maximum of around two pounds and specimens caught by UK anglers are usually much smaller than this. They generally prefer slightly deeper water than ballan wrasse and do not come into very shallow inshore waters, although they can still be caught by the shore angler. They have the same kind of prominent lips and teeth as the ballan wrasse and have the same mostly shellfish diet. In many areas populations of ballan and cuckoo wrasse will overlap.

Other Species of Wrasse in UK Waters

A corkwing wrasse.

There are several other wrasse species caught in UK waters. The corkwing wrasse (Crenilabrus melops) which is a small fish, rarely exceeding 8-9 inches in length. Females are brown/green and are often mistaken for small ballan wrasse. The male has bright green and gold wavy lines along its body and can be confused with cuckoo wrasse. The best way to identify a corkwing is to look at the tail. There is a clear black spot on the wrist of the tail which only the corkwing wrasse has.

Goldsinny wrasse are one of the smallest wrasse found in UK waters.

The goldsinny wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris) is the smallest of all, rarely exceeding six inches and a few ounces in weight. This species is brown to red in colour and has black spots on its dorsal fin and top of its tail. It is only found towards the west and south west of Britain and Ireland and can only be caught by anglers using tiny baits and hooks sized 10 – 6 due to the small size of this fish. In addition to this there is the rock cook wrasse (Centrolabrus exoletus), also known as the small-mouth wrasse, the scale-rayed wrasse (Acantholabrus palloni) and the Ballion’s wrasse (Symphodus bailloni). Due to their small size these species of wrasse are only caught by anglers using Light Rock Fishing (LRF) methods and techniques.

Life Cycle

Wrasse are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they have a very unusual life cycle. All wrasse is born female and remain female for the first part of their lives. Being a relatively slow growing species they take around two years to reach six inches in length and will not reach sexual maturity until they are around six years old. At this point around half of the wrasse will transform into males and be able to breed with the wrasse which have remained female. Spawning takes place in late spring and summer with wrasse building a nest of seaweed wedged between rocks which contains the eggs. They will then defend the nest aggressively (this may explain why wrasse attack lures, although they still do this outside of the breeding season when they do not have nests to defend). After a few weeks the eggs will have hatched and the larvae will have floated away from the nest, where they will eventually grow into all female little wrasse and repeat the cycle.

Commercial Value

Cuckoo wrasse offer anglers the chance to catch a species which looks like it belongs in tropical waters, but have no commercial value.

Although wrasse are edible they are not a popular food fish in Britain and there is very little demand for this species from commercial fisheries. The fact that they live in shallow, inshore rocky waters mean that they are mostly protected from being caught as bycatch in trawlers nets. Since wrasse are a long-lived and slow growing fish that doesn’t mature until a late stage of life their numbers can be noticeably reduced by anglers, so most people fish for this species on a catch and release basis. Both ballan and cuckoo wrasse are currently considered species of Least Concern by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). Ballan wrasse may also have value as a ‘cleaner fish’ which pick parasites – particularly sea lice – off high value farmed fish, such as salmon.

Methods and Techniques to Catch Wrasse

Wrasse can be caught with a number of different methods and on a number of different baits. Furthermore, recent years have seen anglers across the UK having success catching wrasse on soft plastics and other lures. Wrasse are daytime feeders, lying dormant on the seabed or inside a gap in a rock or crevice during darkness. They can be caught all year round, but catches from the shore are generally better in spring, summer and early autumn, as cold weather can send the wrasse into deeper offshore waters. Rough, choppy seas and bad weather can also see wrasse disappear into their hiding places and bites dry up.

Bait Fishing on the Seabed

A pair of wrasse caught on a two hook flapping rig fished on the seabed. Note the use of a spark plug as a weight – a method used when fishing rough and rocky ground where wrasse are found.

Wrasse will scour and scavenge on the seabed and can therefore be caught with baits presented on conventional rigs. Bottom fishing is best with hooks which are around size 1/0 or thereabouts. Wrasse do not have large mouths but they can attack baits aggressively and if hooks are too small wrasse can take them all of the way down into their throats where they will be difficult (or impossible) to remove. When fishing from deep water rock marks wrasse will be found close in and so long casting and complicated rigs are not needed – many anglers simply use one hook or two hook flapping rigs. However, due to the snags which are inevitably present in the areas where wrasse are present it is a good idea to incorporate weak link releases or rotten bottoms into rigs, or use other techniques such as using spark plugs instead of weights to save money.

All wrasse have relatively small mouths, but they have powerful jaws and strong teeth.

All wrasse feed on shellfish and crustaceans and have thick lips to pull shellfish from rocks and powerful teeth and jaws to crunch through the shells of these creatures. Despite shellfish making up the bulk of the diet of the wrasse they will take a wide range of baits. Worms work well with ragworm seeming to have a higher success rate than lugworm. Shellfish of all types will be taken, as well as fish baits such as mackerel strip. Wrasse will take peeler crab, with cuckoos in particular being partial to a small section of peeler. Ballan wrasse are one of the few species which will take hardback crab, but it is usually best to add a little piece of mackerel to this bait to add some scent.

Float Fishing

An angler unhooks a wrasse caught on a float rig.

Wrasse will swim in mid-water and will look for shellfish and other sources of food which are attached to rocks which makes float fishing an excellent method to catch wrasse. The adjustable float rig is all that is needed to successfully catch wrasse, and anglers can buy individual floats or ready-made float kits from Sea Angling Shop by clicking here. It is not necessary to cast out far with a float rig, indeed the best results are often achieved by presenting a float fished bait along a pier wall or rock structure, as wrasse will be swimming along the wall looking for shellfish and other small creatures to feed on. It is worth varying the depth at which the bait is presented, with a shallower depth being selected if a deep-fished bait is not getting any interest. Using an adjustable float rig allows anglers to change the depth at which their rig is presented quickly which is the major advantage of using this type of rig.

Float fishing very close to rocks or a pier wall can be effective as wrasse will naturally come close to structures to look for food.

Many anglers are surprised that good sized wrasse can be caught very close in, but this is indeed the case. When it comes to bait a lively, wriggling ragworm is a great bait to float fish for wrasse, but peeler crab and mackerel strip can also produce results.

Lures and Plastics

Despite the fact that wrasse are not hunters and seldom feed on other fish they can be taken on lures, especially soft jelly worms. There are several theories for this. One is that wrasse mistake these lures for species they do feed on such as prawns. However, another theory is that wrasse are actually defending their territory when they attack lures, especially when they have eggs in the water, and bite at other fish (and lures) to chase them away from their area, rather than to feed. However, wrasse will still be caught on lures outside of the breeding season, which casts some doubt on this theory. Whatever the reason there is no doubt that wrasse do indeed take soft plastics, and many anglers catch wrasse using these type of lures.

Jelly worms are a top lure for catching wrasse.

Most anglers using soft lures to catch wrasse step down to light rods and reels, with many anglers fishing for wrasse using LRF (Light Rock Fishing) or HRF (Hard Rock Fishing) methods and techniques. Jelly worms and lures of various sizes can be used, and most a set up in the Texas or weedless style as this allows lures to be dragged through heavy weed cover without becoming snagged. Jig heads or other weights can be added to provide weight for casting, and anglers usually carry a range of differently coloured jelly lures so they can find out which colour is producing the bites on a particular day. As with float fishing, finding a fish holding area which has natural food sources for wrasse is more important than casting distance, with anglers jigging lures up and down along a rock face to attract the attention of wrasse, or casting short distances and drawing lures through the water to get a wrasse to attack. Many anglers remark on the ferocity with which wrasse hit soft plastic lures, and the fight they put up when fought on light tackle.

Landing Wrasse

As wrasse are fish that live in rocky areas anglers should give some thought as to how fish will be landed once they have taken a bait – a landing net can be useful when fishing many wrasse marks to ensure that any wrasse which are hooked are successfully landed.

Landing nets can be particularly helpful when landing species such as wrasse.

Anglers should be careful when handling wrasse as the dorsal fin can consist of large spines which can pierce and cut the hands of unwary anglers. Wrasse are not popular eating fish at all, and it makes sense to return them to the sea, although wrasse that have been pumped up from deep water can die on the surface as this species is extremely sensitive to changes in water pressure

Next Club meeting will be held on Thursday 28th July 2016