Species › Europe, UK & Ireland · Saltwater › Ballan Wrasse

Saltwater

Ballan Wrasse

Labrus bergylta · Wrasse, Ballan, Old wife

Water temp
54–66°F
Peak season
Jun–Sep
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
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Ballan Wrasse (Maragota (Labrus bergylta), isla de Corbera, Santander, España, 2019-08-15, DD 73.jpg)

Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Ballan wrasse are heavy-set, deep-bodied fish with rubbery lips, a long single dorsal fin and colors that range from green and brown to orange and red with pale spots. They live on rocky, kelp-covered coasts from Norway to Morocco and the Canaries, including Britain, Ireland and Brittany, and are most common in the first 60 ft (20 m) of water. They crush crabs, mussels and limpets with strong jaws and feed by day, resting in holes at night. Ballan matter to anglers because they are the hardest-fighting fish on rough-ground marks and have become the main target of the UK and Irish light-rock-fishing scene.

Typical size1–4 lb (0.5–2 kg); 12–20 in
Trophy6 lb+ (2.7 kg+)
Table farePoor — soft, bony flesh; nearly all are released

Where & when

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Best from late spring to early autumn when fish are shallow and active; in winter they move deeper and feed little, and the far south-west of Britain and Ireland fishes longest.

Portland Bill, United KingdomDorset rock marks; big wrasse in kelp gulliesLizard Peninsula, United KingdomCornish deep-water rock marksHook Head, IrelandWexford rock marks with 5 lb+ wrasse

How to catch

Texas-rigged soft plastics (LRF)Rig a 3–4 in creature bait or worm on a weedless hook with a 7–14 g bullet weight and drag or hop it slowly through kelp and boulders. Strike instantly and wind hard to lift the fish before it reaches a hole; most losses happen in the first second.
Float-fished crab or wormSuspend a hardback crab, ragworm or limpet under a sliding float set so the bait hangs just above the kelp tops along a gully edge. Big ballan come up to inspect, so let the float bury fully before striking.

Gear

Rod7–8' medium-heavy spinning, fast action
Reel3000–4000 spinning
Line20–30 lb braid; 20–25 lb fluorocarbon leader

Lures

Soft-plastic creature bait on Texas rigSoft-plastic wormSmall crayfish imitation

Baits

Hardback crabRagwormLimpetMussel

Regulations

No licence is needed for shore angling in the UK or Ireland and wrasse have no statutory recreational size or bag limit in most areas, though some inshore fisheries authorities have introduced local protections after wrasse were harvested for salmon farms. Release is standard practice.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: not listed. State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

What is the best lure for ballan wrasse?

A 3–4 in soft-plastic creature bait or worm in dark green, brown or black, Texas-rigged weedless on a 7–14 g bullet weight, is the standard. It gets through kelp without snagging and looks like the crabs and shrimp wrasse eat. Fish it slow along the bottom with small hops and pauses.

Bite forecast — Ballan Wrasse

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Ballan Wrasse.

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