Wrasse Biats????

Hi lads, just wondering what baits have you all had success on when fishing for wrasse on rock marks?

Need some suggestions as i'm gathering some bait for a wrasse session.

Thanks.

think every wrasse i have caught has been on rag but also heard crab can be good too.

Live hard back crab is deadly for them Aaron. If you can get hold of any that is what I would reccommend to you.

rag is great for them

sometimes limpets whelks and periwinkles can be good if youve no rag

for the bigger ones the common shore crab is ideal - live baited

and if your into wasting good bait you can use peelers but youd want to have nothing else to target them with!!!

Rag and limpets are the baits ive found to work best, but ive never tried hardback crab but hear a lot of good things about it.

Where would i get limpets??

Look on the shore line on rocks thery are little shells stuck on the rocks, slide off with a knife take out of the shell and hook up and hopfully youll get a mother of a wrasse

i take it they are brilliant wrasse bait then, they just like small mussles??

Cooked prawn tails works

strange lol, not my cuppa tea for bait.

rag is killer bait for em even a tiny bit does the job

In my opinion you will catch more Wrasse with ragworm but will catch the bigger wrasse on crab.

Hello Aaron,
Limpets don't look like small mussels, they have a conical shell on top and stick directly to the rock by means of a sucker type things called a foot, beige coloured normally. Job for a google search if you're not sure.
Live green crabs are the tops for wrasse IMHO. However you need to get knacky at mounting them, and picking the right rig. I have used a lead head hook on the end of the line, and nothing else but a live green crab, with this and my trout rod I landed my first specimen fish, 5.25lb wrasse - Result

The wrasse are often right in under your feet so if you pick the right spot you don't have to cast as such, just dangle your bait a few feet off the bottom. The wrasse are grazing on the rock face, tearing off seed mussel and limpets from steep rock (that you might be standing on overhead). They use sight a lot, as far as I know they don't move around much after sundown.

If you find the right spot you'll have fun, but you better have quick reaction, they will clean your hook as quick as you can say 'a bite!'

Blackie

Nice information there

Ive had wrasse to just under a pound from the rocks at ardglass. nothing huge but they're class on a wee trout rod. i was using a bit of rag at the time. Ive never seen any bigger ones down that way, but theres plenty of wains.

Happy days, great replys lads, will def go with rag, and float fish for them as i'm fishing really rough ground, its a kelp graveyard, the rock i stand on does drop off into deep water so i'm sure il have some luck.

Thanks lads.

Bsloan, there is plenty of specimen Wrasse around the Ardglass area. Great mark.

hehehe....im sure there are load of biguns down there, although my lack of expertise insures the little'uns find my hook before the daddys. Great craic all the same. Love the rocks at ardglass. what about the size of the pollack down there? ive only really caught smallies (up to 1lb) when spinning for the macks. any word of mackies down there this year?

Them there are limpets, they are great bait for wrasse plus there are everywhere and FREE

Nice information there

Ive had wrasse to just under a pound from the rocks at ardglass. nothing huge but they're class on a wee trout rod. i was using a bit of rag at the time. Ive never seen any bigger ones down that way, but theres plenty of wains.

Try using a bigger hook with somthing a bit bigger, try and bind what ever bait you use to stop the smaller ones from sucking the bait off the hook should help with getting the bigger ones

the bigger wrasse will take the green crab baits,if you use rag you will have a lot of small wrasse attack the worm baits first and become a nusiance use a trace with a stand off loop cut and tie on the hook to it and use old spark plugs or such as weights ,there for cutting down tackle losses.personally i would use a mustad vicking hook size 3/0 to mount the bait on.one of the best marks for wrasse is ramore head some very big ones in there.john