In my very biased opinion, wrasse are easily the most exciting group of fish found around our UK coastline. They’re colourful, charismatic, and ridiculously fun to fish for. You can catch them from a wide range of places, on a number of tactics. This UK wrasse species guide covers identification, sizes and key features of […]
Author: Callum Harris
How to Catch Big Ballan Wrasse in the UK: Tactics for Landing Better Fish
Catching wrasse is one thing, but targeting and catching big ballan wrasse in the UK – anything over 4lb in size, these days – is a different challenge altogether. These fish are powerful, territorial, and live in unforgiving rocky ground, which means refining your approach is essential if you want to consistently land larger specimens. […]
UK Rock Fishing for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Getting Started
UK rock fishing, for beginners, can feel highly intimidating. Scrambling over steep ledges and casting into deep water isn’t to be taken lightly – and unlike the ‘car park swim’ on your local lake, safety becomes of paramount importance. But the good news is that with a bit of upfront thought, and a few kit […]
Light Rock Fishing – May Bank Holiday
A blistering May bank holiday just gone, with south coast temperatures pushing the mid‑twenties – back in the concrete jungle back home, they were nearer the mid‑thirties. We were coming to the end of three nights camping at the ever‑lovely Tom’s Field in Langton Matravers, just outside Swanage. With lush green pitches and marauding sparrows […]
Wrasse Fishing in Dorset – Big Ballan from the Jurassic Coast
I’d planned to do some wrasse fishing in Dorset last weekend, but I clearly should have bought a lottery ticket instead… … Some luck! On Saturday’s low tide, I found myself bouncing a bait around in a shallow area I’ve often completely overlooked. A quick and delicate twang on the tip signalled somebody was home, […]
Wrasse Fishing – Itchy Feet
After being blown off my usual wrasse fishing rock marks in East Dorset and Portland by unexpected 20mph+ winds, I switched to an impromptu LRF (lerfing) session around Weymouth Harbour this weekend. Although fish were abundant, it quickly became a case of quantity over quality. I covered plenty of ground and switched tactics throughout the […]
Wrasse Fishing – June 16th
It’s been a quiet couple of months for my wrasse fishing down the coast, sadly – and by quiet, I mean I haven’t been out much. I’ve had a handful of fish from some old favourite Dorset haunts, but nothing of note. From a wrasse fishing perspective, it feels like I missed some of the […]
Wrasse Fishing – November Gloom
Quiet paths, lonely stonechats, and the unmistakable November gloom. Sneakily, late autumn has become my favourite time of year to be on the Dorset coast, chasing wrasse. Winter is coming, and the fish know it – bites are hard and fast. There are less of them to be found, for sure, but those fish that […]
Squid Fishing – An Inky Interlude
It’s no secret to say that it’s been an exceptional autumn for squid fishing on the British south coast – that cat is already well out the bag. Dad and I have made a couple of trips to Weymouth to get a piece of the pie, paying a visit to the Stone Pier in both […]
Wrasse Fishing – Rock Fishing Grand Slam
We’ve a six week old baby at home – our first – and so my days roving around the South Coast, wrasse fishing from the shore, are on somewhat of a hiatus for now. A Wrasse Fishing Hiatus (For Now) All things considered, I’ve been incredibly lucky to manage two days wrasse fishing from the […]