A PROPER BRUTE OF A WRASSE!!

Monday was a bit of a write off with work due to all flights being cancelled with the islands surrounded by a fog blanket so I took the opportunity to head back out to the shallow bay that has been on top form recently.

I wanted to fish the mark on the back tide so waded out ready to find the wrasse as they vacated the bay with the tide. Conditions were spot on with crystal clear water and very little wind and through the gaps in the jap weed I could clearly see wrasse moving around. I set up with a Z-Man ZinkerZ in watermelon candy rigged texas style and was straight into the wrasse.

I must have had 30 fish up to 4lbs when it all went very quiet. This usually means that the wrasse have become wary to the same colour lure moving in front of them so it's wise to change lures or colours to get them to take again. I switched over to my old faithful the Yoshikawa Superworm in watermelon and green flake and flicked it back across the entrance to the bay. First cast produced nothing so I re-cast back into the bay a little more and started to bump and twitch the lure back through the jap weed. As the lure got to 8ft in front of me I felt a strong tap then the Century Vectura-Ti was almost ripped from my hands as a seriously strong wrasse nailed the lure! I knew that this was a proper wrasse as initially I could do nothing with it bar hold on as it tried to power back out of the bay. I held the rod up and let it absorb the lunges, right then left the wrasse was trying its very best to get up a head of steam and lose the hook. I applied side strain to get it through the 5ft long jap weed in front of me when this enormous head surfaced!! It was thrashing the water as it was so shallow before I slipped the net under the brute. It was only then when I lifted her out of the water did I feel the weight of the wrasse, it's got be 7lb I thought!

She pulled the scales down to 7.5lbs and was 58 cm long, a new personal best and I was over the moon!!! The photos don't really do the fish justice, she had an enormous head with incredibly broad shoulders and I couldn't actually get my hand around the wrist of the tail. She was indeed a proper wrasse and hooked in only 4ft of water on a lure - what fun!!!

Who says wrasse don't fight, in shallow water they most definitely do!!

Watching her swim away was hugely satisfying, now all I have to do is catch a bigger one.......................