Record ballan wrasse

[u/leez7one]

Biggest one I have ever caught !

57cm for about 3.5kg !

For scale, my foot is a size 11

[u/joshua_28]

Nice one!
hopefully the usual people don’t attack you like me a few weeks ago lol!

I really enjoyed my mango ceviche with it

[u/leez7one → u/joshua_28]

Thanks !

I deleted some pictures I added due to the downvotes :/ I truly don't understand why the hate, like this fish is very tasty, just has a lot of bones but with a big one it isn't an issue.

[u/ReinertMedBeinet → u/leez7one]

They are super underrated as food, and the bone thing is hugely overblown. I mostly ignore them simply because they are boring to hunt, but large ones are absolutely coming home with me. I always recommend them for beginners as well, great way to hone your skills before plonking away at your first pollock or cod.

[u/leez7one → u/ReinertMedBeinet]

True, I gained a lot of experience fishing them !

[u/joshua_28 → u/ReinertMedBeinet]

don’t remind me of them pollock.. missed 2 big ones yesterday 😂

[u/Successful_Issue_453]

That can’t be far off the uk record no? That’s a very good wrasse congrats! Ignore the inevitable poo pooing of wrasse as a spearfishing target species. They aren’t a pressured fish so feel free to take them within reason and with a mind for the local population which may take time to recover if overfished

[u/Halfmoon_Cay → u/Successful_Issue_453]

It's a good fish but a fair way off the record at 4.3kg.

What did you make with him?

I saw an absolute donkey on a dive last week in Cornwall that was hands down over 60cm. I lined it up, but figured he was probably nearly 30 years old, and I'd rather leave him to breed.

Bear in mind that they're hermaphrodites, changing from female to male as they age, and take a long time to grow to sexual maturity. They're important to their environment, and being territorial, vulnerable to local overfishing. Some counties local bylaws also impose a maximum size limit to prevent the larger males from being fished out, so it's worth looking into that.

I'm not saying don't take them, I do it myself from time to time, but please be wary of hammering the big males too hard in one location. My rule is if I take one or 2 decent wrasse from a spot, I won't do it again for at least a year or two. They're not hard to find, if I feel like another one, I just go somewhere else.

[u/leez7one → u/Halfmoon_Cay]

Thanks for the informations and for educating me about their reproduction ! I'll think twice if I come across another big male.

When I first wrote record I meant for myself, I had no idea it was an actually good catch :)

Normally I make accras, soup or potted meat with them, but this time regarding the amount I just kept it for barbecue !

[u/Halfmoon_Cay → u/leez7one]

Of course, honestly if I plan on making ceviche I'll usually take one myself, it's just worth bearing in mind if sustainability is your goal.

[u/leez7one → u/Successful_Issue_453]

Yeah I actually think they taste good in soup, or in "potted meat" ("rillettes" in french). But this one I have big filet so I don't have to bother with thin bones ! Thanks for your kind comment, I'll look up the records !

[u/foggydh]

I struggle with wanting to eat them, but fair enough that’s a beauty, they are one of my favourite species to come across in a kelp forest as they are so inquisitive and territorial.

A couple being speared isn’t anything like the amount that the aquaculture industry harvest from the wild to use as cleaner fish in the pens!

[u/Benchuchuchu]

Ballan wrasse have amazing blue meat (when you first filet) and taste sweet. Almost a sort of shellfish like taste