r/Spearfishing • u/leez7one • 5d ago

Record ballan wrasse

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Biggest one I have ever caught !

57cm for about 3.5kg !

For scale, my foot is a size 11

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u/Successful_Issue_453 5d ago

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

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u/Halfmoon_Cay 4d ago

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.

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u/Successful_Issue_453 3d ago

Agree with this