Identifying species

[spasor]

I hoped you kissed the LSD before you put him back?

I think the wrasse is a juvenile ballan. But there`s nothing to compare size with? Even ballans start small Norm.

[Jim Roper]

kentangler:

It's the smallest lesser spotted dog I have ever seen!

You must have small pebbles in Kent!

[FearTheHands]

quote:

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the doggy looks small because of the size of pebbles at that end of the chesil, photo the same fish at burton bradstock & it would look huge

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Indeed - thanks ziggy! Only one thing worse than insulting a man's fish he's landed ....

The Doggy was indeed caught at Chesil Cove where the Pebbles are huge - HUGE I say!!!

( I took 6 home & built a new garage )

 

The Wrasse (sic) in the piccy was quite small - about 6 inches in length (if that helps ?)

[Zigs]

the pebbles are so big you need oxygen at the top of them - pride restored ?

[Toerag]

Small Ballans tend to be slightly 'tiger striped' like a pout or male black bream, and greeny brown in colour like your greeny coloured one if caught over relatively clean ground. The classic reddy-brown with white spots coloration tends to be found in ones over 3lb mostly caught in heavy kelp. I think your pic of the one with a bait in it's mouth and a black spot at the root of the tail is a Corkwing, do a google image search for 'corkwing wrasse'. Your captures are definitely not cuckoo wrasse though, they're pink with black bits on the back near the tail (female) or pink & blue (male). It would have been useful to have something in the pic to give an idea of scale, like a 5oz lead or well known reel.

 

[ 25. October 2004, 12:46 PM: Message edited by: Toerag ]