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Fish guide

Corkwing wrasse

Symphodus melops · Wrasse

Also called wrasse, corkwing

Corkwing wrasse
Photo: NicoDesSables, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What fish is this?Identify a fish from a photo

A small, deep-bodied wrasse of rocky ground and eelgrass, usually caught while fishing for ballan wrasse.[1]

How to recognise it

  • Deep body fully covered in scales, with a sharp, serrated rear edge to the gill cover.[1]
  • Dark blotches behind the eye and on the tail, on or just below the lateral line.[1]
  • Colour varies: green, reddish-green or greenish-brown, with bluish lines on the lower body of males.[1]

When and where

Found over
rocky ground, eelgrass, weedy ground[1]
Baits
small worm baits[1]

Sources

  1. Planet Sea Fishing: Corkwing wrasse

These notes are a draft: we gathered them from the sources above and are still checking them. We don't work out best times for this fish yet. The size rules come from the same checked byelaws as every other fish.

Size and bag limit

Minimum size
Sizes vary along the coast. Pick your spot to see the rule there.
Bag limit
None set for the whole UK.
Minimum sizes around the UK
AreaMinimum size
Kent & Essex IFCANone
Sussex IFCA14 cm
Southern IFCA14 cm
Devon & Severn IFCANone
Cornwall IFCANone
Isles of Scilly IFCANot checked yet
North Western IFCANone
North Eastern IFCANot checked yet
Northumberland IFCANot checked yet
Eastern IFCANone
Welsh GovernmentNot checked yet
Scottish GovernmentNot checked yet
DAERA (Northern Ireland)Not checked yet