Blue-throated wrasse are a colourful inshore reef fish found along southern Australia, and they are a common bycatch when you're fishing rough ground. They are not usually a top target species, but they pull hard for their size and are great fun on light gear.
You'll find them around shallow coastal reefs, kelp beds, bommies and broken reef country from the lower east coast down through Bass Strait and across southern waters. They like cover and structure, often holding from the wash zone out to a few dozen metres deep, especially around reef edges and weed patches.
They feed on crabs, shellfish, worms and other small reef critters picked off the bottom and out of the weed. Most of the time they nose around structure and grab easy meals, so they are usually caught by anglers fishing baits close to the reef.
Tide changes usually help, especially when moving water pushes food off the reef and gets them actively searching. Low light around early morning, late afternoon or a bit of cloud cover can make them bolder in shallow water, while bright middle-of-the-day sun often sees them tuck tighter into cover. Light to moderate wind is usually best because it stirs the wash without making it hard to hold bottom, and a bit of swell can really switch them on around shallow reef edges if it is still safe and fishable.
A light estuary or inshore reef outfit does the job nicely, with a simple running sinker rig or small paternoster over rough ground. Fresh baits like prawn, squid, pipi or small strips of fish work well, and small soft plastics or lightly weighted grub-style lures can also pick them up around kelp and reef.
The bigger males develop that standout blue throat and brighter colours, so they can look like a completely different fish to the drabber females.