Is it too soon to start talking about cod? After last year’s welcome influx of codling around the most of the UK, I think not because during August these fish have started to return and the hope is they will be considerably bigger, maybe in the 5/6lb plus bracket in some regions. Last season the English Channel and North Sea were chock-a-block with small codling and there are already signs that the fish are going to return.
Cod are creatures of boom and bust when it comes to reproduction. Nature has equipped them to cope with the extremes of Planet Earth and so after a bad year they can come back with a spawning bonanza. At present around the UK there are booming inshore pockets of codling and if allowed to mature they will produce the best cod fishing of the last few decades. If there is a problem it’s that a codling of 5lb is only just reaching spawning maturity and in a single stroke it can be caught and killed because fish of that size can be netted with ease by commercial gill nets. It could all end in tears if DEFRA increases Quota Limits and the commercial nets scoop up all of the codling in a single season!
On the positive side, it seems that enough of last year’s fish have survived to ensure this winter’s fish are big enough to pull the string and some exciting shore fishing is in prospect, especially from many of the old cod haunts like Dungeness, Chesil and Orford.
Let’s look at the tackle required for the coming cod fishing season. Cod fishing on a budget is possible, but there are many restrictions placed on the angler by ‘economy tackle’ and that’s without his lack of angling ability or skill. Buying cheap attracts thousands of new anglers to the sport annually, especially for the summer mackerel fishing, although none of them would purchase the same quality footwear as they do fishing tackle! So think about the quality you are buying when you part with your cash. Pretty cosmetics can hide inferior or shoddy workmanship and materials.
On top of all that, fishing for winter cod is a far more challenging task than feathering for summer mackerel with your performance and your gear (plus the wear and tear on tackle) having a far greater effect on results.
Buying a beach caster is your major purchase and they come in a range of lengths, casting ratings and prices. Don’t go below 12ft in length: 13ft to15ft is better depending upon the type of reel you chose. Also go for a rod with a 5oz plus casting rating. Most common ratings are 4oz to 6oz and 5oz to 7oz and both are suitable for winter conditions.
It is important that the rod is matched to the reel. Rods are produced specifically for both types of reels. You can use a fixed spool reel on a multiplier rod although it’s not ideal, whilst a multiplier cannot be used on a fixed spool rod. If using the multiplier in the high position a rod of 12 to 13ft is required. For the low multiplier position rods longer that 13ft are essential and they usually come with a short extension called a reducer to extend the butt length when reeling in. Fixed spool reels can be used in the high reel position with short or long rods, but they must be of a length and overall weight an angler can comfortably handle.
Fixed spool reels are easier to handle than multipliers and lots of novices opt for them. However, both types still need practice to master. Look for a model with a capacity of 250 to 300 yards/metres of 12lb to 20lb line and if you choose a fixed spool go for a reel with a spare spool. This allows you to have either a spare spool ready in case of tackle loss or a spool carrying a different strength line. In the case of the multiplier you will need two reels if you want to carry a spare.
A major decision for the winter cod angler is where to fish and much depends on where you live and the availability of accessible venues as well as local results. Find a venue that is producing cod and don’t just fish a venue because of its past reputation or hearsay. Of course the presence of cod or codling can never be guaranteed; they are creatures of instinct and will move around the sea in shoals in search of food. They will take advantage of the weather conditions, tides and season and are often a couple of fins ahead of the anglers who have a habit of turning up after the cod have passed through. Rumours and the beach grapevine all add interest to cod fishing, but very often they can be misleading because news comes too late. However, there is one piece of advice that will help you catch cod and that is to fish at night. Under the cover of darkness feeding cod move closer to shore and on most venues there are more cod present in darkness than in daylight.
Casting distance is important and learning to cast a bait a good distance is an essential skill. 100 metres with bait is the average requirement from most winter venues, further on many. During winter, problems are magnified by sometimes extreme weather conditions and the terminal tackle set-up becomes crucial to effective casting. By streamlining rigs and baits and casting with a low trajectory or a punch into a head-wind distance can be increased. Fishing with the wind at your back also helps, although it is true to say that most often a head-wind is most productive. Casting instructors are available and are a wise short-cut to take. They will help you with the correct choice of tackle and the casting style to choose.
Terminal rigs should not be a problem because they are available ready-made at the tackle dealers in every conceivable design. If you wish to make your own all you need to do is buy a selection and copy them! However, there are a few common sense rules. The use of a single hook bait lowers the odds of catching a fish, whilst three separate hook baits increases the odds of a catch BUT this also increases the air resistance when casting. The angler needs to choose the right balance in terms of the number of hooks and the size of the bait in relation to the weather conditions and distance cast potential, thus no one rig will serve all conditions. The various combinations can be carried in a rig wallet with each rig made up so that it can be clipped instantly to the main line via a lead link and swivel.
If I had to choose one rig it would be the single hook Pulley Pennell rig which is streamlined by the hook bait being clipped behind the lead for maximum casting distance. The Pennell hooks system places two hooks in a single bait, helping to support it and maintain its shape whilst also increasing the chance of a fish being hooked.
Top of the bait list for cod are lugworm and squid. Fished individually or together in a cocktail they account for more boat and shore-caught cod around the UK than any other baits. The largest yellowtail or black lugworm are reckoned to be the best cod bait and that’s because they are tough and carry more scent and blood than the common lugworm. Peeler crab is the most deadly bait for codling in many regions, especially when fishing over rough ground – and it can be used fresh or frozen.
The most valuable rule concerning bait is to re-bait your hook with fresh bait before every single cast. Adding bait to a washed-out previous bait can produce a ball of mush that is less appealing to the fish and which may hamper the hook point’s penetration!
The tides run in 12 hour cycles: two low tides in every 24 hours and two high tides in every 24 hours. Their strength is governed by the position of earth in relation to the moon and sun. It’s the gravitational pull of the planets on our water mass that moves it around the globe. This means that tide times and the height they travel are totally predictable. A tide table will show the times of the low and high tides plus the height of each tide. The biggest and strongest tides are called ‘springs’ and the weakest ‘neaps’.
Not all venues produce fish at the same state of tide, or indeed the same strength of tide or weather and a degree of local knowledge is required so that the angler can fish at the peak time. The alternative is a marathon session and that can mean spending hours fishless. If you have to choose a time and tide to fish then go for the biggest spring high tide you can find in darkness; on the majority of venues spring high tides between 8pm to midnight are a good choice.
Like most of the prime edible species, cod are subject to a legal minimum size limit which is 35cm. Any fish under this size caught anywhere around the UK coast must be returned to the sea.
This month and the next offers some of the best fishing of the year in many regions with a crossover of summer and winter species as they migrate – the last of the big smooth-hounds, sole and cod, whiting and mackerel with wrasse, pollack and some monster bass. The rarer possibilities include trigger fish, gilthead bream, red mullet and gurnards with an outside chance of rays, bream, lump-sucker or john dory.
Tight lines,
Alan Yates
