The Cod Season is coming ....

As Autumn approaches, what are Shore Fisherman thinking about ?.

Give you a clue ?

It tastes very good in Batter and is usually served with Chips !

That's right the COD season is coming, to start getting prepared.

We have all read in the press about the scarcity of our most famous Sea Fish. Well following the Cod fishing ban in the North Sea, during the spawning season, what will this years season hold in store?

Hopefully some good sport to cheer us up on those cold and wet winter days.

Cod can turn up virtually anywhere around our coasts, but if you want to improve your chances of hooking  "The Big Un", then now is the time to start preparing.

The Target, a nice sized cod take our bait....

You may be lucky and catch a double figure specimen, without even trying, but if you want to improve your chances, you will need to prepare well and be ready for some very hard work.

If you are ready to put in the effort then read on and hopefully our advice will help.

The first thing you need to do is thoroughly research the spot you are going to fish, spend plenty of time on the beach, looking for holes, feeding spots, sand banks etc. By the time you fish the spot, you should know it like the back of your hand.

 

You can talk to other anglers, but many will keep the information to themselves. When you hook into a Cod, it will not go steaming off taking lots of line, normally dropping to the bottom and hanging on to the bed. Larger fish will try and un-hook themselves by trying to get snagged on rocks or smashing up your trace.

 

You will need good line, always start the cod season with new line, over rocks use a minimum of 25Lb, over beaches or shingle 18 -20 lb.

 

Ensure your reel is running smoothly and is rugged enough for the job. If you are pulling in a double figure cod. the reel will be strained to it's maximum and the last thing you want is for it to pack up on you just as you are pulling in the biggest fish you have ever caught.

A strong rod is essential, you are going to be casting 6oz plus leads and working the rod to the full, if you hook into a "Big Un". If you have a floppy rod then don't bother  going for big cod, it is sure to collapse on you, just at the wrong time.

 

Plenty of Bait is the key to atrracting that "Specimen Fish"

Cod hunt by smell, so the rule is simple, take loads of bait and load up your trace to the full. Crabs, worms, fish, mussels, squid, Cod will take anything. Big baits will put out a scent trail for the specimen fish to home in on. 

 

 

Recommended rigs are the Paternoster with a Pennel hook   or the Up & Over . The main body of the rig should be 80lb Mono and shock leaders should be of a similar size.

Cod often "Mouth" the bait, so don't be to quick to strike, look for the little "Knocks" then wait for the hit. Strike and start pulling in.

 

With out any doubt, night tides are the best for Cod.

 

If you are fishing at night in winter, some things are essential, warm dry clothing and ideally a good quality flotation suit. Lighting will be essential, get a good quality head light, if you are down at the water line pulling in your specimen, then you need to be able to see what is happening. As your body losses 25% of it's heat through your head, wear a hat. The last thing anyone wants is for you to end up with Hypothermia. People think that only Icelandic fisherman get Hypothermia, but every winter in the UK fisherman end up in hospital, or worse, because they not wrapped up warm.

Take care, enjoy the Cod Season and don't forget to post us a report.

 

 

 

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