WINTER COD Although not so commonplace these days, it is still possible to target big winter cod around the UK
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atching winter cod is all about using big, smelly, baits and waiting for the cod to home in on the scent trail. It really is a waiting game, and there’s no real pattern to when these cod turn up and feed. In days gone by it was possible to actively target a 30lb plus cod along the south coast, but these fish have long since gone. However, there are still a few areas of the country that can produce big fish, such as the Bristol Channel and northern Scottish waters.
RIGS & BAITS
Traditionally, Pennell rigs tied using a couple of size 10/0 O’Shaughnessy hooks to at least 100lb mono were used along the South Coast. These can be used on a single trace, but the top tactic has been a 4ft-long flowing trace that resembles something like a wishbone rig, except one snood is shorter than the other. This effectively gives you two hooks about 8 inches apart. On the end of each snood, tied using 80lb mono, is a single size 8/0 or 9/0 wide-gape hook.
The secret to this rig’s success is the fact that it only uses single hooks, but you have two baits presented in the water – which doubles the scent trail. The baits are far more streamlined too, with the ‘point’ hook having half a medium cuttlefish and whole squid whipped together with bait elastic, while the hook above is baited with either a squid and worm wrap, or another half cuttle and squid cocktail.
RODS & REELS
Downtide fishing for big cod requires some fairly sturdy tackle. Not only will you have the chance of a 20lb plus cod in a strong tide, but you will more than likely encounter conger eels to over 50lb in the process in some areas, especially the South Coast and Bristol Channel. Because you will have to contend with the tide for at least some part of the day, and the fact that you will be using big baits, rods need to be able to handle whatever weight is needed to keep your bait on the bottom. In some cases this may mean weights of up to 2lb, depending on where you are fishing. A good 20lb class rod will be required, and, generally speaking, a multiplier is the best selection for this style of fishing. It’s a matter of power and torque, where the combined pressure from the tide and a large fish can render a fixed spool reel all but useless. Lever drag reels are excellent for downtiding as more drag can be set as required during the fight without too much messing about.
They are few and far between, but huge English Channel cod can still be caught
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SEA ANGLER BOAT SPECIES
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