Fishing for shannies and bait sizes for cod

SHANNY ON THE ROCKS
It never hurts to try and relive your childhood. My wife reckons I never grew up anyway. The other week my lad and I dug out a garden cane, tied about 6ft of 4lb line to it with a size 12 barbless carp hook on and went shanny and goby fishing in the rock pools.

The best bait for shannies and gobies are the periwinkles, snail like shellfish that cling to the sides of the pools. You break the shell of one of these and you get a hard sucker type disc with just a little flesh left attached to it. You pass the hook through the disc and you're ready to go.

Shanny fishing is a real education. They live in the rock pools from mid to low tide lines. The pools might only be as big as wheelbarrow, but there will be up to half a dozen shannies in the one pool. The idea is to creep up to the edge of the pool, swing the bait in and watch. Immediately you'll see several little heads appear out of the tiniest cracks in the pool bottom. They'll be fighting over the winkle in seconds. Keep a tight line and strike when they really rattle the top of the cane.

Mini species the way forward

So why do it? Because fishing is fishing, and I think it is important to occasionally go back to where you started and relive the basics. Chucking 5ozs of lead and bait 130-yards plus is one side of fishing, offshore shark another, but then so too are the mini species in little pools right at your feet.

It's a pity more kids don't get to go rock pool fishing. It's the best natural history lesson they'll ever get, and it teaches both basic watercraft and an appreciation of the seashore and its residents. Some of the best match and freelance anglers I know started out in those same rock pools.

TIPS AND TRICKS
The U shaped head section where the rod fits in a rod rest are usually way too shallow. Get a good winter cod or a big bass hit the rod tip hard pulling it right over, then let go and the rod will shoot backwards like a recovering long bow, slip out of the U and you're left grovelling in thigh deep surf trying to rescue your rod. Not funny at the dead of night!

Use a short section of plastic water hose slipped over the outside finger of the U shape to extend the length and deepen it enough so that the rod will not "bounce" out of the rest after a cod bite. You'll need about 6-inches to be safe. Now tightly wind rubber waterproof sleeving over the whole lot and down in to the centre of the U. This has excellent gripping properties and stops the rod from slipping.

COD BAIT TACTICS

Use plenty of lug for cod baits

Cod have big mouths and can swallow huge baits. For codling averaging 2 to 3 lbs you should be loading a 4-inch section gutted black lugworm on to a 4/0 two hook pennel rig with two or three small blow lug on the bottom hook to add the required smell. The gutted black lug is nowhere near as effective on its own. Total length of this bait should be about 5-inches overall.

Fish between 3 and 7lbs will need a whole black lug, threading up the pennel rig, push three or four blow lug on to the bottom hook. A fat 6-inch bait pushed up tight is about right. Don't be afraid to add a big whole mussel as a tippet either. They'll get this down in one go no problem!

If you're looking for double figure cod, then a black lug/blow lug combination about 8 or even 9-inches long is ideal with whole razorfish splints tied with elastic down each side, or add a couple of mussels or a whole 6-inch squid for increased scent. Remember not to make the overall length so much that there is too big a gap between the hooks, which can see a cod grab the bait but miss the hooks. A fat bait scores over a long thin one very time.

Another good bait is a squid body with the head left on, cut off the end of the body at the tail end, pull out the cartridge backbone, then fill the whole hollow body full of blow lug and mussel, then wrap the whole lot up with bait elastic at the end to hold it together. Now slip this over the pennel rig bottom hook first and position the top hook in the tail of the body. More elastic holds it tight for casting.