Cod Comeback!

Dare I say it? This coming winter potentially looks set to be a half decent one for cod fishing off the shore.

Right through this past summer, boats have been catching good numbers of cod from both the English Channel down as far as the Dorset coast, plus boats off the East Coast also report good numbers of cod on the offshore grounds. Even off the mid Wales coast, where cod are always few and far between, codling have been coming off the reefs to anglers, and also caught as a regular catch in lobster pots. The signs were there but many of us were just too cautious to dream we might be in for what, compared to recent years could be a bumper crop.

As I write I’m hearing of shore anglers along the Kent coast bagging up with codling between 1lb and 3lbs, but with a smattering of 5lbs fish also amongst them. The East Anglian coast has also started to fish with codling in the same size class showing early, plus a confirmed report of an 18lb fish already beached. The southeast coast of Wales also looks like it will be a hotspot with fish to 13lbs coming off the marks between Redwick and Goldcliff, and codling also taken from Cardiff Foreshore and as far up as The Ranny and Cold Knap. The Cumbrian coast has also started to produce fish. The Northeast boys reckon the fish are there too, but need a good sea to bring the fish in.

Having had such a poor summer, its sounds daft, but we could do with some rough weather now to bring these shoals of codling tight inshore in good numbers.

I’m also expecting better numbers of bass to be caught right through to the Christmas period. Apart from the South Wales coast, most areas report poor numbers of bass this past summer. The reason being the vast amount of fresh flood water constantly pouring out of our estuaries, plus the lack of peeling crab in number, again due purely to flood water. This combination has seen the bass stay offshore on the reefs and banks. These bass are going to be hungry and desperate to fatten up before spawning, hence I think you’ve a very good chance of some good bass in amongst the codling.

Whatever, I think this autumn/winter will give some great fishing. The tackle industry needs it, and what’s more as anglers, we need for its been a desperate few years. Don’t miss out!

 

 

POPPING OFF!
Quite a few anglers have mentioned to me this summer that surface popping bass plugs have failed to fish as well as they have in previous years. I’ve also noticed this myself. In fact none of my mates who plug and fly fish for bass on a regular basis have had a good summer.

One of the theories is that the bass, being somewhat territorial over certain patches of rough ground, have become suspicious of the plugs and are leaving them alone. I understand their thinking, but I’m not sure this is relevant.

I’ve already touched on bass in most areas being inshore in very poor numbers due to the massive amounts of rain right through the summer and the lack of crab for food. Consequently fewer fish means fewer strikes, so that’s one obvious cause.

Another reason is that with all the bad weather and the constantly rough seas, smaller bait fish have not collected tight inshore as they normally would. Many areas also report poor showings of sandeel, especially inside the estuaries. If there’s no baitfish the bass will be elsewhere and less likely to hit your plug.

The other factor is that the seas have been very badly coloured and full of weed. Okay bass like rough weather, but they do not like suspended sand and silt in the water and tend to move out.

In a nutshell, I doubt the bass are shy now of the plugs, it’s a mixture of the three factors above and given good weather next summer the surface popping plugs will be back on form!

 

 

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