Rough ground cod fishing
Whilst cod have made something of a comeback in certain areas over the past five years, their numbers are nothing like what they were throughout the 60's and 70's. Current day anglers aren't interested in how good the "old days" were though, they want to catch some fish NOW so that they too can talk about it in years to come. To do this with consistency, and to get those 5lb plus fish, you need to forget clean sand venues and surf beaches, and hunt out some rough.
Only 5lbs! Only 5lbs to old hands may seem small, but to today's anglers it's the realistic target to which they must aspire. Aim at these fish, and the bigger doubles will naturally follow.
LOCATION
It's wise to first concentrate your efforts in areas where cod fishing is a recognised winter pastime. This includes virtually the whole of the UK shore, save for Dorset and South Devon where catches are very inconsistent. Having said that, there are a few fish reported here each winter that suggests that numbers of cod are not as thin as first thought. Possibly it's the anglers that don't target them.
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SEASON
It depends on the area, but generally late September should be your starting point. Watch the weather charts and take notice of the equinoctial gales that sweep in from the Atlantic, immaterial of which side of the nation you are on. It's the savage seas and change over from summer to autumn that triggers the fish to move inshore.
Even south-westerly gales with warm winds and straight westerlies push the west coast fish in, whereas in the east you need a period of north-west or north-east winds to get them within range.
By October, the numbers of fish will be constantly increasing. November and December are the peak months, with decline rapidly accelerating through January and into February, though a few fish will stay to feed in the rough ground through until May, and even early June.
It's no coincidence either, that there is a small explosion of peeler crab on most inshore rock marks during September, as well as an increase in the numbers of edible peelers too. This instant food supply will not be ignored by the scavenging cod.
Likewise, some areas experience a spring run of smaller fish that again take advantage of the years first peeler crab that show along the deeper rough patches during March and April.
FISH HOLDING FEATURE
Do you take the easy route out and avoid any patches of boulders, rocks and weed beds because you're nervous of losing tackle? You probably do, and therefore reduce your chances of catching good fish.
What exactly do we mean by rough ground? It may be that the current beaches you are fishing are the right ones. It's just that you're fishing in the wrong places.
If you fish an area of clean sandy beaches, you'll quickly realise that most of the codling and any cod are congregated in the deeper gullies and at the base of steeper shelving beaches. Even the codling are individual fish passing through infrequently during short spells of the tide. Apart from these definite routes there is nothing to concentrate and hold the fish. Your target band is too small.
You need to find any areas of exposed boulders, seed mussel beds etc, and direct your efforts at these. What happens is that smaller live food items like crabs, sea scorpions etc, use the boulders as shelter and protection. Cod have this knowledge inbred in their genes and will work such areas for far longer periods than the free swimming gullies of clean sand.
Locating these oasis of food is easy if they expose with the tide. On some beaches they lay below low water line, yet are within casting range. There are giveaways as to their existence. Take a look in daylight to see if there are crab pots or lobster pots in evidence. After storms, concentrations of washed up mussels are worth investigating, as are weed wash ups, though these can be more as a result of the tide. These traits often occur along the East Coast and the surf beaches of the West Country and West Wales.
Beaches that are wholly rough, but still shallow offer excellent opportunities. At high water, such marks may be solid boulders of varying sizes, maybe mixed with a few sandy patches. Towards low water, there are more sandy patches, but the boulders may be bigger with deep scoured out holes around the bases. Beyond low water may be totally clean sand. These marks naturally fish best over the high water period when you are casting over stones. Some Kent marks and particularly those in South, West and North Wales follow this pattern.
Best marks of all are the totally rough beaches with constant water depth exceeding 10ft with deeper areas and holes dropping to double that. These marks offer heavy kelp concentrations and numerous ledges of rock that cod like to swim along. Such marks exist throughout Scotland and in the Northeast and Yorkshire.
TIDES
Rough ground that interrupts a long sand beach will produce 90% of it's fish on the three days either side of the biggest spring tides. Fish may feed on the larger tides of the middle size range, but only in numbers when storms have displaced food items in quantity. Even the added depth of constant water evident on the smaller tides will not encourage fish in. They like some tide run.
Those same marks may not produce any fish on the flood. They often fish better during the middle hours of the ebb. This may be because the flood tide, being generally stronger, scours more food from the sand than it can on the ebb. Some local tidal patterns can alter this assessment though.
Ignore stories that cod won't feed in shallow water. A mark I fish has only 3ft of water over it towards low water, yet turns up 6lb cod at this time.
Boulder beaches tend to also fish best on the bigger tides. Particularly the first two hours of the new flood, immediately over high water, and for the last three hours of the ebb. Offering more food, the chance of odd fish outside these periods is increased. A roaring surf pounding over the boulders keeps fish further out, but fishing a bumpy sea will give the best results.
Deep kelp gullies and rock scars are a little less critical on tide size. The bigger tides certainly fish better generally, but there is a reasonable chance of some fish being close enough to take a bait. The deeper water encourages good numbers of fish in close during very rough weather when other marks may be unfishable. The low water period can be the best, but fish are more evenly spread throughout the tide. However, each mark will have it's hot period when the most or bigger fish are taken.
The first two marks being shallower are essentially night time venues. Few fish will show during daylight, even in stormy seas.
Deeper venues, with kelp and rock gutters will hold fish in daylight too, but only if there is some colour in the water. Clear seas and cod do not mix.
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Casting distance may still be a criteria when fishing rougher spots on surf beaches and the boulder beach marks. Those with range capability can keep putting baits onto a mussel bed at 120yds when shorter baits only rest on clean fishless sand.
This is why so many anglers say such and such a mark is a low water venue. What is actually the case is that at low water their baits are close to some holding feature that concentrates the fish. With the rising tide their baits get further and further away from the fish until no bites occur. The long range man, on the other hand, may tell you this beach is an excellent high water mark, simply because he can still reach the fish.
Boulder beaches are less critical with most fish taken at no more than 80yds. There are times though, that the cod only frequent the mean low water line for reasons known only to themselves. Long casting is again an advantage.
The deep marks, when casting into kelp, are mostly not distance venues. Fish will move within 20yds of you if water depth and food supply allows. Distances over 60yds may actually hook you more fish, but your chances of landing them through forests of kelp and immovable snags is 80/20 in favour of the cod.
TACKLE
Most rough ground work on shallow marks, which tend to be less heavy rough and more seed mussel and boulders, needs no more than a 5 to 6oz standard beach rod and line between 18lbs and 25lbs with a shock leader. Some anglers prefer to use a fixed spool reel of large size like the Mitchell 498 for it's rapid retrieve rate that minimises tackle loss, rather than the more favoured multiplier. Less snaggy marks may see you get away with a smaller casting multiplier, mostly you'll need something in the ABU 7000C mould.
The same rod and reel, but with 25lb line and a leader nicely handles the boulder beaches and average rough. Some anglers may choose 30lb line and no leader when distance will not be needed.
Casting into kelp, deeper water and solid rock scars, then 30lb to 35lb line and a larger multiplier like an ABU 9000 would be the safer bet. The big fixed spool is equally as good.
RIGS
You need only one basic design of rig for all your rough ground fishing. A fixed paternoster.
The body of the rig needs to be 60lb mono. Maxima Marine Green is excellent being tough, yet supple, and resists abrasion. For hook lengths, use again Marine green or Amnesia in 30lb.
The rig body can be as short as 2ft or longer up to 6ft. Tie a loop about 2ins long in to one end with a two turn overhead granny knot. Now slide on a bait clip, trace crimp, bead, swivel, bead and another crimp in that order. Now add a Mustad Oval split ring as a trace to leader connection. If you prefer, replace the crimps and swivel with a blood loop tied direct into the trace body.
For short hook lengths, crimp the swivel in place about 14 to 18ins above the loop knot. This is the best compromise for shallow long range marks. In deep water, hook lengths can be increased to 5ft or more as preferred. Frankly, shorter hook lengths catch more fish and save the weight from snagging rocks when a hooked fish is being retrieved.
The loop can be used, either with a metal pin to hold the lead in position for casting, or by a hook bent into the leads tail and then hung in the loop. The latter method is by far the more reliable for powerful casting including pendulum. Obviously, use a short weak length of line to retain the connection on release.
Hooks need to be a pennel combination of Mustad Viking 79515 in 3/0 or 4/0 as the lower hook, and a Mustad Viking 79510 of the same size as the top hook. These will bend out when used with a 25lb main line. They are your weak link should the hooks get snagged considering you can't compromise the catch by using a weaker hook length. Don't worry, even a 30lb cod won't bend the hooks out when being played. The stress through fish contact is far less than when pulling for a break from a snag.
Chemically sharpened patterns aren't really up to the stresses of rough ground work, nor are Aberdeen patterns. These can bend and release fish under pressure.
BAITS
Concentrate on only three baits. In the September and early October period, and again from late February onwards, stick to peeler crab if you have a source. Use big baits. A whole crab of 2ins across the shell, peeled, then cut in half with scissors and bound onto a Viking pennel rig gives good presentation, hooking power and scent.
From mid October on until early February stick to lugworm. Half a dozen blow lug or a full black lug about 8ins long are average baits. King rag works in some areas, particularly the Bristol Channel, but lug is better.
The other option is mussel, and plenty of it. Four to six, well bound onto a single 4/0 or 6/0 Vikings makes an excellent rock cod bait for short to average distance fishing. Use thin elastic thread to bind it together for any real casting.
TECHNIQUE
The hard work has been done in locating the feeding fish. Accurate casting to get the bait fishing right in amongst the rough ground or deeper holes is the next necessity.
Let the lead deliberately snag in the rocks. Take up the slack in the line just enough to slightly pull the rod tip over, then put it in the rod rest and watch the tip.
Bites are usually a couple of gentle knocks before the tip either pulls over hard, or springs straight. Either way, pick up the rod, wind in any slack line and hit the hooks home hard.
Cod fight by dogged determination rather than by guile. They get their heads down and try to make for the bottom. In shallow water, they come easily after initial resistance until the near the surf and shallow water. Then they will try to run parallel with you in short bursts. Hold your ground, give line when needed, and use the surf or swell to gill or gaff your catch.
TIPS
The best way to get out of snag is to put the rod in the rest, hold the line by wrapping it around your protected arm, and pull until it breaks. Don't lock the reel spool with your thumb and pull with the rod straight. The pressured line cuts into the line below it on the spool weakening it.
Snagging can be reduced by not moving the lead once it has settled. It may be sat on top of a rock or on a patch of smooth ground. Dragging the lead towards you inevitably seeks out snags.
If the lead stays attached to the trace when a fish is hooked and becomes snagged, have the courage to let the fish have some slack line. There is a good chance that the fish will naturally swim away from the weight and release it or snap it off.
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