[Bluemac]

On Tuesday I had one of those days that you just dream about. The sea was flat, the sun was out, and I decided to take the boat up to Seaford Head for a change instead of my usual places within about three miles from Brighton Marina. I was drifting west from Hope Point and catching small whiting one after the other which kept me busy baiting up the two rods I was using with ragworm. Nothing big enough to keep though. For some of the time I was kept company by a single dolphin - fantastic!

On about my third drift I got fed up with all the little fish and decided to change the tackle on one rod to a lure, to see if that changed my luck. So on the other rod ( to save getting bitten by yet another ragworm!) I just nicked the size 1 hook - still with beads attached - through the flesh of the latest 8 inch whiting and sent it to the bottom whist I set about altering the other rod. Suddenly the rod holder was almost wrenched off the boat as the rod pointed violently downwards. The result was a 16 lb cod, certainly the biggest I have caught for many a year, and indeed the first I have ever caught since moving 'down south' in 1978.

The thing is though, the fish had a horrendous fresh bite mark near its tail and I do not know if this happened before, or after, it was hooked. Anyone any ideas what might have caused it? My son thinks maybe a conger from the shape of it?

 

[Guest]

I can't answer your question......but enjoyed your report:clap3: Obviously didn't put Mr Cod off his food!

 

[x525]

tope, bite looks small enough
seal would probably have the entire tail section in its mouth and you would lose the full tail section
or a small porgie sniffing round the rough ground??

who knows, but still a good fish!

 

[TomBettle]

Almost definitely a Tope

 

[Batenberg]

Are you positively certain it wasn't a ulcer? commonly seen this time of year

 

[Guest]

my first thought was a ling but it looks too clean cut, so i'd guess at tope/small shark. nice cod all the same:clap:

 

[snowysfishing]

Sure it was not the dolphin?

 

[gibberfish]

Almost certainly an ulcer - its hard to see from the photo but there arent many uk fish with a bite radius that small that could take out a chunk like that.
Most uk predator hits are very ragged with lots of lacerations.
Deffo not a conger.

 

[RobTheRadish]

Shame it had a chunk missing it may have gone over 16lb!!!!!

Enjoyable story and report tho :thumbs: Rob

 

[Bluemac]

If it was an ulcer - would that render the rest of the fish inedible? Still not sure it could be an ulcer as as it is a very definite shape. If I could work out how to do it I could put a much clearer snap of it on the thread, but the jpeg is 149kb which is too big apparently.

 

[tee J]

From the shape and size of the bite I would say a Conger, have had a few cod in the past with eels hanging on to their tails right to the surface, and have left similar marks.

 

[Batenberg]

If it was an ulcer - would that render the rest of the fish inedible? Still not sure it could be an ulcer as as it is a very definite shape. If I could work out how to do it I could put a much clearer snap of it on the thread, but the jpeg is 149kb which is too big apparently.

I had a codling a few years ago, it had an ulcer in the exact same place as yours, I cut the tail off and filleted as usual, the fillet had a not very nice looking brown streak running down the centre,I wasn't taking any chances. So sadly it ended up getting buried up the allotment..

Had the fillet looked nice and white, it would of ended up in the deep fat fryer..........

 

[The Cod Father 1]

Could of been a ting there eating everything else we chuck at them at the mo. Lol.

 

[alankirby]

Tope or Conger, both could do it.
Nice Cod though and well done getting it in on the small hook.:victory:

Alan