A typical Dunbar codling, caught aboard Fisher Lassie
After several years, it was time to update this section so I've completely rewritten it. (You can still catch the original here if you like). This time, I'm focussing on catching cod in specific situations, which might be applicable to your area. Old timers will find nothing they don’t already know, but hopefully it will be useful to newcomers to this branch of the sport...
Introduction
The cod really needs no introduction, being the UK's favourite table fish, and the main target of the majority of Scottish sea anglers. The reasons for its continuing popularity are not hard to fathom: it's still fairly common inshore despite the commercial overfishing, it's widespread throughout Scotland during the summer and winter, grows to a decent size, can put up a decent scrap if light tackle tactics can be used, and it tastes good too!
While the minimum legal size for cod is 35cm (that's not much over 1lb), most cod anglers will be happier to take home fish of 5 or 6lb and above. Below the 5lb mark, the fish are generally referred to as codling, and make up the mainstay of catches. Anything into double figures is well worth writing home about!
Right, how do you go about catching these codling? Well, I'm going to tackle that by discussing a few specific cod angling scenarios in detail...
Charter boat, Dunbar, early summer
A good way to start catching codling would be to get on a summer charter trip from an East coast port like Dunbar. Ask around in the tackle shop, contact a club or even the skipper himself, and you will probably be able to help by making up the numbers on a pre-arranged trip. Alternatively, you could get a group together to charter the boat yourself. Next, pray for a calm day - maybe I'm just unlucky, but I've had about 50% of planned trips called off due to bad weather...
Ideally, you'll have got your calm day, with the water nice and clear, and the skipper will be taking you to fish-attracting reefs. At Dunbar, this will mean heading north towards Bass Rock, or south as far as the cement works, and usually not more than half a mile or so offshore. Once there, the skipper will align the boat side-on to the wind, and drift over the reef. The advantage of this is that you cover more ground than at anchor, and the speed of the drift will depend on the strength of the wind and tide.
As for what tackle to use, the answer is simple: the same as everyone else! If everyone uses the same thickness of line and weight of lead, all the lines will trail off at the same angle. Drop your superbraid-attached lead straight down in amongst your fellow anglers' trailing nylon lines and you're asking for trouble! In that case, you would be best facing the direction of the drift - if the others will let you! Charter trips and tangles go hand-in-hand; you just need to keep your cool...
Right, if you are to be using "average" tackle, then that would be a 20-30lb class rod, with 20-30lb mono. The lead you need to hold bottom will be anything between 4 and 12oz, depending on the drift, so bring a good selection. Terminal tackle should be kept simple and inexpensive, since you are likely to lose quite a bit. The standard end tackle in these parts is the baited string of cod feathers or Hokkais. The latter are adorned with silvery bits and luminous bodies - more expensive, but more effective. If bought in bulk they're not too bad though - go for the standard colour with 4/0 hooks, in strings of three.
To fish them, let out your line till the lead hits the bottom, then wind in a few turns. Gently jig them up and down, feeling for the bottom all the time. If necessary reel in as the terrain rises, or let more line out if you lose contact with the bottom. Fast drifts can be very challenging, and you need quick reflexes to lift out of snags before its too late. When you do get snagged, all you can do is clamp your thumb down hard on the reel and hold on as the weight of the boat stretches and breaks your line...
Now, I mentioned that these feathers were baited. It seems an odd thing to do since it would spoil their action as lures, and also it isn't the ideal way to present a bait, on such a short dropper. Still, it does seem to work, and a bit of worm or mussel or squid dangling on the bend tends to up the catch rate. Mind you, there is nothing to stop you tying up your own traces with longer hooklengths, and trying out various other lures and/or baits.
With a bit of luck, you will find a few codling, and an average catch would be 10-20 fish, averaging 2 or 3lb, going up to around 5lb. Brightly-coloured ballan wrasse are also caught using these tactics, as can small coalies and ling. Fish and squid baits tend to increase the chances of latter, which are normally small specimens, though larger ones can occasionally be found on the deeper marks.
Private dinghy, St. Andrews
This second scenario is based on my experiences onboard fishing pal Ian Lindsay's private boat, but the same will apply to boating from other ports up and down the East coast. While in theory it should be just the same prospect as going out on a charter trip, the key is extra flexibility - to go whenever you want, wherever you want, for as long as you want, and crucially, the option to use the anchor.
All the previous comments about drift fishing apply if that's how you like to fish. However, if you fish heavy from a small boat, you'll find yourself anchored soon enough - and getting out of a snag can be much more of a problem!
As for anchoring proper, the trick is to do it in the right place. Experience is the best guide, but if you're looking for a new area to fish, pot markers make a good start, being reliable indicators of rocky ground.
Lower your tackle over the side, and be prepared to get bites straight away. After you catch the codling in the immediate vicinity, the action will probably slow a bit, until fish follow your scent in from further afield.
Of course, the boat fishing gear mentioned above is going to be ideal, but you also have the chance to try out lighter tackle. What about float fishing for codling, or spinning for them with a trout spinning rod and a Toby? Basically, you can try any daft new idea that comes into your head, but would be laughed all the way back to port on a charter boat.
Also, bear in mind that the limited number of fish will be shared between fewer anglers, meaning that individual catches tend to be better from private dinghies than charter boats. That of course, depends on the individual, and this particular one can be placed right over the fish and still fail to catch them!
The downside of this freedom is the cost of owning a boat - it would probably work out cheaper to have ten or twenty charter trips a year than run a boat. Still, if you've managed to persuade the wife to let you buy a one, then use the same economics to justify going out twice a week and tell her just how much you're saving...
Summer shore codding - Boarhills
While the summer codling move in to inhabit the inshore reefs during summer, some of them make it all the way to the shoreline. These fish still like to hang out amongst the rough stuff - rocky ground and kelp - and spend their time looking for a delicacy particular to the shoreline - the common shore crab. But among all the shore crabs, those in the process of moulting (peelers) make the most digestible meal, and are definitely top of the menu. No surprises what is the top bait for summer codling from the shore then. It seems a bit unfair - the boat anglers just a couple of hundred yards offshore can catch codling on just about any bait, but shore anglers are faced with the prospect of tempting a bunch of fish obsessed with peelers.
Don't get me wrong: rag and lug will still catch fish, but guys armed with peelers will outfish you at least two or three to one. Finding yourself a supply of peelers is therefore the best single thing you can do to ensure success. Unfortunately, peeler crab can be hard to get hold of on the East coast. The first good spell of warm weather in June usually triggers a moult, and that should be the best time to look.
The peelers will be trying to find a quiet place to sit out the change, so will normally be found under stones or in crevices covered over by weed. Recognising peelers can be difficult, but you will find that the shell has a duller appearance than normal and the crabs tend to be more lethargic. To find out for sure, gently twist the tip segment of one of the back legs. If it pulls off to reveal a darker, floppy new leg inside, you've got your bait. If not, just put it back - no matter how many legs you pull off, it won't turn it into a peeler if it isn't one already! One last tip - wearing a pair of Marigolds may look a bit sissy, but if you end up with big Shug the Claw snapping at your fingers, you'll be glad you did!
Right, so you've got your bucketful of peelers, now it's time to go... what, you've only got half a dozen? Well it happens (to me anyway!). Not to worry, you can bulk out the bait with juicy mussel or lots of lug. The main thing after all is to get a big, smelly bait in the water...
When you arrive at your chosen mark, the first thing to do is pick your spot. Most places fish best either side of low water because it gives best access to the gullies that cod move in and out of from deeper water. Imagine cod moving along the fringes of the intertidal range. If they come across a gully cutting in towards the shore, it's like a side-street arcade filled with goodies. Offer a freebie there and you'll get plenty of takers...
The tackle you need to present that freebie to your codling is also important. Not so much in terms of getting it out there, but in getting your codling back in. For most circumstances, a standard beachcaster will suffice. Most important is your confidence that it will stand up to a bit of rough treatment in the initial yanking of your fish up out of the kelp and boulders. Next, your reel will need to be capable of a high speed retrieve to prevent snagging up on the way in. Unless you've been practising with the whisk at home, you'll find that fixed spool reels win hands down in this department, bringing in much more line per turn than multipliers. I was surprised to discover this myself, but really you'd need a 14' rod and the wrist action of a teenager to match an average fixed-spool user in getting fish up out of trouble.
Turning to terminal tackle, the important thing is to keep it simple. A single hook or pennel rig on a 12" dropper from a blood loop formed in the trace is a favourite. The lead is attached via a low breaking strain link (e.g. 15lb) to a loop in the trace. For casting, the loop is passed through the metal loop of the sinker and secured by a pin. After casting, the pin drops out, and exposes the weak link. If you didn't already realise, I'm describing a "rotten bottom" arrangement. A diagram is definitely justified here, because I remember being mystified by the description of this rig in words, then realising how simple it really is when seeing it in a picture.
Now you're ready to get started, the typical scheme of events is...
1. Pick your spot in the gully and lob your bait out there, hoping the rotten bottom pin drops out when it should.
2. Let the sinker reach the bottom and tighten up, but only just and don't be tempted to jiggle the lead around.
3. Wait for your bite...
4. Strike hard and reel in fast all in one motion, hoping that the fish is still on and you're not snagged.
5. Realise that you're snagged!
6. Slacken off and wait a few minutes for the fish to pull your lead out of the snag...
7. Get fed up waiting.
8. Pull for a break in the hope that it's just the lead that's caught up.
9. After the weak link breaks, quickly reel you fish up out of danger.
10. Lift in your well-earned summer codling.
Did I say that was the typical scheme of things? Well, the ideal scenario really, because depressingly often you will snag up the whole lot. That's when you really need to pull hard for a break. If your mainline is about 25-30lb, that's ideal - it has enough oomph to let you pull out of weed much of the time, but is light enough to be able to break when you need it to, without superhuman effort. Ideally, you won't be using a shockleader, because it's perfectly safe to lob a 5oz weight 40 yards on 30lb line, and you won't have the bother of tying another leader on again...
Catching codling this way during the summer certainly isn't guaranteed though. Calm days and clear water tend to help, but if the codling don't visit your chosen gully there's not a lot you can do, other than move along to another and hope. It can be very frustrating to use up your hard-won peeler supply for not a single bite, but with fewer fish around these days, it happens...
Winter codding off the shore at Usan
When those warm, relaxing days spent shore codding during the summer are distant memories, when the nights are dark and the wind blows up, that is when the cod come back in force. For those ready and willing to go whenever the conditions are just right, the rewards will be more and bigger fish than in the summer.
The key is to head up to your mark after a good onshore blow - enough to colour the water and stir up worms and shellfish for the cod to feed on. It obviously helps to live close to the chosen mark, or at least to contact someone in the area to find out what the weather is doing. Of course, the weather forecast can help, but as you know, can't be relied upon.
Some places fish best in a heavy sea, but Usan for example, seems pretty reliable with only relatively slight movement in the water. This mark fishes best either side of low water, due to the impossibility of reaching the best gullies at high tide. As with most places at this time of the year, the fish tend to feed best in darkness, which brings its own hazards. Moving around over sometimes treacherous wet rocks at night is tricky enough, but don't even attempt it in really bad weather, or when there's a big swell running - it just isn't worth the risk. If you arrive at Usan and find it too wild, take a break and think about moving to an alternative venue. The advice I get would be to try Auchmithie or Inverbervie beaches or Arbroath pier and esplanade, all of which will be more suitable in heavy weather, and fish best over high tide. Whatever you do, make sure not to fish alone - not only is a pal useful for landing your big cod, but he will be able to raise the alarm if anything serious happens, and will hopefully stop you from doing anything daft in the first place...
Assuming you manage to get onto the rocks at Usan, it's best to pick a tide that lets you arrive during daylight hours and pick your spot safely. Take plenty of light sources for later though - a pressure lamp for a start-off (with spare mantles), plus a battery-powered headlamp and a small backup torch. Sounds a bit OTT, but I've had the first two fail on me before, and I bet I'm not the only one who's had to find their way back to the car by the faint red glow of a rod tip light!
As for tackle and tactics, it really isn't that different from the summer codding - you'll still need the heavy tackle and the ability to get your gear back as speedily as possible. You will also still be trying to find the cod rooting in and around the same sort of gullies and kelp beds. The main difference though, is the bait. While there's no doubt that you'll still catch fish on peeler crab, the cod are not nearly so fussy during the winter. In fact, this is time to use the old favourite lugworm to good effect. Fished along with mussel, this makes probably the most reliable combination for attracting bites. While some anglers swear by squid as a bait, it seems to be less effective, and there is a school of thought that only the bigger fish will take squid. Fair enough, but as most will be in the 2-4lb bracket, that may mean you end up with more than your share of blank trips if you rely on squid...
Picking your spot is not always that easy, because the cod seem to move around in groups, doing the rounds to visit gullies and other interesting patches in a set pattern. Obviously, only experience will tell when to move on, and in which direction, and if you always move the wrong way, you might end up missing them all night. On the other hand, you might set up camp at a likely-looking spot and experience a flurry of bites for half an hour on the ebb, only to have everything go dead until the fish revisit you on the flood.
Wherever you go at Usan though, you'll find that getting bites is only half the battle - getting the fish away from the snags is the real challenge. It may be down to the nature of the rocks, or the density of the kelp, but getting snagged is more likely than not. Unfortunately, this means quite a few lost fish, and many more lost sinkers. If you go prepared to lose a rig every other cast, that would be about right. Losses will be less when casting from a higher vantage point into deeper water, and it is noticeable how the losses increase as the tide ebbs to leave the kelp more and more dense.
If you get everything just right, good bags can be had, and big double figure cod are still regularly caught. This kind of fishing demands a lot physically, and in terms of preparation and timing, but if you play it according to the rules, you are almost guaranteed to contact some cod. Getting them up safely from the rocks and kelp then requires skill and luck in equal measures. To return at the end of the night with a few fish represents a bit of a triumph, and if you still have all your weights, that'll be a bit of a miracle!
Alan Pemberton, 12th Nov 2000