Cod Fishing Baits and rigs

[gullyworm]

Originally Posted by Ben

how do you go about sticking a hole squid on 2/0's?

I dont use whole squid if i m cod fishing ben,gullyworms,lug,rag and squid strips.Whole squid for the bass.

[Fishing Forum Admin]

expect Richard was using it all up

Shaun you know me so well

But some great pointers coming out like

• Cod have massive mouths
  
• Fish hunt by sent
  
• Fresh bait always wins hands down over washed out 20 mins old bait

So keep the ideas flowing and just maybe we will all get a cod this year

[Charter Skipper]

Here`s a couple of picks of BIG cod baits in action in the murky Bristol Channel.The bait is large,but look at the size of the Cods mouth,its BIGGER. Its only a 3 lb fish, thats the reason behind the big baits,Cod have huge mouths and a huge appetite,plus you get a huge scent trail with that size of bait..

[Norfolkboy]

I guess I've been pretty luck down here then, as the 3lb+ codling I had from the shore in February and April have been on a single ragworm tipped with a sliver of squid.

When I put out big baits with 4 worms and whole squid I got codling to 1lb

[Charter Skipper]

The main reason for the huge baits in the Bristol Channel,is the tide run,can get upto 5 knots of tide,so the bait trail needs to be big,you also need to rebait after approx 20 mins as the bait gets washed out very quickly inthe tide.

[big guy]

i fish from the beach in kent. the best bait for me is 2 yellowtails and a squid tip or whole squid, both fished on 3/0 or 4/0 hooks pennel style.

or if i'm on the rocks a whole crab on a single 3/0 hook.

however on the very rare occasion that i need every yard pos then a single yellow and small squid tip on a size 1/0 clipped behind the lead.

[Lookfar]

From the boat in the Solent, a 6/0 and 4/0 Pennel rig with between 1 and 4 whole squid. Depends on whether you want just cod or are happy to pick up smaller stuff along the way. I've not tried wrapping the squid in bait elastic, but it will probably aid hook-ups.
A good tip to help change the bait regularly is to double pat. Bait a new trace as soon as the old one goes down. When you haul it up after 15-20 minutes, the new trace is clipped on and dropped straight back down, and then the old one is rebaited ready. That way, you don't lose any fishing time. It is too easy on a slow day to simply loose enthusiasm and stop re-baiting regularly.

Steve

[Calincalif]

Are the tides there always that cloudy? Does it get any clearer?. Which tid run is the strongest, in tide or out tide

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Are the tides there always that cloudy? Does it get any clearer?. Which tid run is the strongest, in tide or out tide

The bristol channel is basically a big estuary and although it can get a little clearer the picture of the cod and the water in the back ground is about the norm colour . I might be wrong but I think the best vis is max of 3 foot which only happens curtian times of the year

The bristol channel has the second biggest tide range in the world !!!

[Charter Skipper]

During the winter months ,the water tends to be that cloudy all the time,due to the large amount of freshwater and debris ,it only gets greener during mid summer months.This only happens during a good few weeks of settled weather,which allows all the suspended sediment to drop to the bottom,and allow the water to take its natural colour.The strongest part of the tide is usually the first couple of hours of the ebb and floodwhen the tide run is at its hardest.

Originally Posted by Calincalif

Are the tides there always that cloudy? Does it get any clearer?. Which tid run is the strongest, in tide or out tide