Winter fishing off the boat
- Thread starter Codfather
- Start date
LING_BASHER
Well-known member
What size was that? i have never caught a ling past the 19th of November. Had 16 cod on pirks last year during the exmas hold on Dolly in 2004, it was a strange year.
LING_BASHER
Well-known member
What size was that? i have never caught a ling past the 19th of November. Had 16 cod on pirks last year during the exmas hold on Dolly in 2004, it was a strange year.
Tadpoleman
Well-known member
Where you fishing out of Codfather !!!!?????
bert
bert
LING_BASHER
Well-known member
Like everything else its all down to the wind direction, last year we had mackerel till mid November and some lads had them later, we caught lots of cod upto 7lb on pirks and colies by the boat full.
If the sea stays flat and the water stays clean the wrecks will hold fish and they will still feed on lures and such, if not its worth a try with bait or do what Bert does.
If the sea stays flat and the water stays clean the wrecks will hold fish and they will still feed on lures and such, if not its worth a try with bait or do what Bert does.
Tadpoleman
Well-known member
What does Bert do?????
bert
bert
LING_BASHER
Well-known member
sit around the wreck up/down and fish your lines into it, done well for you with crab over the summer and am sure you have had good results int he winter
Tadpoleman
Well-known member
ok mate got you !
cant remember the last time we had a decent trip!
bert
cant remember the last time we had a decent trip!
bert
LING_BASHER
Well-known member
I know but ont he plus side its not our fault, its the weather...well thats what i keep telling myself when i come back with a couple of mackerel and a whiting lol.
1 full week of ligth west winds then a good weekend would see catch reports go wild am sure. Justthink of all them big ling sitting on the wrecks now just waiting for a lump of mackerel on 2 6/0 hooks to be dropped down on them at slack water or in a small tide..
wooop your f**ker.
1 full week of ligth west winds then a good weekend would see catch reports go wild am sure. Justthink of all them big ling sitting on the wrecks now just waiting for a lump of mackerel on 2 6/0 hooks to be dropped down on them at slack water or in a small tide..
wooop your f**ker.
LING_BASHER
Well-known member
I know but ont he plus side its not our fault, its the weather...well thats what i keep telling myself when i come back with a couple of mackerel and a whiting lol.
1 full week of ligth west winds then a good weekend would see catch reports go wild am sure. Justthink of all them big ling sitting on the wrecks now just waiting for a lump of mackerel on 2 6/0 hooks to be dropped down on them at slack water or in a small tide..
wooop your f**ker.
1 full week of ligth west winds then a good weekend would see catch reports go wild am sure. Justthink of all them big ling sitting on the wrecks now just waiting for a lump of mackerel on 2 6/0 hooks to be dropped down on them at slack water or in a small tide..
wooop your f**ker.
Tadpoleman
Well-known member
Aye ya reet richy ,there is still lots of angling days left in this year yet 
BIG LING TIME !!!!! well so they say ,cant wait till my next trip out
bert
BIG LING TIME !!!!! well so they say ,cant wait till my next trip out
bert
Codfather,
I actually prefer the winter fishing from the boat.
We do most of our fishing around the Hard Ground off Sunderland though you are blessed with great winter Cod ground off Hartlepool as well. Just off Steetley pier is really rough ground if I remember correctly. There are numerous boats that fish the Pool bay in the winter also.
What I have found strange is that there are always plenty boats out in the winter from Sunderland and Hartlepool but very very few from the Tyne. We have fished the Tyne winter marks quite a bit and they are very productive.
Our tactics have proved very successful over the years and are summarsed below. I hope they are of some help. Some will have a differing opinion but that\'s what fishing is all about-:
1. Anchor up over hard ground or uptide of wreck. Don\'t be fooled into travelling too far offshore. Some of our best fish have been caught on ground 150-200yds from shore with as little as 24ft of water. It\'s rare we go more than 2 miles out. Flat calm and big tide works best in the area\'s we fish. The boat also needs to be in a north /south position. If the wind is blowing you off this orientation the fishing tends to be crap.
2. Use Uptide type 9-10ft rods with Penn 535 type reel loaded with 30lb braid. If you have an old beachcaster chop this down and save yourself some money. We use two rods each.
3. Use a long flowing trace, (4-6ft) heavily loaded with bait, (worm / crab / mussel best). Size 4/0 to 6/0 Pennell type set up. Use a 5 /6oz gripper. Cast either up or down tide around 50-60 yds. Rest your rod like you would on a pier. Leave your reel in free spool mode but put the ratchet on. You have to be very unlucky to loose gear and the most traces I\'ve been through on a session is 4. No matter how rough the ground or wreck you tend to get you gear back as your coming from a stationary position and almost straight up once you\'ve taken up the slack.
4. Be patient......it\'s not like wrecking when you hit the bottom and \"bang\". Your bait will bring the Cod to the vicinity...give it time. Ground baiting can work as well, though it is better is the smaller tides.
5. Cooking at anchor is much easier. Bacon is best as it cooks quicker. Take plenty of coffee or hot tea if you don\'t have a kettle. It\'s freezing out there at times.
6. From a safety standpoint....be very aware of your surroundings when casting. Your in a confined space and it\'s not a casting competition. I\'ve found hanging my hook over one of the gripper wires means there is less to trail when chucking out. It always seems to release.
We have tried the usual \"summer\" wrecks in the winter but with only a small amount of fish being caught, always with bait and flowing trace though. I personally wouldn\'t waste time with lures in the winter.
I think I\'ve covered most of our tactics here but try having a look back at some of the winter reports off the Volante...I may have missed something. As with the summer, winter fishing isn\'t a guarantee of Cod but get a good day and it\'s on par with wrecking but considerably more relaxed. In fact it\'s like shore fishing except you catch fish....!!!!!
Cheers,
Jeff.
PS..... I learned this from the skipper of the Volante and his mate. They have fished this way for years. Most of th boats out of Sunderland fish this way in the winter.....only the less experienced are seen to be drift fishing. Prior to learning this my winter fishing exploits weren\'t good at all which resulted in waiting for the summer each year.
If any of you haven\'t tried it yet...do it this year.....!!!!! You\'ll be surprised.
[Edited on 26/8/2005 by jeff]
I actually prefer the winter fishing from the boat.
We do most of our fishing around the Hard Ground off Sunderland though you are blessed with great winter Cod ground off Hartlepool as well. Just off Steetley pier is really rough ground if I remember correctly. There are numerous boats that fish the Pool bay in the winter also.
What I have found strange is that there are always plenty boats out in the winter from Sunderland and Hartlepool but very very few from the Tyne. We have fished the Tyne winter marks quite a bit and they are very productive.
Our tactics have proved very successful over the years and are summarsed below. I hope they are of some help. Some will have a differing opinion but that\'s what fishing is all about-:
1. Anchor up over hard ground or uptide of wreck. Don\'t be fooled into travelling too far offshore. Some of our best fish have been caught on ground 150-200yds from shore with as little as 24ft of water. It\'s rare we go more than 2 miles out. Flat calm and big tide works best in the area\'s we fish. The boat also needs to be in a north /south position. If the wind is blowing you off this orientation the fishing tends to be crap.
2. Use Uptide type 9-10ft rods with Penn 535 type reel loaded with 30lb braid. If you have an old beachcaster chop this down and save yourself some money. We use two rods each.
3. Use a long flowing trace, (4-6ft) heavily loaded with bait, (worm / crab / mussel best). Size 4/0 to 6/0 Pennell type set up. Use a 5 /6oz gripper. Cast either up or down tide around 50-60 yds. Rest your rod like you would on a pier. Leave your reel in free spool mode but put the ratchet on. You have to be very unlucky to loose gear and the most traces I\'ve been through on a session is 4. No matter how rough the ground or wreck you tend to get you gear back as your coming from a stationary position and almost straight up once you\'ve taken up the slack.
4. Be patient......it\'s not like wrecking when you hit the bottom and \"bang\". Your bait will bring the Cod to the vicinity...give it time. Ground baiting can work as well, though it is better is the smaller tides.
5. Cooking at anchor is much easier. Bacon is best as it cooks quicker. Take plenty of coffee or hot tea if you don\'t have a kettle. It\'s freezing out there at times.
6. From a safety standpoint....be very aware of your surroundings when casting. Your in a confined space and it\'s not a casting competition. I\'ve found hanging my hook over one of the gripper wires means there is less to trail when chucking out. It always seems to release.
We have tried the usual \"summer\" wrecks in the winter but with only a small amount of fish being caught, always with bait and flowing trace though. I personally wouldn\'t waste time with lures in the winter.
I think I\'ve covered most of our tactics here but try having a look back at some of the winter reports off the Volante...I may have missed something. As with the summer, winter fishing isn\'t a guarantee of Cod but get a good day and it\'s on par with wrecking but considerably more relaxed. In fact it\'s like shore fishing except you catch fish....!!!!!
Cheers,
Jeff.
PS..... I learned this from the skipper of the Volante and his mate. They have fished this way for years. Most of th boats out of Sunderland fish this way in the winter.....only the less experienced are seen to be drift fishing. Prior to learning this my winter fishing exploits weren\'t good at all which resulted in waiting for the summer each year.
If any of you haven\'t tried it yet...do it this year.....!!!!! You\'ll be surprised.
[Edited on 26/8/2005 by jeff]
willywetegg
Administrator
Got to agree excellent post Jeff.
Jim.
Jim.
