DOUBLES ARE STILL SHOWING
Cod fishing has been hit and miss from the shore in many parts of the country, but there are still some double-figure fish to keep anglers interested.
One of the best reported recently was Craig Miller’s 16lb 13oz fish in Blyth’s South Beach Residents Association Angling Society match. The angler, from Blyth, was fishing the rough ground at Collywell Bay at New Hartley with a cart/bluey cocktail bait. He won the match on January 26 and set a new heaviest fish record for the club.
In another of the same club’s events at Blyth pier, local angler Steve Sherman hooked into a large fish. Not risking hauling his catch up the side, he guided his fish to some rocks, left his rod with a fellow club member, jogged 200 yards along the pier and down to where his fish was located.
He not only won the match with two fish for 9lb 14oz 8dr but also had a new personal best cod of 9lb 6oz 8dr, beating his previous by 3oz.
Another shore angler, Wayne Henry caught a 10lb cod, a personal best, while fishing a rock mark on the east coast of Scotland. The fish took a cocktail of squid and cart presented on a Pennell rig with size 7/0 hooks. There are plenty of codling in some areas, too, as demonstrated by Ali Davidson, of Cove, Aberdeen. He caught 11 codling to a best of 6lb 8oz, on bluey and cart baits, over two sessions at nearby Porthlethen.
BIG BRACE OF SEVERN COD FOR BOAT ANGLER
Cod of 14lb and 12lb were taken by Vivian Smith during a boat session in the Severn Estuary. He was on a private boat out of Newport and fishing past the two Severn crossings.
The 14-pounder fell to a half bluey bait, and the 12-pounder to a squid bait.