SKIPPER’S LOGBOOK
Cod will top the wishlist for seasonal sport in the Bristol Channel, but other species will feature too
Why the Bristol Channel is an incredible winter wonderland for anglers afloat.
There is little better on a cold frosty midwinter morning than to dig out the flotation suit, pick up your bucket of lugworms and head for your favourite charter boat. The target, of course, will be cod. From the end of September through to late February, the Bristol Channel charter fleets will be flat out in search of what must be the British anglers’ favourite catch.
Catch rates vary from season to season when the different year classes make the vital decision on which route to take for their winter migration.
Of course, the force driving them is directly related to the quantity and quality of available food. With a staple winter diet of mainly crustaceans and various worms, the cod should find an abundance in the Bristol Channel.
The ground here varies from mud flats covered by shallow, fast-flowing murky water, to huge reefs and ridges of rock and coral, some of which extend into relatively deep water.
In the winter, most of this ground is covered with huge quantities of crabs and marine worms. Of great interest to the cod are the huge shoals of herrings and sprats.
TACKLE & BAIT
Cod can be taken in good numbers, with individual specimens to more than 30lb recorded each season. My favourite plan of attack for these fish is to use uptide tackle, although a boat rod and reel loaded with good braid is required at the deeper water marks. An uptide rod in the 4-10oz bracket will do the job well.
A running leger or pulley rig attached to a couple of good sharp size 4/0 hooks fished Pennell fashion gets you in business. We tend to use fixed-grip leads of around 6oz because the fast tides will trip out a breakout sinker, rendering it useless.
Almost any bait will be good enough when the cod are in a feeding mood, but when they are finicky, as is often the case, then focus on what the cod really like. This is where your bucket of worms comes into play. Whether it be black lug, blow lug, yellowtails or ragworms, it matters not because the cod will take any of these, although sometimes a preference can be noticed.
Thread your worms over the hook and up the line, the more the merrier. A strip of calamari squid or even its head will finish off your offering to perfection. It sounds extreme, but large baits will put out a good scent trail, which is often necessary to attract the feeding fish. When a large bait is retrieved for inspection, rather than strip it off and start again, all that is needed is to top it up with a few fresh worms. Peeler crabs are also good for bait but, in my opinion, lug will always come out on top in these waters.
OTHER TARGETS
If the going gets tough with your target species, there are other options. One of our most welcome is the spurdog, which are normally found out in the deeper water feeding voraciously as they endeavour to gain condition for breeding.
Spurs like nothing better than a big dollop of fresh mackerel or herring. A sure sign of your first spur attack is when you retrieve after losing what you think was a good cod, only to find your trace chomped off. These fish have a set of dentistry that will make short work of a light trace when they shake their heads, much as a shark would, in an effort to shed the hook.
Be bold and use a trace made with 3-4ft of 150lb mono, again fished on a simple running leger. I prefer a barbless hook of about size 4/0 to 6/0, which makes hook removal easier. Remember, these fish are very likely to be in pup, so it’s important to stress them as little as possible.
Take great care at all times when handling a spurdog because the two sharp spikes directly in front of each dorsal fin can inflict a nasty injury to the unsuspecting angler. Arm yourself with a 20/30lb-class boat rod and a reel loaded with braid and you could be in for some exciting, though slightly impromptu, sport.
No winter trip in the Bristol Channel would be complete without having a go for the whiting. These fish can be found almost anywhere you choose to fish. Although they are generally
smaller than their South Coast counterparts, they keep your rod tip nodding.
Slack water can be a very productive time when a chum bag filled with any old mashed fish will help the shoals of fish to home in on your baits. Again, mackerel fillet comes out on top as bait, and when fished paternoster style they should give you plenty of fillets for supper. ■