ACTION STATIONS
Handy tactics for LRF in winter.
The coldest water temperatures of the year can have a dramatic effect on the species of fish to be found and their the behaviour. While shallower water has lost much of the weed that is so prevalent in summer, winter storms have changed the way the marks fish compared to at other times of the year.
Throughout this period, my fishing is concentrated on finding sheltered water away from the effects of winter storms. Alternatively, I’ll seek out deep-water venues where temperature changes are much more gradual. Finding marks that combine these two elements, such as harbours, docks and – here in Scotland – sea lochs, offers me the best chance of finding fish and keeping catching through the winter.
My main big-fish species are pollack and cod, but I catch others such as flounders, dabs and coalfish. There are also mini species in the form of blennies, gobies and the occasional short-spined scorpionfish from the deeper marks. However, the mini species are much fewer in numbers than in summer.
My main focus has been on enjoying the winter run of codling around the Firth of Forth. However, when you can target and catch them on LRF gear, their prowess as a sportfish becomes really apparent. Built like tanks with a powerful, bullish fighting style when hooked, they like to stay deep and do all they can to stay there. Even the small ones punch above their weight when hooked on LRF gear and, if you are lucky enough to get one over a couple of pounds, the fight on such light tackle can be exciting and very addictive.
FISH ANY TIME
One of the joys of fishing deep-water marks is that they hold fish throughout the tide cycle, which means that I can go fishing at any time rather than waiting to fish a specific tide state.
The time of day and varying light conditions seem to have a big impact on how aggressively the fish feed. Even in really deep water, light can have a big impact, especially when lure fishing. In fact, on some of my most visited urban marks there has been a real pattern of aggressive feeding at first light for an hour or so, as well as at the end of the day. There will be a steady stream of bites throughout the day, but usually many more around these times. This happens through various tidal states, and the trigger seems to be light.
I am lucky enough to be able to fish some harbours where the water is so clear you can see a small piece of Isome being worked at 25ft deep. Given the choice, this would be my ideal water clarity – however, with the right tactics you can keep catching in even the most coloured of conditions.
In the deep-water docks that I have been fishing recently there have been numerous instances of big container vessels navigating their way through the docks while I have been fishing. These ships are huge vessels, and push a lot of water about when they are coming through the docks. This turns the water from clear to chocolate brown. The crazy thing is, far from making it harder for lure fishing, this activity can stimulate the fish to start feeding.
RIGS AND TACTICS
My rigs and tactics for cod have altered from my normal summer methods. In the summer I use metal jigs fished fairly aggressively across the top of kelp beds. However, throughout the winter my retrieves are low and slow, with the metal jigs taking a back seat until the water temperature starts to climb. Slowly and subtly twitching a drop shot rig back is the most successful tactic by far.
The other twist to the standard dropshot rig is incorporating a couple of luminous beads into the set-up. This really seems to act as an extra trigger, especially in the deep-water marks (30ft-plus). I did a few experiments with beads, without them, and with a mini starlight. Over different sessions the beaded drop shot rig outfished the non-beaded one.
Tying the rig is simple. First, I slide two 5mm lumo beads on my leader and then attach my hook with a Palomar knot, although you can use any dropshot knot. Take the tag end (where you attach the weight) and thread it back through the beads. It has all the advantages of a rig tied direct to the mainline, but also pushes the hook out from the main body of the line like a short snood.
The only consideration with the bead size is whether the eye of the hook can get inside the bead. Ideally, you want the bead to butt against the eye of the hook without sliding on to the hook, which can ruin the presentation and make it harder to hook fish.
The other soft lure rig I have been using is a floating Carolina rig. In essence, this works the opposite way to my dropshot choice.
After casting out and letting it sink to the bottom, I lift the rod tip and give the reel handle a couple of quick turns. This lifts the Carolina weight and pulls the soft lure down. When I pause the retrieve, the weight stays on the bottom and the popped-up lure gently wafts up from the seabed. It’s an interesting rig, and good when fish are a couple of feet from the bottom.
Tying the rig is very straightforward. Slide a bullet weight on to your leader, add a bead and tie on a swivel. Next, attach your hooklength (2ft or more) and slide on a couple of pop-up beads (enough to float your chosen lure). I like the luminous ones for my deepwater marks. Finally, tie on your hook and rig your chosen lure.
FEATURES MEAN FISH
This old adage about finding the features to locate the fish is correct when it comes to searching for these winter codling, especially in the silty, deep-water dock marks.
Here, my tactic when dropshotting is to cast out as far as I can and allow the rig to sink to the bottom. With my lure set a foot from the lead weight, I begin a gentle twitched retrieve with pauses. Making sure I keep the lead weight hard on the bottom means I can feel the soft resistance of the silt. I’m waiting to feel a hard tap as the lead weight hits underwater structure. Whether it’s a branch or boulders, a feature in an otherwise flat and featureless seabed is where most of the bites happen.
As soon as I feel a bit of structure, I concentrate on working the lure around this area. The dropshot rig is ideal for this because you can gently work the lure against the lead weight without having to move out of the possible strike zone.
Using these techniques, I try to cover as much water as possible by casting in a fan pattern before moving along the mark to explore new ground. Such sessions produce codling to 1lb, and the fishing has been very rewarding. The occasional bigger cod does happen along, though, and recently I hooked a proper one on the LRF rod and the fight was great.
One of the benefits of fishing deep-water docks or harbours is the fact that once hooked, the fish has very little structure to run into, which means I can let the drag from the reel soak up the fish’s runs.
LRF rods can cope well with these bigger fish, and you should have no fear about playing a beastie.
The one thing these rods can’t do is lift a fish up a wall. For this you will need a dropnet or a long-handled landing net, which is essential when the chance of a big cod is quite high. Without the net you will never be able to land them safely.
It has been an amazing start to the year, with this beaded dropshot rig really working well for the codling.
Despite the cold and the high winds, these deep-water harbour and dock marks have made my winter LRF not only bearable, but also exciting sessions that just leave me wanting more. I hope you can find similar sport on your local marks. ■