COD BONANZA
Top sport from shore and boat
WITH cod seemingly available from many parts of the coast, but not all, anglers have reaped the benefits with fish to nearly 30lb from both shore and boat.
Best reported from the shore was when a match angler landed a superb 27lb 2oz 8dr fish in a memorial event. Bobby Armstrong, of Ashington, Northumberland, fished the rough ground at Cambois, near Blyth, casting his clam bait into the flat calm, crystal-clear water. Once the fish took his bait, he had to ease the fish to the shore because he was using only 25lb line. Following an arm-aching battle lasting 10 minutes, the fish came sliding over the rock ends.
The big fish easily beat his previous personal best of 12lb 8oz. Local angling reporter Alan Charlton says this was only the eighth cod of more than 27lb he had recorded, the best being 33lb taken between Eyemouth and Whitby since 1953.
In the same area, a club match produced two cod for 22lb, with the best weighing 16lb 13oz, for Callan Stevens, who was fishing at Newbiggin. The fish took a big cocktail of bluey, razorfish and cart.
Further north at Craster, Jonny O’Sullivan, of Newcastle upon Tyne, caught personal best cod of 7lb and 8lb on consecutive casts. The fish took bluey and peeler crab cocktails.
A first cast for Paul Carver, of Newcastle upon Tyne, produced a 7lb 2oz cod on cart and bluey from Collywell Bay, Seaton Sluice.
In the south, Tyler Ginn, of Fareham, Hants, caught a personal best cod of 12lb 6oz. He was fishing a squid and rag cocktail bait on a Pennell pulley rig with size 4/0 hooks at Gilkicker, near Gosport, Hants.
Six trips to the same deepwater mark in Hampshire during the Christmas and New Year period produced some great results for Dave Gouge.
The angler, from Portsmouth, was fishing at Fort Gilkicker at the eastern end of Stokes Bay, Hants. His catches in the fast-running deep water included cod of 8lb 14oz and 6lb 8oz, an undulate ray of 18lb and a 4lb thornback. He fished squid baits on a Pennell pulley rig with size 4/0 Aberdeen hooks.
In neighbouring Dorset, Ash Parkes, of Gosport, caught an 18lb cod at Chesil Beach on December 26, while two days later a first fishing session at nearby Ferrybridge produced an 11lb cod for Grant Wallis, of Lancing, West Sussex.