Fishing can be an enjoyable activity if one has some idea about effective techniques. Scroll down to learn about cod fishing techniques.
Cod is a food which is widely eaten for its mild flavored taste and low fat content. Cod liver oil is produced from cods which has healthy vitamin nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and fatty acids. Cods belong to the genus
Gadus, and modern taxonomy divides the genus into three species:
Pacific cod,
Atlantic cod and
Greenland cod. Cods are native inhabitants of Australia and they are found in the lakes and rivers which have rock walls, and sunken timber.
Cod Fishing Methods
The two important techniques that work well for catching a cod are 'baits and rigs technique' and 'jigging technique'.
Baits and Rigs Technique
Choosing the Bait
If you are using baits to catch them, first you need to know what cods feed on. They feed on sand eels, yabbies, bardi grubs, haddock, squid, crabs, lobsters, mussels, sea worms, crabs, mackerel, and molluscs, etc. Mostly sea calms are used as baits and yabbies, bardi grubs and worms are also added. But, choosing the baits also depends on the water bodies, which you are hunting on. The baits are collected and stored in a tub before you sail on the hunting area.
Hitting the Bottom of the Water
The next important thing that is required is a rig, which is mostly a
cod rig. Making a cod rig is not a difficult task and you can easily learn it. Cod rig is primarily made of swivel, bead for stop knot and the end part, hook. Between the bead and the main hook, the baits are hooked up. After the cod rig is ready, drop it down, to the bottom of the water. Some fishermen, after dropping the rig, straight to the bottom, lift it to a few inches up, and then again drop it. It is better to avoid this practice, as advised by some experienced fishermen. Once the rig hits the bottom, keep it fixed and steady it there itself. Sometimes, you may have to drop your rig several times to get a cod and you may even lose your bait. This is one big drawback of this technique.
Jigging Technique
In this technique, instead of using natural baits, the cods are lured using artificial baits. This is an effective method widely used to catch a cod. The types of jigs that are used to catch a cod are:
Tube Jigs: Tube jig is a hollow cylindrical lure made of plastic. Weight is an important factor, which is to be considered before sending the jig to the bottom of the water. Sponge with scent is filled in the hollow part of the tube jig, to lure the cod.
Slab Jigs: This type of jig is used to attract the cod by the flapping effect produced from the jig.
Norwegian Jigs: These jigs are long and shiny and is used to imitate and resembles a herring.
Diamond Jigs: The hooks of these jigs are inclined at 45 degrees and have efficient catching abilities. These jigs are mostly used to catch big cods.
Tips
- Cods usually move around the waters in groups. So, once you capture a cod in a place, keep dropping your rig in the nearby places to improve your chances of getting more cods.
- Cods have a small mouth. So, select the appropriate size of your baits.
- Cast out for fishing, during the early morning and evening hours, because during these hours, cods will be active and swim around in shallow waters.
- Spring season is the best time to catch cods as they cruise near the shores during this time.
- Cods are mostly found in the deep waters and are reluctant to move from its area. So, drop the rigs till it reaches the bottom of the water.
Using fish finder, GPS mapping systems etc., cods can be spotted and attracted using the above techniques. However, due to unreported fishing, cods are close to the risk of becoming extinct especially in UK, Canada and most Atlantic countries.
