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WRECK and SUMMER COD FISHING
Fishing the mid channel wrecks and rough ground can be the most challenging of all the trips that we do on Trueblue. As a result, I would advise any beginner to try his hand at inshore fishing to gain experience of being at sea, before booking onto an offshore wrecking trip. Having said that, on some days the fishing can be quite easy, but throw in a bit of wind or tide and an easy and enjoyable day can turn into a hard and challenging one.
There are basically two elements to wreck fishing. Drift fishing or anchoring. These are two totally different disciplines, which usually result in different species. Since fishing on the drift represents the most of what we do, this page will be a guide to that. Fishing a wreck at anchor is limited to periods of little or no tide and wind. The skills required are the same as for anchor fishing offshore and so a guide to fishing at anchor is published on the "Offshore Anchoring" page. |
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Drift Fishing a Wreck or Rough Ground
Drifting wreckage or rough ground is most likely to attract summer cod or pollack, using mainly artificial lures of various types, and fished at varying depths. Fish may be encountered either up-tide, down-tide or alongside a structure and at any depth. Since wrecks occupy a relatively small piece of real-estate, drifts are often short, meaning that anglers need to demonstrate good skills to make the most of a particular day. As well as cod and pollack, drifting wrecks and rough ground may also result in the hooking of fish such as conger, ling, coalfish, John Dory, bass and even turbot.
What Tackle Do I Need?
Most anglers will use a 20 to 30b class rod, although a 12 to 20b class might provide more exciting sport on some days. Reels should be multipliers with a good rate of retrieve, fully loaded with good quality braid of at least 30b breaking strain.
Terminal tackle should be strong, but uncomplicated to avoid unnecessary tangles with other anglers. Tackle losses can be high particularly when drifting a wreck but good skills and experience will minimise these.
In basic terms, there are two distinct rigs to choose from depending on whether you want to target cod or pollack. Both rigs could take either a cod or a pollack, but careful rig selection and technique will favour your chosen target species.
The following diagrams are guides as to the differing rigs.
Drifting wreckage or rough ground is most likely to attract summer cod or pollack, using mainly artificial lures of various types, and fished at varying depths. Fish may be encountered either up-tide, down-tide or alongside a structure and at any depth. Since wrecks occupy a relatively small piece of real-estate, drifts are often short, meaning that anglers need to demonstrate good skills to make the most of a particular day. As well as cod and pollack, drifting wrecks and rough ground may also result in the hooking of fish such as conger, ling, coalfish, John Dory, bass and even turbot.
What Tackle Do I Need?
Most anglers will use a 20 to 30b class rod, although a 12 to 20b class might provide more exciting sport on some days. Reels should be multipliers with a good rate of retrieve, fully loaded with good quality braid of at least 30b breaking strain.
Terminal tackle should be strong, but uncomplicated to avoid unnecessary tangles with other anglers. Tackle losses can be high particularly when drifting a wreck but good skills and experience will minimise these.
In basic terms, there are two distinct rigs to choose from depending on whether you want to target cod or pollack. Both rigs could take either a cod or a pollack, but careful rig selection and technique will favour your chosen target species.
The following diagrams are guides as to the differing rigs.
The Pollacking Rig Guide.
1. Mainline or if using braid, a monofilament leader of about 4 metres connected to your mainline. (As an angler, you should at the very least, be able to tie your own leader knot. Drifting a wreck can be so hectic sometimes, that all the skipper has time to do, is move the boat back up on the drift. Stopping to tie someone's leader knot results in the boat drifting away from the fish while other anglers are kept waiting). 2. Booms of varying styles and lengths are used to create a distance between the trace and the weight. This in theory results in less tangles. If on a particular day, your trace keeps coming up tangled around your weight, then consider changing your type or length of boom. A "Portland Rig" is a good alternative to a boom. 3. Weight choice is important and a big factor in success. When drift fishing, but working a lure away from the bottom, it is NOT the tide that determines the size of your lead. The boat moves with the column of water that is moving and so in theory your weight will go straight down. However, there are other factors that cause this not to happen. One being friction at the seabed that causes the tide to run slower. Another, and the biggest factor affecting us is the wind. Any wind will cause the boat to move at a different speed to the tide, either slower or faster, and this will cause lines to run off in a particular direction. Weight choice for wreck fishing in the English Channel is usually in the range 6oz to 12oz depending on the depth and wind strength. 8oz is nearly always my preferred choice. Choose a streamlined weight such as a "long bomb" that will descend quickly and put up less drag when being retrieved. 4. Use a good quality swivel, at least 1/0 for the start of the trace and protect the knot by inserting a bead between the boom and the swivel. 5. Trace length can vary so be prepared to be flexible. The shorter the trace, the less tangles. The longer the trace, the more likely for pollack success if they are finicky. I start the day with around 2 metres (6 foot) and lengthen it if the fishing is slow. I use 30b mono for my pollack trace length. 6. There are many types of lure on the market. Most come in varying colour choices. Some anglers believe that a particular colour and type of lure will out fish everything else. I am not sure that this is true, preferring to believe that if you wriggle something in front of a feeding fish, it will take it. That being said, confidence can be the difference between success and failure, so if you believe in a particular lure, then keep using it. Pictured below is just a small selection of the type of booms available. 
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The Codding Rig Guide.
1. Mainline or leader. (As per pollack trace opposite). 2. Portland Rig, made using heavy mono in the 50b to 100b breaking strain range. See below for detailed photo and diagram. Can be used in place of a boom for pollack fishing. It is my preferred choice for all drift fishing over wrecks and rough ground where I need to work an artificial lure or a live bait. The advantage is that if I want to change from codding to pollacking technique, I only have to change my trace. 3. Weight choice. (As per pollack rig opposite). 4. SHORT (1 metre / 3 foot). 50b mono trace. The codding technique involves working a lure near the seabed. Since it is your weight that you feel when working the rod, the lure would not move if the trace length was long. This results in it dragging the seabed and fouling. 5. Just like the pollack rig, a variety of lures will work, but avoid using jelly eels if just targeting cod. My current favourite cod lure is the SNOWBEE Stinger Skad. Portland Rig 
It is worth making up a few Portland Rigs in advance to keep in your tackle box. If you lose your end rig, then it is just two knots to be back up and running again. The length of the rig can be whatever you prefer. Mine are usually 200 to 300mm.
The real thing is pictured here. 
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Lures
Lures come in all shapes and sizes and every angler seems to have their favourite. Opposite are examples from Savage Gear, Tronix, Sidewinder and SNOWBEE. All will work on their day, although the jelly-eel, (bottom) seems less successful for our mid channel cod. The humble jelly-eel however, is a superb lure for pollack and being very cheap to buy, it is my first choice for wrecking in March, when cod are less likely to be encountered. Different lures react differently to your retrieve rate so when you put on a new lure, first lower it to where you can see it working by the side of the boat. Learn what action you need to do to make it swim. Now drop to the seabed and mimic that action in the fish zone. My favourite cod lure is the SNOWBEE Stinger Skad, first from bottom. |
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The Technique, Pollacking.
Pollack are just as likely to be encountered high in the water, as much as 30 metres (100 feet) above the seabed, as they are near the bottom. The technique is to drop to the seabed at the start of the drift and to steadily retrieve up to a certain height and then to drop back down again to repeat the motion. Count your turns in your head and when you get a take, keep reeling. Shout "fish-on" and how many turns up. "Fish -on" alerts your skipper and he will look at the plotter to make a mental note of where, in relation to the wreck or ground the fish took. The number of turns up will alert your fellow anglers as to how high the fish are. Angling crews that pass information this way quickly establish a pattern and drift routine, resulting in a better catch. Listen out for your skipper as he may pass vital information to you such as the wreck location and height. Some anglers keep their terminal tackle high when they are in the vicinity of the wreck, whilst others bounce the obstruction as if it were normal seabed. The latter technique can result in high tackle losses but on some days can result in more success. Personally I bounce the wreck or feature, but I do this so quickly that I rarely snag. The technique is to lower your rod tip while dropping back to the seabed. Have your thumb just above the spool of the reel. Instantly, as the weight hits the structure, lift the rod, whilst at the same time, putting your thumb on the spool to stop more line paying out. As you lift the rod further, knock the reel into gear and make your first two or three turns of retrieve very fast, before settling back into your normal retrieve speed.
How high you retrieve will evolve during the day. For instance, if all the fish are taking at ten turns, then there is little point in reeling to twenty turns. Pollack will follow your lure up and it is a change of speed or direction that will often result in the fish taking your lure. Consider speeding up the rate of retrieve for the last couple of turns. How fast you retrieve depends on a number of factors. The main one being the retrieve ratio of your reel. As a guide, a fully loaded 4:1 ratio reel will gain two foot of line per handle turn. A 6:1 ratio will give you about three foot of line gain per handle turn. If all around are catching but you are not, then the simplest thing you can do to change your fortunes is to adjust your rate of retrieve.
Pollack are just as likely to be encountered high in the water, as much as 30 metres (100 feet) above the seabed, as they are near the bottom. The technique is to drop to the seabed at the start of the drift and to steadily retrieve up to a certain height and then to drop back down again to repeat the motion. Count your turns in your head and when you get a take, keep reeling. Shout "fish-on" and how many turns up. "Fish -on" alerts your skipper and he will look at the plotter to make a mental note of where, in relation to the wreck or ground the fish took. The number of turns up will alert your fellow anglers as to how high the fish are. Angling crews that pass information this way quickly establish a pattern and drift routine, resulting in a better catch. Listen out for your skipper as he may pass vital information to you such as the wreck location and height. Some anglers keep their terminal tackle high when they are in the vicinity of the wreck, whilst others bounce the obstruction as if it were normal seabed. The latter technique can result in high tackle losses but on some days can result in more success. Personally I bounce the wreck or feature, but I do this so quickly that I rarely snag. The technique is to lower your rod tip while dropping back to the seabed. Have your thumb just above the spool of the reel. Instantly, as the weight hits the structure, lift the rod, whilst at the same time, putting your thumb on the spool to stop more line paying out. As you lift the rod further, knock the reel into gear and make your first two or three turns of retrieve very fast, before settling back into your normal retrieve speed.
How high you retrieve will evolve during the day. For instance, if all the fish are taking at ten turns, then there is little point in reeling to twenty turns. Pollack will follow your lure up and it is a change of speed or direction that will often result in the fish taking your lure. Consider speeding up the rate of retrieve for the last couple of turns. How fast you retrieve depends on a number of factors. The main one being the retrieve ratio of your reel. As a guide, a fully loaded 4:1 ratio reel will gain two foot of line per handle turn. A 6:1 ratio will give you about three foot of line gain per handle turn. If all around are catching but you are not, then the simplest thing you can do to change your fortunes is to adjust your rate of retrieve.
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Personally, I don't think you can retrieve too fast, and using a 6.1:1 ratio reel, I still wind fast. My belief, and it works for me, is that a faster retrieve covers more ground. The diagram opposite attempts to show what I mean.
If the fish are holding at a certain depth, then a fast retrieve will put you in the zone more times on a drift than a slow retrieve. |
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The Technique, Codding.
Cod usually hold much closer to the seabed than pollack so our technique needs to change so that our lures remain in the cod zone for longer. If we use a shorter trace as illustrated above, we can work a lure by just moving the rod up and down. Raise the rod as high as you can and then lower until you feel your weight hit the seabed. Quickly raise the rod again to keep the gear from snagging the rough bottom. Remember the boat and you are moving. Feel for the bottom. By that I mean be aware of changes in depth as the seabed may be undulating. If your weight starts to hit early then the ground is rising. Take a couple of turns in. If you don't feel your weight hit when lowering the rod, the ground is dropping away. Let out more line until you are in contact again. Using this bouncing technique is a certain way to snag the wreck so listen to your skipper. When he calls the wreck, change to the retrieve and drop method until he calls clear.
Mixing and Matching Technique
Most anglers seem to prefer catching cod to pollack so tend to concentrate on the codding technique. This is a good idea if you know there to be cod on the mark. Often, at the start of the season or day, we just don't know. I've often seen anglers cod fishing, missing out on the pollack swimming higher up, when there has been no evidence of cod on the mark. At times like this,consider what I call the "Mix and match technique. " Basically it is part codding and part pollacking. I'll use a 6 foot trace of 50b mono and use the retrieve and drop pollacking technique, but concentrate on working the lure only up to about 20 feet. Doing this still gives you a good chance of a cod, if they are there, without completely ruling out a hard fighting pollack. Once it has been established that the cod are on the mark, then shorten the trace and bounce the bottom.
Cod usually hold much closer to the seabed than pollack so our technique needs to change so that our lures remain in the cod zone for longer. If we use a shorter trace as illustrated above, we can work a lure by just moving the rod up and down. Raise the rod as high as you can and then lower until you feel your weight hit the seabed. Quickly raise the rod again to keep the gear from snagging the rough bottom. Remember the boat and you are moving. Feel for the bottom. By that I mean be aware of changes in depth as the seabed may be undulating. If your weight starts to hit early then the ground is rising. Take a couple of turns in. If you don't feel your weight hit when lowering the rod, the ground is dropping away. Let out more line until you are in contact again. Using this bouncing technique is a certain way to snag the wreck so listen to your skipper. When he calls the wreck, change to the retrieve and drop method until he calls clear.
Mixing and Matching Technique
Most anglers seem to prefer catching cod to pollack so tend to concentrate on the codding technique. This is a good idea if you know there to be cod on the mark. Often, at the start of the season or day, we just don't know. I've often seen anglers cod fishing, missing out on the pollack swimming higher up, when there has been no evidence of cod on the mark. At times like this,consider what I call the "Mix and match technique. " Basically it is part codding and part pollacking. I'll use a 6 foot trace of 50b mono and use the retrieve and drop pollacking technique, but concentrate on working the lure only up to about 20 feet. Doing this still gives you a good chance of a cod, if they are there, without completely ruling out a hard fighting pollack. Once it has been established that the cod are on the mark, then shorten the trace and bounce the bottom.
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Team Work
On a charter boat, anglers that work as a team will catch more fish. This is particularly true when drift fishing. When lines are lowered to the seabed, they will not usually drop vertically, running away at a slight angle instead. This is due to either the wind causing a differential in speed between the tide and the boat, and/or a decrease of tide strength near the seabed. It follows therefore that one side of the boat will have their lines running away from the boat. (We call this the Lead Side on Trueblue). The other side of the boat will have their lines running under the hull. There are advantages and disadvantages to both sides, but the important thing to remember is that anglers that are ready to fish as soon as the boat starts the drift, will always go on the lead side. Those dropping in last will always fish on the side of the boat that runs under the hull. Furthermore, if an angler retrieves mid drift and needs to drop again, then he will always drop under the boat, regardless of where he or she was fishing before retrieval. Lines dropped will initially drop more vertical than lines that are already established. This often results in the line dropped on the lead side tangling lines that are already fishing under the boat. |
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