The hardest part of fishing for cod is how to find the fish, cod brands must be caught at the right time.
Many of the best places to find cod are well known, but there are many considerations to take into account, for example, the time of year, the tide and the weather.
Forget about following the spots after hearing rumors of cod in a particular area, by the time you get there the cod is most likely gone. Wait until the weather and tide conditions return to what they were when the fish appeared and then target that area again. Always check the tide times and the reported weather and judge your cod fishing at the most suitable time.
Cod, of course, are very consistent in their behavior and are a kind of shoal, they always move with the weather and the tide feeding as they go and always take what the sea gives them.
The best time to fish for cod has to be at night and especially high tide will always bring the cod closer to shore. During the day, you will have to travel further out to sea in search of very deep water. Often times, if the sea is very rough and a strong coastal wind is blowing, the cod will often come ashore during daylight hours simply in search of any marine life that may have been killed or disturbed by the rough seas.
If you are fishing in rough seas and windy conditions, a good beach casting tackle is required, when fishing for cod, use fishing tackle capable of casting 6 to 8 oz. A heavyweight like this will be easier to throw further in such tough conditions. A good quality break line can be stretched up to 35 pounds depending on conditions, less if conditions are not too bad or use braided line if the place is rocky.
Baits used in cod fishing should be large and fragrant or use multiple but smaller baits, remember you may need to cast quite far and the bait will be held at high speed so make sure to set the bait securely. Cod have very large mouths, so don’t worry about putting a large bait on a hook. Large baits work great if the fish are closer to shore. When fed, a cod will naturally eat anything in its swim and will often catch large fish without any problem.
Cod are quite lazy fish and do not usually chase fish, they prefer a more leisurely approach to feeding that they like to stay on the bottom of the water and swim slowly feeding as they go. Try to put your bait close to the bottom and move it up and down slowly a few times, you can even leave the bait on the bottom for a moment while gradually moving it around, making the bait look more natural.
A cod is not a great fighter, once it has been hooked it will normally only lose the fish if it has not been safely hooked.
