My winter season hasn’t really got off the ground yet. Between work, farm, uni and family time, opportunities for fishing are few and far between at the minute and I have to take what I can get – often a challenge when the fishing at this time of year is heavily dictated by the conditions (isn’t it always…). A few weeks ago though at the beginning of November I managed to get out on the rocks for a few hours one night. The northerly battering we were supposed to get was a mere whisper compared to what the forecasters predicted which sowed seeds of doubt in my mind on my mark of choice, but the sea was still stirred up and heavily coloured enough that a reasonable level of confidence was instilled.
All manner of baits were lashed pulley rigs and sent out into the tangles of sharp rock and kelp – hoping the sacrificial weak links would provide some mitigation and offer a chance of retrieval, hopefully with a fish in tow. Most of the bait ups involved cart wings, made by Tony, with occasional pairings of black lug, mussel or squid. All registered interest throughout the evening, though the common theme was cart which tends to be the case this time of year.
Admittedly the fishing wasn’t fantastic, with a few well fed codling approaching 2lb the sum of my efforts. Bites were very cagey and on a couple of occasions I reeled in to find a fish hanging off my rig, without having registered a bite. Still though they provided the sport and I avoided a blank and it was nice to get the season off to a good start – albeit not in the most spectacular fashion.
A PB for Tony
A few weeks later Tony fished the same mark in some more favourable conditions – although the beastly northerly wind and rain certainly separated him from the fair weather fisherman. I was meant to be out with him but instead was on parenting duty for the evening.
Tony stuck it out for a short while and admits he was on the verge of heading home when his rod was nearly wrenched from his arms. After some negotiation he was able to free it from its unforgiving environment and was rewarded for putting up with the inclement weather with a lovely new PB Cod of 7lb 7oz. With a slow start to the season and a recent poor run of form, it’s definitely well deserved mate and I’m disappointed not have witnessed it in person.
The following evening
With very little persuasion needed, Tony and I ventured back out to fish a different mark once the sea had dropped off a bit. Eager to get baits in the water following Tony’s success last night, we were happy to find that the mark wasn’t full of weed as can often be the case here after a big sea. There were a few other lads fishing but the skeer is massive with plenty of room.
First chuck isn’t in for too long before the first telltale signs of life are registered, typical coalie/rockling bites at first but then I miss the first decent, cod’ish looking bite of the evening. Renewed confidence, we make our way along the skeer as the tide recedes and I chuck out a whole cart wing in its purest form as we stand in the surf with rods in hand, waiting for something to happen. A short while later I get a more positive bite, which this time I connect with. I can tell it’s not big but it’s the first fish of the evening and without much argument a nice codling is quickly extracted from the mess of rock and weed. Not much more than two and a half pound and only lip hooked by the 4/0 circle on the pennel so I offer him back to the fish gods in hopes of an exchange for something more substantial.
You guessed it though, the gods weren’t in an obliging mood, and that’s the last codling of the evening for me. I do manage a Coalfish later on which is knocked on the head for Skate bait for when we go back up in April, while Tony manages an undersized codling.
Unfortunately there’s not much more to say about the session. We’re pestered most of the evening by rattly bites from smaller fish just picking at the baits. Decidedly underwhelming but nice to be out in good company all the same. It seems to have been a slow start for many this season which is a bit frustrating when I only manage to get out a couple of times a month if I’m lucky. It’s been unusually warm this November too which may be having an impact, but we can only speculate.
Seasonal changes
It’s not lost on most anglers that something is amiss. The status quo in terms of sea angling is becoming less and less predictable as the years go on and talking to other anglers reveals there is general consensus that the fishing seasons are changing and so too are the results.
This year we had possibly one of the poorest summers that I’ve seen on the north east coast for mackerel – they just never really materialised in the big shoals we’re used to despite there being plenty of baitfish around – which the increasing stocks of herring were certainly taking advantage of in the mackerels absence. Other seasonal fish such as plaice and wrasse are also becoming more of a bonus catch where only five or so years ago you could target them directly and rack up a fair tally.
Over the last few year the dynamics of winter cod fishing have seemingly changed in the North East as well. Ten years ago the cod season lasted all the way through February, with Jan and Feb being the favoured months for the bigger, spawn ready fish. I have it from more senior anglers than me that a few more years back would even see good catches beyond Easter. Nowadays – it’s becoming increasingly pointless getting the gear out of the garage after Christmas.
To be clear – I’m not a well seasoned Cod angler – far from it. I have a handful of sessions every winter when I can. But Anglers who are miles ahead of me in terms of their Cod game are experiencing the same inconsistency in catch rates as the season moves into what should be the pinnacle time of year. They’re still getting more fish than I am, but not in the numbers they’re used to.
Ecosystem changes as a result of climate change and overfishing are at the heart of the debate in terms of root causes – with the reality probably sitting somewhere in the middle. Temperatures even now at the end of November are still regularly in double figures, which has to have some kind of impact on things like seasonal migration patterns and marine food webs and environments both early and late season.
Anyway…..I’ll stop grumbling! This kind of thing fascinates me, even though the output as far as shore angling success is concerned is generally negative. I’d love to think this is just a blip, but I’m admittedly pessimistic. Hopefully things improve soon!