Youghal cod fishing - 7th & 8th January 2012

People: Me

Duration: Various

Tide: Rising

Weather: Mild, calm, dry

Bait: Peeler crab

Rigs: 4/0 pennel pulleys

Results:
7th January: 7 codling;
8th January: 3 codling.




Report:
Saturday 7th January
I headed to Youghal for my first fishing session of 2012. I hadn't done much cod fishing all winter, instead concentrating on bass. I had picked up a few codling off the beaches and had made a few attempts at cod fishing around Youghal Harbour in October-November but was beaten by weed

I decided to try an estuarine mark which produced some good fish last winter. I arrived about an hour before low tide at 9.30 pm. I set up two rods with pennel pulleys baited with peeler crab. I had a small codling shortly after setting up but then it went dead until about an hour and a half into the rise. The next fish was a more substantial fat codling of 2.5 lb

This was followed by another another slightly smaller fish The bites were much slower at this mark compared to last winter, it was about 30 minutes later before I had the next, a much smaller codling. The next fish was the best of the night, another chunky codling of about 3.5 lbs When I cleaned it out its stomach was stuffed with sandeels. Interestingly of the fish I kept only one had a small crab it is stomach, all the rest had been eating sandeels.

I fished on for another couple of hours, getting a few more codling in the 2 lb range, and lost a few that felt a little more substantial. In the end I had six worth keeping. So fish for dinner for the next few days

Sunday 8th January

It was a very mild day for early January. I had some crabs left over from the previous night so headed to another estuarine mark that can fish well over the last couple of hours up to high tide. I had some good codling there last winter but this time it fished very poorly. There was quite a lot of weed coming up with the tide and I managed to snag a large branch which I initially thought was a giant cod I had the first bite close to high tide, a small chubby codling with a deformed spine near its tail

I had a couple more fairly small codling after that, only one worth keeping, and lost another small fish. I should probably have fished a mark closer to the harbour area, still it was good to out in the fresh air on such a nice January day.

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good few fish nice work interesting about the sandeel! now i,m defo bringin some on thursday look out cod your days are numbered!

nice work few of us are targeting them on thursday fingers crossed i,ll be bringing some sandeel with me sounds like they could produce the goods ,we shall see

Thanks Rodger, a word of caution, after gutting the 3.5 lb fish I put on the biggest sandeel on the pennel rig. The sandeel still seemed very fresh but I didn't get another bite that rod, the remainder of the fish took the crab on the second rod.

i wasnt thinking of cod when sandeel was mentioned

Well done, Tightlines fished the Harbour mark recently and without much success i'd say alot of it has to do with the weed and amount of fresh water as well, the cod are fatting up now for the deep breeding in a while so hence why they are gunning after small fish like sandeels, the last session I did in youghal, (nightmare, storm blew in and rods got hammered!!) I blanked BUT some of the lads did well, and one of the cod had a small bass in its belly, the others had bits of coral, shrimp, sandeels and Armed Bullheads (they seem to fancy the armed bull heads alot!?!?) found three of them (two in one fish)

well done frank thats good going with the way things are at the moment

some nice fish there frank well done

niceone,Frank,some good bites on waiting bass to b back

Fair play Frank some good fishing done there we were down at the bandstand on Sunday and it was very slow fishing and plenty of weed.....

Nice one man that some good fishing
That last pic is gas it just looks wrong

Nice fish . I should have tried for cod instead of bass and flounder!!!

the last session I did in youghal, (nightmare, storm blew in and rods got hammered!!) I blanked BUT some of the lads did well, and one of the cod had a small Bass in its belly, )

Are you sure it's a bass? As you said the photo is not great but it looks very like a small roach or dace which could have been washed down from the Blackwater.

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Nice going Frank, won't be long till you are back lure fishing for Bass!

very nice cod fishing Frank
some lovely looking fish there (apart from that wee skitter at the rear.. ah, im sure he tasted grand regarless )
thanks for posting

Thanks guys,

some nice fish there frank well done

It was down to your crabs!!

niceone,Frank,some good bites on waiting Bass to b back

Thanks Oli, I had bass last year in early January so I am sure they are still around especially as its so much milder this year.

Fair play Frank some good fishing done there we were down at the bandstand on Sunday and it was very slow fishing and plenty of weed.....

Were you fishing there in daylight? I have found it poor in daylight, best on a rising tide in darkness.

Nice one man that some good fishing
That last pic is gas it just looks wrong

Thanks Paul, yes that poor little chubby fish was severely deformed, although judging from the size of him it hasn't affected his feeding abilities.

ice going Frank, won't be long till you are back lure fishing for Bass!

Thanks Declan, hopefully if get some calm weather in April like we did last year, I have found it hard to get back into bait fishing this winter after spending so long lure fishing last year.

the last session I did in youghal, (nightmare, storm blew in and rods got hammered!!) I blanked BUT some of the lads did well, and one of the cod had a small Bass in its belly, )

Are you sure it's a Bass? As you said the photo is not great but it looks very like a small roach or dace which could have been washed down from the Blackwater.

@ John, yeah When you pull up the dorsal fin it really resemmbles a bass, and the photo doesnt do it justice (But originalsin has it in his freezer) We're hoping to get a decent Macro shot of it, then again i dont fish fresh water not enough surf in fresh water for me

yes,Frank,u right,they still around,last year i get them in january and february,but nt that many of them around,and nt that easy to get them,anyway thinking to try this or next week for them in west Cork...

Back with bang well done frank

the last session I did in youghal, (nightmare, storm blew in and rods got hammered!!) I blanked BUT some of the lads did well, and one of the cod had a small Bass in its belly, )

Are you sure it's a Bass? As you said the photo is not great but it looks very like a small roach or dace which could have been washed down from the Blackwater.

I'd say that was a sardine/herring but i maybe wrong????