traces in winter

[robbiekennedy]

hello all.i am hoping to get out this saturday trying for a few codling ill be about a mile offshore over hard ground.in summer i be out a bit with baited feathers and do ok. im just wondering does this work in winter too or do i need to have lug crab squid and that kind of thing i hear jelly worms work but not sure how to fish them properly.cheers

[dangler]

Fishing in the winter can be a different ball game all together as the water clarity is often poorer especially on the East coast. Feathers will work when the water is clearer in the summer but your best to fish with bait during the winter. All the baits you mentioned will catch cod but I would also include mussel which is a deadly bait for cod and is much cheaper than peeler crab. You will need to whip the mussel with bait elastic before you put it on the hook. Also if I were you I would try to make some homemade traces in different patterns such as 1 up 1 down etc as they may improve your catch rate.

[robbiekennedy]

thanks for reply.should i anchor or would drifting be a better job

[dangler]

thanks for reply.should i anchor or would drifting be a better job

Drifting is usually more effective if you are looking to pick up numbers of cod as you are covering more ground, however if the wind or tide is too strong than you may drift too fast in which case it may be better to anchor. If you have a GPS it should tell you how fast the boat is drifting. If you are drifting more than 2.5 knots than you would be best to anchor.

[robbiekennedy]

thanks for the info.all taken aboard,if i catch anything ill post it up

[philiphito]

any pictures or a site where can I learn how to make own traces??/

[JimC]

You'll get some help at http://www.planetseafishing.com/ (click on the "rigs" section on the right and click on "shore" or "boat")