Mighty 91lb cod is the biggest of the season
The biggest cod of the season has been landed in the form of this record shaking 91lb specimen.
The monster fish was caught by Danish angler Tommy Neumann from the Norwegian resort of Soroya and follows the recent capture of numerous 70lb-plus fish from the region, including an 83lber boated by European angler Peter Fors, reported in the Angling Times just two weeks ago. Tommy tempted the giant skrei version of the species using a homemade jig lure while fishing with Danish squad, Team Hvidovre but despite being the fish of a lifetime, it is still some way short of the World record cod of 104lb, banked by German angler Michael Eisele, also off Soroya last year.
Anyone interested in travelling to Norway and catching cod should visit: www.sportquestholidays.com or call: 01603 407596
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83lb cod heralds start of fishing season
The Norwegian cod fishing season got off to one of the best starts on record after a spate of huge fish were landed within days of opening - including this whopping 83lb specimen.
The giant fish was landed by European angler Peter Fors from the Northern resort of Soroya and follows the capture of 80 other fish weighing over the 40lb-barrier by visiting anglers.
Peter used a 40cm Big Bob lure to fool the huge specimen which is still some way short of last year’s world record 104lb fish, banked by German angler Michael Eisele also off the coast of Soroya.
Paul Stevens from Sportquest Holidays, a UK-based firm who organise fishing trips to Norway said: “These huge Skrej cod are found mid-water above the shoals of smaller cod picking off the weak and injured fish. They only come here in March and April to breed and it is during this period that they provide anglers with the opportunities to catch fish of a lifetime.”
Anyone interested in travelling to Norway and catching cod should visit: www.sportquestholidays.com or call: 01603 407596
Bristol Channel cod boated at 31lb 5oz
This huge 31lb 5oz cod was caught by Hayden Scamp from a popular North Somerset sea fishing mark.
The Gloucestershire-based rod was enjoying a trip aboard Shaun Anning’s charter boat, ‘Seafire’ when the specimen took his frozen black lug and squid bait from a spot near Watchet in the Bristol Channel. The fish followed a number of big cod captures recorded on Seafire this winter including a 22lb 8oz specimen landed by Chippenham rod Lewis Webster recently.
Anyone wishing to book a trip with Shaun can do so by calling him on: 07711 215695.
Winter cod at their biggest
Sea fishing charter skippers say that this winter has been one of the best they can ever remember following a spate of 30lb-plus cod hitting the decks of several boats.
The Bristol Channel and the Isle of Wight have thrown up the biggest fish, the highlight of which was a 36lb specimen taken by Andrew Turrell from the Bristol Channel. It set a new record for Rob Rennie’s boat, Lady Jue out of Penarth, and fell to a fresh black lugworm and squid bait from an area near Minehead. Rob said he had wouldn’t be surprised to see a new channel record soon.
“This season has been the best ever for really big cod and this fish wasn’t weighed until five hours after it was caught so you could probably add another pound onto it,” he told Angling Times. “To put it into perspective, a double figure cod is a good catch here. There are thousands of little cod about too which is a great sign for the next few years. They seem to come and go in cycles, last year there were lots of 9-12lb fish about, the year before they were 6lb, the year before that 3-4lb and so on.”
Another 33lb fish was also recorded from the Channel by James Theyer aboard Anchorman Charters. Elsewhere, on the Isle of Wight, a 35lb 2oz cod was caught by Eric Elliot from his own boat Wight Rebel from the famous Needles area, which also threw up a 34lb cod for Lee Price. Eric is also surprised at the impressive sizes the cod have reached this winter.
“Last year we had a lot of 20lb-plus fish from around the island and this year we’ve had a lot more over 30lb. I also heard a rumour of a 37-pounder a few weeks ago. Even in summer the fish were getting caught up to 25lb from the wrecks. This was my own biggest ever cod from the boat and I caught it using four small squid as bait,” he said.
Sport hasn’t just been confined to the South, however. The North East cod hotspot of Whitby has also produced some great sport since October with one trip in particular by Sea Otter 2 resulting in fish up to 20lb, including 20 in the 10lb – 15lb range.
