SMALL BOAT COD FISHING

Fishing for cod along the North Shore of Massachusetts is a very popular pastime and a way of relaxing for many fishermen. With the cost of fresh fish on a never=ending upward spiral, it’s no wonder why fishermen place such a high regard on this delicately flavored fish. It’s white fillets can be baked or broiled and makes the best fish chowder.

Cod can be caught all along Massachusetts shores and is not limited to any particular season. With the exception of the deep winter months, fishermen can be found fishing for cod from small boats, the surf and party boats. Both bait and jig fishermen score nicely of cod.

First of all, there are regulations that must be followed when cod fishing. Fishermen are allowed 10 cod pre day and these fish are in combination with haddock. The length limit for cod for recreational fishermen is set at 21 inches.

There are a few good launching facilities in the Salem area. Small boats can be launches from Popes Landing in Danversport, the Kernwood Marins in Salem, Winter Island in Salem, behind the bowling alley on Bridge St. in Beverly at the Bass River and the end of Water St. in Beverly. Winter Island is probably the most convenient with plenty of parking and easy access to the harbor.

For those anglers that do not have a boat, skiffs are available for rent at the Salem Willows Pier. These seaworthy craft can be rented with or without motors. Many of the areas that I will mention are within range of small boats.

The first places to look for cod are right inside the confines of the harbor. These areas are best fished during the beginning of the season and again during the late fall when water temperatures are cool. Look for limited numbers of cod to be found along Cat Island and Baker’s Island. Many of the cod that are caught around Baker’s Island are rock cod. Sea clams, sea worms and jigs will attract cod. Often times during the late winter and early spring fishermen can catch cod from the Salem Willows Pier during the night tide. Most fish are under sized but they help to break the winter doldrums and cure cabin fever.

Coney Ledge, located just of Peach’s Point in Marblehead is another fairly good spot. Most of the fish caught in this area are taken on bait. Eagle Bar, located just a short distance from Coney Ledge is popular among local fishermen. Two other locations within the harbor are Bowditch Ledge and Hardy Shoals. These areas were all popular when ½ day fishing boats were common in Salem.

As we move outside the confines of the harbor, small boat skippers must take into consideration the weather. The following areas can be easily fished by small boat owners. Once again, keep in mind the weather and don’t take any chances. Each skipper knows what his boat can handle.

One of the best areas for small boat cod fishing lies just off Manchester. Gales Ledge is very popular among local cod fishermen and it is not uncommon to catch fair sized cod, sometimes approaching the teens in weight. Most of the cod fishing at Gales Ledge is done with Norwegian style jigs and diamond jigs.

To make your jig even more effective add a teaser. The teaser can be a Norwegian style worm, a plastic shrimp tail or a plastic worm. They all work and work well. As a matter of fact, many time fish will be caught on the teaser rather than the jig. The new mini, in-line chum pots have been working especially well and have attracted good numbers of fish. The two most popular blends of dry chum that have been most popular are the shrimp and all purpose blends.

One of the techniques used when fishing a hill, bump or ledge is to drop a marker buoy over the hill and move up current and drift over the hill. As soon as you move over an edge, the fish start to bite.

Gales Ledge has a depth of anywhere between 5 and 17 feet of water and is surrounded by 20 to 30 feet of water. The Tds for Gales Ledge is 13885.40 X 25833.00.

The next ledge that we will look at is Newcomb’s Ledge. Newcomb’s a bit further out and is considered prime cod waters by many fishermen. Good numbers of market sized cod are taken at Newcomb’s Ledge every year. Some fish will reach weights into the teens and all are healthy looking cod. Jigs are most effective at Newcomb’s but become even more productive when a strip of bait or a mini chum pot is added. A navigational buoy nicknamed the "Groaner" that marks the edge of the ledge and this makes it easy to drift fish over the ledge.

Though most of the cod fishing at Newcomb’s Ledge is with jigs, bait fishermen do quite well. Some of the baits used att he popular ledge include sea worms, sea clams, clam strips, squid strips and crabs. Herring chunks have also been known to take cod in the early spring. Bait rigs are simple rigs consisting of tandem rigged hooks some with fish finders, other without. Bait fishermen generally find that 6 to 8 ounces of lead will hold the bait on the bottom. The LORAN numbers for Newcomb’s Ledge are 1388680 X 25809.00.

The numerous hills and bumps around Halfway Rock can be quite productive. Both jig and bait fishermen score nicely. There are p-plenty of hills between the rock and Tinker’s Ledge. Drift fishing the area allows fishermen to cover the most ground and id quite productive.

Tinker’s Ledge is another area that is worthwhile for small boat fishermen. Jigs have always been best at Tinkers. There is one problem at Tinker’s that is very frustrating. On the bottom, there is vegetation that is known as strawberries and have a root system that seems to go all the way to China. If your jig catches one of these strawberries, you are sure to lose your jig. One way to beat this problem is to tie the hook to your jig with a lighter line than your running line. That way, when you hook up with the bottom the lighter line will break first and you only lose the hook. You get to keep your expensive jig. Just keep in mind that the lighter line will wear and will need to be checked often.

The next location is the 101 Hill. This is a very popular location and seems to give up fish when there just doesn’t seem to be any cod around. This hill is best drifted over as you bounce jigs off the bottom. There are times during the summer months that dogfish take over the area and cod are almost non-existent. The numbers for the 101 Hill are 13888.50 X 25765.00.

Hill #47 is located just off the Breakers and is another popular cod spot for fishermen all season long. This is a small area and would be difficult to find without a LORAN. This is a prime location for dropping a marker buoy and drift fishing. If you don’t mark the hill, you are sure to lose it. The numbers for Hill #47 are 13885.10 X 25916.50.

All of these locations are considered to be good for cod and for the most part are best during the spring and fall seasons. These are also good areas for light line fishing as the water is not deep and can be effectively fished with lines as light as two pound test.

There are also numerous wrecks located from Nahant to the mouth of Boston Harbor. All the wrecks will usually hold cod and anglers can take one or two fish off each wreck before moving on to the next one.

One of the best things you can do to insure tight lines is to keep a detailed log of all your fishing trips. This log will become invaluable from year to year as your search for fish continues.