Spring Cod Fishin’ 03/28/21
Fishing report from Jonah Paris. First Mate on TEAZER Charters.
Good news for those craving chowder, fish and chips, or fish cakes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced a two-week April cod season in the Gulf of Maine. Recreational anglers and for-hire vessel operators may harvest one cod over 21 inches (per person per day) from April 1 to April 14, 2021.
If you are departing from ports in Southern Maine or the New Hampshire Seacoast, consider making the run out to Platts Bank or Jeffreys Ledge. If this season is like the past several, groundfishing on the inshore ledges will not heat up until mid June. Start your first drift in 200 feet and fish your way down to 300 feet.
Bait vs. Jigs
“Should I fish bait or should I jig?” We get asked this question a lot by our clients. My answer is this: bait will get you more bites, but jigs will catch you bigger fish. With a limit of only one cod, jigging is your best bet at bringing home a fat “steaker.” Additionally, smaller fish sometimes do not recover from the internal stress of being pulled up several hundred feet. When you do have to release a cod, attempt to remove the air from its stomach by gently rubbing its belly with your hand or sliding the belly of the fish against the rail. Send the short fish back with a gentle, head first, plunge. Do not gaff any fish that will be released.
While the days of tarred hand-lines are long forgotten, one critical piece of “old school” cod tackle has not been left in the dust - the Norwegian jig. Chrome Norwegian jigs, ranging in weight from 18 - 32 oz, remain our top-producing offshore jigs. I often fish a teaser, a plastic squid skirt or a bucktail tied on a 5/0 - 7/0 hook, with the jig. The teaser is attached to a dropper loop two feet above the jig. Cod (and haddock) respond well to “shrimpy” colors; pink and orange are my favorites.
If you do plan to fish bait, clams on a high-low rig will be your best bet. Other good baits include chunks of mackerel and squid. Though we tie the majority of our own bait rigs aboard the Teazer, we always keep a few dozen Sea Wolfe rigs stashed away. Sea Wolfe Tackle Company of Londonderry, NH makes a solid commercial-grade groundfish bait rig.
Safety First
Offshore fishing in the spring demands extra precautions. Thoroughly check all safety gear to make certain everything is still in working condition from last fall - especially radios, EPIRB beacons, and life rafts. Notify others of your intended departure and return times, as well as your destination, and wear a PFD. Additionally, consider the “buddy system” during early-season offshore ventures. The benefits of creating your own “fleet” are two-fold; you can watch each other’s back out there, and multiple boats allows you to spread out, work more bottom, communicate, and dial in on the bite.
Time to sharpen up the fillet knife!
Tight lines,
Jonah Paris
First Mate
TEAZER Charters
Portland, ME