Ditch the cold, smelly bait and jig up some cod this month!
I feel like most fishermen out of Montauk and the South Shore of Long Island have a love-hate relationship with codfish. On the one hand they are very tasty and also abundant as the fall season comes to its chilly end. But the chilly part is the part that so many angler shy away from; November brings with it a lot of windy, rough and cold days, and there’s nothing worse than having wet, slimy, salty hands on a day like that! But if you didn’t have to handle those freezing blobs of slippery clam every time you reeled up, it might be a little better… right? Personally I can’t stand using clams, no matter what the temperature!
No Bait Please!
Let me get this part out of the way, right off the bat… yes, clams work and they catch a variety of fish species, all year long. But, I find that using artificial lures is effective, more fun, more engaging and you can do it without freezing your fingertips off! Perhaps the best part is, you can keep your selection really simple.
My two main ‘go to’ lures are the Daiwa SK Jig and a large ball jighead, rigged with a large soft plastic tail. When fishing either of these choices, I will also tie a small teaser above the main lure. Both of these workhorses have moments when they shine. In my experience, the fluttering of the Daiwa SK Jig has the power to elicit more reaction strikes from lethargic or passive fish, especially during colder weather and periods of high pressure.
Flutter & Ball
The SK is my main lure on most days, it’s fluttering action drives codfish crazy. Work the jig with a swift upward sweep of your rod followed by lowering your rod with a semi-slack line to allow the jig to flutter as it descends. Cod seem to find this fluttering action irresistible. I tend to carry a variety of colors and sizes of the SK Jigs, 5 to 11 ounces will cover you in most situations. I try to pick a weight that allows me to maintain bottom contact while adrift. Personally, I believe that natural color patterns such as ‘sardine’ or ‘pink’ draw more attention than many of the other, weirder colors. To ensure the jig produces as much action on the fall as possible I recommend attaching it to your leader with a 75-pound Tactical Anglers clip.
As much as I love the SK Jig – and, believe me, these things catch a lot of fish – it’s not always the hot ticket. In situations when I know fish are there and they just won’t commit to the erratic movements of the SK, I go to my backup plan to avoid the use of bait. A 4- to 8-ounce ball jighead, I like the ones made by Tsunami or S&S Bucktails. I pair these heads with an Elias V Extreme Paddletail in white, shad or another natural color. When the bite is slow, I’ll slather the whole deal with a coat of ProCure, I like the ‘herring’ scent. This amazing product is something I’ve learned never to shove off the dock without, and it really proves its value in the late season. If my experiences are typical, the addition of scent to your artificial presentations absolutely does make a difference and increases your odds by a lot on those slower days, too.
I fish the ball jigs with on the exact same rigs as the SK, right on down to the same teasers. One of the beauties of tying your rigs with TA Clips, is that you can easily switch back and forth between methods and change weights as the current changes, without having to retie your leader every time. I fish these a lot slow than the SK, oftentimes I’ll just send it down to the bottom and maintain contact with the bottom, imparting minimal rod movement. Just letting the paddletail work its natural action, that subtle, rhythmic tick is often all that’s needed when the fish are showing no interest in faster-moving offerings.
Tease Me, Please Me
I like pre-tying several rigs ahead of time to avoid frustration on the cold days when you want to keep your hands in gloves as much as possible. Keeping the rig simple with a barrel swivel for attaching to your main line, to the leader, made from 50- or 60-pound fluorocarbon for the abrasion resistance, plus, the stiffness of the leader material can help when making a dropper loop for your teaser.
There are plenty of teasers to choose from whether it’s a soft plastic or a feathered hook they all work. My favorite by far is an Albie Snax. The slim, sleek profile reduces drag on your line and allows the use of lighter jigs to stay at the desired depth. I typically put the teaser a good 30 to 34 inches above the jig with a 5- to 7-inch long dropper loop. A 5/0 Gamakatsu baitholder hook is my preferred choice for the teaser. The baitholder barbs ensure that the Albie Snax doesn’t come off as easily. Once again I’m not super picky about color for the teaser but if I had the pick one the amber would definitely be my favorite. I believe this color imitates many things, squid, various baitfish, even a broken crustacean or a seaworm; all are key components of a cod’s diet.
Rod & Reel
There are definitely plenty of rod and reel setups that you can use to fish this style of rig, but my favorite is quite clear, I like the Penn Fathom II size 15 Narrow, clamped onto a Tsunami Slow Pitch 7-foot extra heavy. I chose this reel for its power handle and the ultra-smooth free-spool that ensures that your jig gets down to the bottom as quickly as possible. The rod has plenty of power to lift heavy fish up off the bottom, but still maintains enough sensitivity to feel everything going on and impart a great action to your presentation. For my mainline like going on the lighter end, 20-pound test PowerPro Super Slick is my line of choice for this application. The thin braided line cuts through the water so you can get away with lighter jig, provides great sensitivity and its toughness exceeds its rating.
Make no mistake about it, these November trips are about filling the freezer for the long cold winter that lies ahead. But, jigging makes the day more fun, the hits can be jarring and the battles are quite enjoyable. But most of all, I just like doing it without having to handle freezing cold, stinky, slimy bait all day. If I can do that and catch a few fish, I’m going home happy.
