Cod from Flamborough

A weekend in Bridlington gave me the opportunity to try my luck at Flamborough for some cod.  The fishing anywhere from North Landing to Bempton is great for cod.  Lots of them, and some decent sizes.  The problem is North Landing as a launch site leaves a lot to be desired!  It's a very steep descent (killer on the return dragging your wet stuff, kayak and fish back up that hill) and then when you get down there, it's often heaving with youngsters at the water's edge.  You need to watch yourself here, as kids and hooks in close proximity are generally a bad thing.

The weather was too rough to launch at South Landing, as there was a strong South Westerly.  I hoped that if I stayed fairly close in I could still fish for cod in the shelter of the cliffs.  It turned out to be a lot choppier than I'd thought, and too messy with the tide ripping round the head to fish there, so I headed off towards Mazy Shelves / Bempton.

Sure enough, as soon as I got past Thornwick the wind got up again and it started to get unpleasant the further from the cliffs I got.  Decided to have a go where I was, which was no more than 500 metres offshore, and dropped a 65g Savage Gear Sandeel over the side.

These lures are very nice and cod and pollack absolutely love them.  65g unfortunately is a bit too lightweight when a big tide is roaring along and you really struggle to get near the bottom, even on braid.  I generally give up if my line gets beyond the 45 degree angle from the boat and move onto a big heavy 5 oz shad.  These beasts are great to fish on their own, but they do get heavy to jig all day. The 65g sandeel feels like a feather in comparison.  Sometimes, you can hold this lure in the current not moving it at all, and feel the fish biting it like they would natural bait!  It's an amazing lure.

Anyhow, today there was no problem, as the sandeel never even made it to the bottom before a cracking codling of about 5lb grabbed it.  On my light rod, the fish really gave a good account of itself.  It's a heart warming sight seeing the spinning white belly of cod come spiralling up from the depths towards you.  I have just one thing on my mind: food!

The first cod was quickly followed by another, before I decided that I really didn't like the way the white horses were not just appearing on the near horizon, they were starting to crash over the side the kayak!  Time to head back, but at least I had the two cod to feed the family and the in-laws.  Filleted with a cheesy white sauce, they went down very well!

Tight lines to those who have been able to get out - the English "summer" is proving a disaster for this year's sea kayak fishing.