Montauk Cod Methods

[Leif]

Originally Posted by John_Henderson

Good post Leif, but I think that since this is a post for beginners mostly you might want to mention the worms that often infest the fillets. I know they were a big surprise to me my first trip up there. I know you can pick em out and that they're not dangerous if cooked, but they are worth being aware of. Also, I always like to get to the boats a good bit early, because the bunks often fill up fast, and when the bite is hot, space is often at a premium. One more thing that got me the first trip up is that I didn't bring a big enough cooler. At 10 fish a person, if you have a couple of guys you will fill a 100 qt cooler up pretty quickly. See you up there.

Excellent points John. Very important to say the least. Thanks for sharing those. Hopefully it will be a good run.


Leif

[Slacker]

1. What is the recommended cooler size if fishing alone? I don't want to lug some huge casket unless I have to.

2. With that 2 hook grub rig, what is at the end of it... sinker, jig or is either one OK?

3. Stupid question, but with the grub rig, does it get sweetened with a clam strip or do you just fish straight plastic? Do you fish it only when drifting or also at anchor?

4. Are these fish always down in the bottom 5' of the water column or are they sometimes at mid-depths?

5. I have an 8' Lami telephone pole that meets your specifications. If I wanted to also bring a lighter rod, how light can I go? Is a 7', 20-40# rated enough stick for the average cod trip? (seems like more than enough for a 10-30# fish but if I knew, I wouldn't be asking)

Thanks.

[TAB95]

Thanks for the tips.. Looking late Jan or early Feb Montauk bound
________
Littlebutterfyfor4

[Ryan W]

Do you know if jimmy is running northbound from belmar again this year? If he is, I'll have to jump on a trip or two with you guys.

Ryan

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Slacker

1. What is the recommended cooler size if fishing alone? I don't want to lug some huge casket unless I have to.

2. With that 2 hook grub rig, what is at the end of it... sinker, jig or is either one OK?

3. Stupid question, but with the grub rig, does it get sweetened with a clam strip or do you just fish straight plastic? Do you fish it only when drifting or also at anchor?

4. Are these fish always down in the bottom 5' of the water column or are they sometimes at mid-depths?

5. I have an 8' Lami telephone pole that meets your specifications. If I wanted to also bring a lighter rod, how light can I go? Is a 7', 20-40# rated enough stick for the average cod trip? (seems like more than enough for a 10-30# fish but if I knew, I wouldn't be asking)

Thanks.

Slacker,

1) Bring a cooler big enough to fit 10 cod in it 94 quart

2) At the end of the 2 hook grub rig is a sinker 10-20 oz

3) Not stupid...fish the rig with clams, I use a half a clam on each hook or a whole one if I can. You can fish the rig on the drift or on the anchor. Most of the time you drift over the piles of fish.

4) The fish are mostly on the bottom but can come up following the herring.

5) 8 ft Lami is great. You can use lighter 7ft 20-50 heavy as long as you use 30-40lb mono or 65-80lb braid.

I made the following suggestions because I have found they are the most productive.

You can use almost anything and I have seen guys using all kinds of tackle out there.....BUT in most cases on a somewhat crowed Party Boat, the above recommendations will increase you chances. You will get the fish in quicker, have less tangles and wind up with fish in the cooler.

Thanks for the questions and GOOD LUCK!!

Go get em.

Leif

[Slacker]

Thanks!