TIDE TALK
MIKE THRUSSELL PICKS OUT THE PERFECT TIDES AND TACTICS FOR TARGETING HUSS FROM THE SHORE AND BIG COD SHOALING UP OVER WRECKS
SHORE HUSS
Although an all year round catch, it’s the post-Christmas period, especially January, that consistently produces the bigger huss, especially from the deeper rock ledges with a depth of at least 20-feet, but 30-feet plus will give the better fishing.
Huss are not lovers of fast flowing tides, so off the deep-water rock ledges we need to target the smaller neap to middle sized tides when the tidal flow is less fast. These tides fall between the 2nd to the 9th January, and again from the 19th to the 23rd. You can tighten the best days to the 6th to the 9th and then the 22nd and the 23rd. These latter dates are rising tides after the lowest neap tide of the cycle and though huss will feed on all tides, it’s these first tides after the lowest neap that generally trigger the best feeding.
You can catch huss by day, but night tides will yield the best results, especially if you fish a low water that falls in the dark.
They feed best in the second hour of the flood when the tide is picking up speed but not at full power. The smaller the tide, the better the chances are of huss feeding through the middle flood period.
Beachcasters in 12ft to 14ft lengths rated to cast 8oz are needed for fishing into heavy rough ground, which is the preference of huss. Reels need to be either a multiplier holding 300yd of 25/30lb mono line with a 60lb shock leader, or a large 8000 sized fixed spool loaded with 40lb braid and an 80lb braid shock leader.
Stick with a simple clipped down pulley rig made from 80lb clear mono and huss being a greedy fish, a single 6/0 Viking type hook is big enough and strong enough.
Mackerel is the most used bait cut into 4in fillets then bound well with bait elastic. Herring and Bluey also work well. Best of all are fresh small pouting and poor cod you catch while fishing. Slash the sides to let scent out and mount the bait head down with the hook coming out in the gill cover then bind with bait elastic. Huss also take squid and cuttlefish. Don’t use too big a bait. Huss will hold big baits in their mouth without the hook finding a hold then let go when you get them near the surface.
Devon and Cornwall, south west and north west Wales, west coast of Scotland. In Ireland: west Cork, Kerry, Galway, Mayo and Donegal.
Conger, ling, chance of rays over broken ground.
WRECK COD
Cod move off the inshore grounds this month, the bigger fish starting to congregate on the offshore wrecks prior to spawning. January offers an excellent chance for both better numbers of cod, but also the bigger fish over 15lb.
Drifting directly over the wreck is the most successful method choosing the smaller neap t
