Pacific cod

Clint r

Clint r

Well-Known Member
Reading a few fishing reports and seems like cod are everywhere. Are these the same cod a guy buys in the fish section of the supermarket? Is there a way to target them? I love codfish. And how big do they get in our waters? Reading up on them, sounds like they can get quite big. These are something I'd like to target if possible. Any info at all would be great.
 
They are certainly increasing in numbers and availability. I'm still not certain about there habits and when they might be targetable. I've only seen them for the most part in May And June. They are a wonderful table fish and am always happy to put a few in the boat. One could probably jig for them with the appropriate gear but as Pip's said they come to the trolled lure. Good Luck.;) eman
 
I've caught several this year fishing for halibut on Constance Bank. We usually put down a bunch of spreaders then jig with 200-400g jigs and they'll take them. Then just put them on a circle hook and instant live bait!
 
They travel in huge schools and They will take anything, you just have to locate them, usually troll until you get one and set anchor or drift fish there. I went fishing with some newfie friends and we used H shaped boards to wrap the line on and a 8-12" Chrome jig. Slayed tons of them that day, literally couldn't get the lure to bottom before I would get another fish. Out east they refer to it as hand jigging. Very cheap and effective
 
The catches off Vancouver recently of these very small "cod" looking fish while trolling for Chinook, I believe are actually Pollock. Pollock with longer lower jaw don't have the little barbel under that jaw whereas the Pacific Cod does. Pacific Cod also has a shorter lower jaw than the top jaw. The Pacific Cod being larger than Pollock may be what drmadcow is referring to and has caught at Constance however.


( Alaska pollock, Walleye pollock -Theragra chalcogramma )

Pollock.jpgpollock_.jpg.
 
If I'm not mistaken, if you're eating those frozen fish sticks like Captain Highliner, you're eating P Cod. My dad says in the late sixties and seventies, they used to long line the crap out of the entire Campbell River area which virtually cleaned them out. We never ever caught them around here. Matter of fact first time I saw one was only around eight years ago. Now they are thick around the cr hump. I know Hali's like them which makes me wonder why Hali are now around here again. I was fishing the kitty hump last Friday, and we couldn't keep them off. Never ate one before. Old guy at the kitty launch once told me to keep a few for him.he said they are delicious. Heard they are wormy as they get bigger.
 
They aren't all that good...I'll take a Big Mac or a Teenburger over P-Cod anyday.

Yes...I've seen many of them full of worms......
In my experience the P-Cod are often bigger and a more greyish color than the Pollock.

Some years there are tons around ...and other years there aren't....guess this is a year when they are........
 
Seafever said:
They aren't all that good...I'll take a Big Mac or a Teenburger over P-Cod anyday.

Yes...I've seen many of them full of worms......
In my experience the P-Cod are often bigger and a more greyish color than the Pollock.

Some years there are tons around ...and other years there aren't....guess this is a year when they are........
Click to expand...

Beautiful opaque white fillets fresh from the grocery store became a stage full of little dancers when they hit the frying pan. I won't be eating that stuff again.
 
Yup it's the Pollock we've been catching in the Straight. I'm gonna bring some home on our next outing to try them for fish and chips. I got a couple decent size ones last trip out. in the 4-5 lb range but most were only around a pound or two.
 
We are spoiled, ling, snapper, rockfish all "cod". The P Cod do taste good, mushier than the "good" cod I mentioned. Most of the world eat the grey cod, as for worms, they are in most fish, ling and hali. I look hard at all fish when cleaning and remove the worms. Lightly breaded grey cod feast is an annual meal we enjoy.

HM
 
Halimark:- Ling Cod here are not cod at all......neither are Red Snappers or any Rockfish found in these waters.
 
Mmmmm but they all taste good. Ha ha. All kidding aside, when I was a rookie salt water fisherman, I caught a couple of black rockfish. At least three people at the campground called them black cod. Confusing if your not 100% sure of your species. I travel with a copy of "Fishes of the North Pacific" just to avoid confusion.
 
Correct Seafever, I only referenced the eating of them, restaurants and "fishmongers" can legally call many fish cod. Us fisherman know they are not cod in the true sense. Even the tasty white and red mock crab, is it crab? or formed Pollock? Lets not think about the small flatfish? As BC residents we are spoiled, never had a bad tasting fish fresh from our waters, even greenling.

HM
 
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