Cod Fishing in the UK

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Most cod caught from UK shores weigh under 3lb (1.4kg), and a double-figure fish from the beach is a genuine prize. Go in expecting codling and treat anything bigger as a bonus.

Cod fishing in the UK is mainly a September to January game from the shore. The best chances come on big tides after dark, with large lugworm, squid or crab baits on a strong rig. Boat anglers fish uptide rigs, pirks and soft lures over wrecks and banks.

The seven steps below follow a cod trip in order, from choosing shore or boat to deciding whether a fish goes back. Keep one number in mind throughout: the legal minimum size is 35 cm, and Step 7 explains how it applies to anglers.

Step 1: Choose Shore or Boat, and a Venue That Suits Your Casting

Driving to the most famous cod beach on your coast achieves nothing if your bait lands short of the surf line. Venue choice decides more winter catches than tackle, so match the method to your casting and budget first.

	Shore (beach)	Shore (rock, pier, harbour wall)	Boat
Casting needed	Distance helps a lot on surf beaches	Short casts often reach deep water	Little or none
Kit to start	Beachcaster, reel and leads; check current prices at a tackle shop	Same outfit as the beach	Charter fee or your own boat; check charter prices locally
Best months	September to January	September to January	Ask the skipper, as it varies by region
Main methods	Bait on pulley or paternoster rigs	Bait on pulley or paternoster rigs	Uptiding, pirks, soft lures

If your casting is still developing, start on rock marks, piers and harbour walls, which put deeper water within reach of a modest cast. Move to open surf beaches once you can cast a 5oz or 6oz lead and a big bait clear of the breakers.

Clean sand beaches are easier on tackle and suit long casting. Rough ground (rock, weed and boulders) holds more food and often more cod, but it will cost you rigs and leads.

Our guide to beach fishing basics covers reading a surf beach, and boat fishing for sea species covers charters and boat tackle.

By now you should have a venue type where your cast actually reaches the fish. If in doubt, start on the pier.

Step 2: Time Your Session for Season, Tide and Darkness

Rough sea or flat calm? Experienced sea anglers disagree, and each answer holds on different venues. A rough, coloured sea lets cod feed close in, even in daylight. A calm, clear night with an offshore wind can fish just as well on other marks, so ask the nearest tackle shop which applies to yours.

The season is simpler. Shore cod numbers build from September, peak from November to Christmas and thin out from late January. Some areas, including parts of the East Coast and the Severn Estuary, also see a spring run of codling under 5lb (2.3kg) from late March to early May. Our cod season guide breaks that down month by month.

Within the season, line up as many of these as you can:

Tide size: big spring tides usually fish best, with prime tides around three days before the biggest springs. Some venues fish better on neaps, so learn your mark.
Darkness: night sessions are usually more productive, because cod move closer in after dark.
Sea state: fishing often improves as a gale eases while the sea is still lively.
Water colour: coloured water gives you a real chance of daytime fish.
Wind direction: note whether the wind is onshore or offshore at your beach, and how that changes the surf and the colour.

Check the forecast and tide times before you leave, and avoid marks where the flooding tide can cut you off. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, and carry a headtorch plus a spare.

For winter cod fishing, the classic window is a big tide after dark as a blow eases.

Step 3: Set Up Your Rod, Reel, Line and Leads by Spec

Three numbers tell you whether a shore outfit will cope with cod: the rod’s casting rating, the mainline’s breaking strain and the shock leader’s strength. Get those right and the brand name on the blank matters far less.

Situation	Rod	Reel and line	Lead
Clean ground, standard surf	12 to 15ft beachcaster rated 5 to 8oz	12 to 18lb mono (0.33 to 0.38mm) with a shock leader	5 to 6oz
Big surf, long range	14ft rated to 6oz (8oz for rough seas)	Large fixed-spool with 30lb braid and an 80lb shock leader, or a multiplier on a 12ft 6in to 13ft 6in rod with 15lb line and a 60lb leader	Rod’s rated weight
Rough ground	Beachcaster rated for the lead	25 to 30lb mainline with a strong leader	Rotten-bottom or weak-link lead
Boat	See our boat fishing guide for uptide and pirking outfits

The shock leader takes the force of a heavy lead on the cast, which a light mainline would not survive. Join it with a reliable shock leader knot.

Use release-wire (grip) leads to hold bottom in a strong tide on clean ground. On rough ground, plain leads on a weak link make more sense, because you will lose some and you want the rest of the rig back.

Braid earns its place on clean ground, where it adds range and shows bites clearly. Skip it over heavy rough ground, where mono’s stretch and abrasion resistance save fish and tackle.

Step 4: Tie a Pulley Pennell or Paternoster Rig

One rig does most shore cod work. A clipped-down pulley Pennell casts a big bait further, lands it intact and lifts the lead up and over snags as you wind in a fish, which is why it is now the standard rig for surf and rough ground cod.

To build one:

Cut about 44in of 60lb mono for the rig body and tie a lead clip link at the bottom.
Thread on a bead, then a pulley bead or a swivel, then a second bead.
Form a hook length of about 20in below the pulley.
Tie on two 4/0 hooks Pennell-style, with the top hook sliding on the line so you can set the gap to suit the bait.
After baiting, wrap the hook length three times round the top hook’s shank to keep it in place.
Clip the bottom hook into the lead clip so the bait sits tight to the lead for the cast.

Our guide on how to tie a pulley rig has the full build.

If that feels fiddly, start with a two-hook Pennell paternoster. It is simple and holds long worm baits well, though less streamlined without a bait clip. Our paternoster rig guide shows the build.

Hook choice for shore cod runs from size 1 up to 6/0. Long-shank Aberdeen hooks from 1 to 3/0 suit lugworm, while Pennell 4/0s carry big mixed baits. One large bait beats two small ones. On rough ground, fish the lead on a weak link.

The pulley Pennell wins on range and snag release; the paternoster wins on simplicity. By now you should have a rig built, with the bait clip ready for the cast.

Step 5: Bait Up Big With Lug, Squid or Crab

Lugworm is hardest to buy in exactly the weeks cod are most likely to show. Plan your bait before you plan the session, or you can end up with the tide right and nothing to put on the hook.

Situation	Bait	Notes
Surf beach, clean ground	Blow or black lug	Often tipped with squid
Rough ground	Peeler crab, black lug, squid	Expect to lose some rigs
After a gale	Lug tipped with razorfish or queen scallop	Use shellfish only if it has been scoured and washed up
Spring codling	Peeler crab	Matches the spring run
Boat, south coast	Squid
Boat, north	Fish baits	Fish baits rate poorly for surf cod in the south

Mussel steeped for 24 hours makes a useful back-up. Re-bait every cast and do not leave a bait out longer than about 15 minutes, because a washed-out bait gives off little scent.

Keep a freezer reserve of black lug, squid, peeler and shellfish, and become a regular at a tackle shop that sells fresh lug, so you are on its list when supply is short. Our page on lugworm as cod bait covers storage, and the best bait for cod compares the options in more depth.

Big baits also cut out small nuisance fish, but they cost casting distance, which is the problem the bait clip from Step 4 solves.

If you can only carry one bait, take lug and a pack of squid.

Step 6: Fish the Session: Casting to Features, Reading Bites and Boat Methods

A cod bite often shows as the rod tip springing straight and the line falling slack, not as a pull. Strike at that and you usually miss the fish.

Walk the beach at low water in daylight and note the gullies, rough patches, channels and sandbank edges, because that is where food collects and cod hunt. Cast to those features on the flood rather than into featureless sand.

Most shore anglers fish two rods with no more than three hooks on each. That is common practice rather than a law, so check any venue or club rules where you fish.

When the tip drops back, take your time. Wind down steadily until you feel the weight of the fish, then lift firmly into it. Keep re-baiting on the schedule from Step 5, because a fresh bait in the right gully is what brings the bite.

From a boat

Uptide casting holds a bait on the bottom away from the boat’s shadow, and it needs a decent tide run to work. Pirks, and soft lures fished on Whitby, flying collar or jumper style rigs, cover more water and suit clearer seas. Our boat fishing guide explains each method in full.

Pirking works best over wrecks and banks in clear water. Skip it when the sea is coloured and cod are feeding by smell. Our sea fishing techniques hub covers more methods.

Step 7: Measure, Release or Keep Within the Rules

ICES, the scientific body that advises on catch limits, recommended zero catch for northern shelf cod (including the North Sea) for 2026, and has advised the same for Celtic Sea cod. That is advice for setting commercial catch limits, not a law against angling, but it shows how depleted these stocks are.

The minimum conservation reference size for cod in UK waters is 35 cm, according to the GOV.UK list (last updated 3 February 2026), and it is not only a commercial rule. North Western IFCA says its minimum sizes, including cod at 35 cm, apply to everyone fishing in its district, and recreational anglers are not exempt. Northumberland IFCA also lists cod at 35 cm.

Check your local IFCA byelaws before you fish, and ask your IFCA or the Marine Management Organisation about any local limits on how many fish you can take. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, check the relevant government fisheries page.

Measure from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (check your IFCA’s guidance on method). Any cod under 35 cm goes straight back, and given the stock advice above, return most fish over it too.

To return a cod in good shape:

Wet your hands before touching the fish.
Support its body and keep your fingers away from the gills.
Unhook quickly and keep it out of the water as briefly as possible.
Return it headfirst into the water.

Thin, diseased-looking cod, known as slinks, are not fit to eat. Our cod species guide covers identification and records.

Measure every fish, release most, and keep a takeable cod only when you will eat it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum size for cod in the UK?

The minimum size for cod in UK waters is 35 cm, per the GOV.UK minimum conservation reference size list. North Western IFCA applies it to everyone fishing in its district, including anglers. Measure every fish before deciding whether to keep it.

Do you need a licence to fish for cod?

In England, the Environment Agency rod licence covers freshwater fish, salmon, trout, smelt and eel, and GOV.UK does not list sea fish such as cod. Angling press reports no licence is needed for sea fishing, but you need one to target salmon or sea trout, including in estuaries. Check the GOV.UK fishing licences page before you go.

When is the best time to catch cod from the shore?

September to January, with the peak from November to Christmas. Fish after dark on big spring tides, ideally as a blow eases. Some areas also get a spring codling run from late March to early May. Our cod season guide covers each month.

What is the British record cod?

The shore record is 44lb 8oz (20.183kg), caught by B Jones at Tom's Point, Barry, in 1966. The boat record on the weight list is 58lb 6oz (26.478kg), Noel Cook, off Whitby in 1992. That weight list was frozen in June 2024, and new boat claims are now measurement-based.

What is the best bait for winter cod fishing?

Lugworm (blow and black), squid and peeler crab are the best winter cod baits, often combined on one big bait. Re-bait every cast so the scent stays fresh.